[PPS]

As per a tweet from Hormazd Sorabjee, EcoSport is coming mid-2013 with a 6 speed, twin clutch automatic version will also come! Quite a long wait !

[scopriobharath]

Ecosport was captured last month, making visits to ARAI. Expect no less than 4 months from today. February is something i look forward to or the Auto expo in Jan.

I dont think this will be a Diwali launch.

I pray i am proved wrong.

- If ecoport is loaded to the brim, offering 6 speed trannies, autoboxes and other goodies like hill hold assist etc, I dont think ford can/will play a price card here. It should be priced in duster territory. The sub 4m price advantage will offset the benefit that the company can pass on to the customer, if too many gadgets are offered.

I think they will have a stripped down version @ 6 lacs and loaded version at 8 lacs Ex-showroom.

[joshguy]

I heard that Eco sport was unveiled to sales/dealers yesterday at Hyatt chennai. Feedback was that the mini suv is good at space and the white colour looks cool.

[suchit23]

Originally Posted by scopriobharath

I think they will have a stripped down version @ 6 lacs and loaded version at 8 lacs Ex-showroom.

For the fully loaded one, it would be very very challenging to price 8 ex showroom, considering the build, the gamut of features, 6 airbags, the better than Fiesta interiors. Ford would do good if it could price the top end below a million Rs ex showroom, that would still be less than the Duster top end. Anything more than that we have ourselves Fiesta II.

[KINI]

A guy working in Ford and involved with the Ecosport told me the Ford will start deliveries of the Ecosport by Jan 2013

[scopriobharath]

Originally Posted by suchit23

For the fully loaded one, it would be very very challenging to price 8 ex showroom, considering the build, the gamut of features, 6 airbags, the better than Fiesta interiors. Ford would do good if it could price the top end below a million Rs ex showroom, that would still be less than the Duster top end. Anything more than that we have ourselves Fiesta II.

I thought the only place where ford can score is the sub 4 meter relief that they get. If that cost difference is used for gizmos, am not sure if it would really sell as most of the gizmos are not really practical and required in india. ex hill assist. half clutch-half accelarator with hand brake is the best hill assist you can ever get.

fingers crossed

[anumod]

Originally Posted by PPS

As per a tweet from Hormazd Sorabjee, EcoSport is coming mid-2013 with a 6 speed, twin clutch automatic version will also come! Quite a long wait !

This might be the same way they launched Fiesta, First they will launch the manual version, then after some time the automatic version. As per the reliable sources the manual one makes in to customers hand in the First half of the January itself.

[acroback]

Looking at slew of sub 4 meter UV launches + Duster, I think Ford is actually loosing on a niche market very very fast.

If only they can get test mules to dealers asap, with a waiting period of 1-2 months, it will do them a lot of good. Prospective sedan buyers will be tempted to have a look into it.

I so wish it was available right now for booking and test drive.

[altius]

Renault and Mahindra get the first mover advantage and Ford is probably losing out due to delay. Ford may have been too cautious and likely not expected the type of response that Duster had. I think when Ford launches EcoSport, it may not have the same initial response as Duster (and possibly Quanto) as those who had been waiting for a City SUV would have gone for Duster or Quanto. Ford would have to fight for a share in the segment with existing players!

[anumod]

Originally Posted by PPS

As per a tweet from Hormazd Sorabjee, EcoSport is coming mid-2013 with a 6 speed, twin clutch automatic version will also come! Quite a long wait !

Originally Posted by altius

Renault and Mahindra get the first mover advantage and Ford is probably losing out due to delay. Ford may have been too cautious and likely not expected the type of response that Duster had. I think when Ford launches EcoSport, it may not have the same initial response as Duster (and possibly Quanto) as those who had been waiting for a City SUV would have gone for Duster or Quanto. Ford would have to fight for a share in the segment with existing players!

Not at all, Quanto I don't think will satisfy urban people who are waiting for a small SUV. Duster pricing is way high and so many people I know who were waiting for both duster and Ecosport, still waiting for Ecosport

[sharninder]

That is true. I've been waiting for both the Duster and ecosport since at least a year and have been a little disappointed with the duster, not because of the price but mostly the basic look of the car and features included. I'd almost decided to go in for a sedan instead but now might just wait for a few more months for the ecosport. I have a feeling that, all said and done, the ecosport may be a better out together car than the duster for us city folks who will spend a majority of their time on city roads.

[rajneeesh]

My SX4 is now four and a half years old. Looking forward to the Ecosport. The Duster with its Dacia heritage, poor interiors expensive price is a total disappointment. Hope Ford does ot kill the product by stratospheric pricing. Fingers crossed!!!

[suhaas307]

Originally Posted by sharninder

That is true. I've been waiting for both the Duster and ecosport since at least a year and have been a little disappointed with the duster, not because of the price but mostly the basic look of the car and features included. I'd almost decided to go in for a sedan instead but now might just wait for a few more months for the ecosport. I have a feeling that, all said and done, the ecosport may be a better out together car than the duster for us city folks who will spend a majority of their time on city roads.

There will be little to differentiate the EcoSport from the Duster, unless Ford undercuts the Duster's price-tag considerably.

Both have their fare share of positives and negatives, apart from sharing the niche compact-SUV segment. Both cars have similar characteristics. They are compact-SUVs. They ride considerably higher over the road-surface. They're powered by efficient engines and there shouldn't be much of a price-difference between them, I think. Perhaps the EcoSport will be cheaper. Fingers crossed.

While the Duster has great ride-quality over broken roads and less-than perfect tarmac, the EcoSport doesn't ride too well, according to Shapur Kotwal ACI when he'd driven it in South America. I'd imagine the road-conditions aren't too different, but according to the article, most of the roads were pretty good and so was the ride - until he had tested it on some broken road. If it retains the average ride, it might be a deal-breaker for quite a few.

Handling is where the Ford scores, and it isn't a surprise. The Duster is reported to be reasonably composed at higher speeds and behaves very car-like too. The EcoSport's road-mannerisms would be a bonus for enthusiasts but not so much of a deal-breaker for the general public.

The engines, well the Duster's diesel unit is a tried and tested one while the petrol is nothing much to speak of. The EcoSport's diesel unit should be a good one while the petrol mill is technologically revolutionary. People considering petrol cars (like us) will find that it pretty-much seals the case. Even more so if it's mated to the dual-clutch AT. Renault might have missed a trick with the petrol by neglecting it completely. No safety features in the petrol Duster is quite a bummer.

The Duster's interior isn't very appealing when you consider the price, and it has been said even by me that the compromise is worth it. But for those people who aren't ready to make such a compromise, the EcoSport should appeal to them. The interior in the EcoSport isn't too different from the current Fiesta sold in India, and the Fiesta's interior is fitted and finished rather well.

What the EcoSport's interior lacks in, is space. Here, the Duster gets some points back. It isn't a living-room by a long shot. But it's reasonably roomy for 5 occupants, save for that horribly designed centrally-mounted air-con. The boot in the Duster is considerably larger too, by a good 100 liters I reckon.

Ford has been around for a long time and are well established & networked, but Renault is only dipping their toes in the water now. Going by recently reported dealership-customer interactions, Renault hasn't scored very well. It's hit-or-miss! So, advantage Ford!

But until the EcoSport makes it to India, Renault will continue to have a field day watching Dusters fly off the shelves and ride over our third-world-country roads like it's meant to.

[swiftnfurious]

Is there a way we could expect the ride to be tuned a bit more for India after taking the feedbacks from Brazil? Is it a tough job to fine tune it for better comfort? If Ford manages to get it right, we can guess how seriously they want it to be a hit.

[scopriobharath]

Originally Posted by swiftnfurious

Is there a way we could expect the ride to be tuned a bit more for India after taking the feedbacks from Brazil? Is it a tough job to fine tune it for better comfort? If Ford manages to get it right, we can guess how seriously they want it to be a hit.

the suspension would definitely be tuned to be india specific. Roads are far more better and smoother in Brazil. In fact even the engine would be tuned to handle the adulterated fuel we get here compared to brazil.