[RavenAvi]

SVP and a few others drive the EcoSport facelift tomorrow.

Expect first-drive reports by tomorrow evening/night.

Source - Twitterati


Also, NDTV's EcoSport photo gallery has been updated with real-life shots of the facelift. Studio shots have been removed.

[shipnil]

Originally Posted by RavenAvi

SVP and a few others drive the EcoSport facelift tomorrow.

Is Team-bhp also invited for the media drive? It would be nice if we can get our official review.

[aryayush]

Originally Posted by libranof1987

I really hope Ford doesn't provide an AT on Titanium+ (will push the AT to be too expensive) and a lower variant (with no safety features).

This is the sort of contradictory advice that must really confuse companies. Almost every potential customer on this forum has expressed deep frustration with the tendency of manufacturers to keep the top spec trim away from the hands of automatic users. For once, Ford seems to have specifically looked at the complaints on this forum and decided to listen to feedback, and I'm incredibly grateful to it for doing so. Two automatic trims, including the topmost one, is the best configuration one can hope for in a country like India, where automatics still don't bring in the numbers that manual transmissions do.

Originally Posted by libranof1987

Overall, if you leave ICE aside and of course, the front, I wonder if the facelift is that different from the current one. We could see a rush to pick up the current model, at a discount once the prices for the new one are announced.

For the well informed customer, that should not even be an option at this point, given how wrong you are about the facelift model not being different enough. The front and the ICE are only the most visible among a raft of changes, the most notable among them being a new engine and automatic transmission. In fact, if you consider it carefully, you'll realise that Ford has gone all out to try and address every single complaint in the outgoing model that they could without making major changes to the underlying platform of the car, which is more than I expect from any facelift. Here's a rundown:

Engine: The current 1.5l NA petrol engine is underpowered and the relatively powerful EcoBoost is both expensive and unavailable with the option of an automatic transmission. By bringing in the Dragon engine, Ford has neatly addressed all these complaints. It's almost as powerful as the EcoBoost engine but significantly cheaper and available with an automatic setup.

Headlights: The larger headlamps should, at least in theory, provide better illumination than the universally criticised headlamps in the outgoing car, but we'll have to wait to see if this one is true.

ICE: The outdated, button laden ICE has been replaced with a large touchscreen display which early reviews suggest is at par with those on modern smartphones, which (if true) is high praise for a car's head unit. It also comes with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, which are very useful to have.

Steering: The steering was criticised for being too light. The Autocar reviewer says it weighs up better now, while still being light enough to make it easy to drive. He praises it quite a bit for having precise steering input now and being very chuckable around corners.

Suspension: The EcoSport has always had a stiff suspension setup. Again, the Autocar review says the company has added some damping to make the ride smoother, and it's a noticeable improvement. He says the car still retains its excellent driving dynamics.

Transmission: The outgoing DCT was notoriously unreliable and a source of concern for buyers who were in the know. Ford has replaced it with a tried and tested torque converter that should prove much more reliable (though only time will tell). It is also now offering it with the top spec trim. Hallelujah! This, for me, is the most crucial improvement.

Besides these big ticket changes and improvements, there are a few smaller ones that I am a big fan of:

Flat Cargo Loading Bay: The boot has been redesigned and the top tier trims get a configurable setup that allows you to have a flat cargo loading bay.

Power Folding ORVMs: It's a bit crazy that the outgoing car didn't have them but Ford has added them now. It's a critical feature for me.

Rear Armrest: A folding armrest in the middle of the rear seat is a boon for chauffeur driven passengers and I would have really missed it if it wasn't there, but it is now.

Tyre Pressure Monitoring System: It's an immensely useful feature that I would have added through the aftermarket if the company hadn't offered it, but no one can beat the integration of features installed on the factory floor.

There are a few complaints—like the compact dimensions of the car taking away from its SUV character, the boot door opening sideways, the enormous blind spots its A pillars create and the lack of space for three adults in the rear seat—that I suspect cannot be addressed without making significant changes to the car's platform, and I can forgive the company for not doing that in a facelift.

If the reports are to be believed, the best feature that hasn't been changed is the pricing. Despite the car being improved on almost every front, if the company has managed to keep the price similar to the outgoing model, that's just icing on the cake. I don't know about you but I think it would be crazy to leave all of this on the table for a ₹1 lac discount (if that) on the outgoing car.

[84.monsoon]

Originally Posted by Nissan1180

I like the Ecosport for its maneuverability, but it has a really bad low end response (Diesel). You have to floor the throttle to make it move at low RPMs. After the turbo begins to work, things change drastically and it is very pleasant to drive. But in start and stop city traffic, the low end response is important and it wasn't satisfactory at all. Hopefully the new powertrain will be better.

I disagree completely. I have driven a range of Diesel cars within the 15 lacs price point - including the VW Polo and Vento, the Duster 110 hp, many cars with the Fiat MJD 1.3 national engine in various guises including the Punto, Swift, new indica diesel etc, etc. Of all these engines, the Ford 1.5 TDCi has the lowest amount of turbo lag, period. The only one that I found better is the Duster 85 bhp version. The Ford pulls neatly from low revs and one can run about in the second gear mostly even at crawling speeds. The first gear is good for starts from a dead stop. The gear shifts are short and sweet and the clutch is quite soft even after 4 years.

Although what you say would be completely true if one were to consider the 1.0 Ecoboost. Heavy turbo lag and strong mid-range punch.

[CarguyNish]

Ford Ecosport Facelift Media Briefing







New Model to have localization of over 85%. Up by 20%.

Over 2 Lakh Ecosport's on road.

Sync 3 Infotainment System



Reverse Camera with Dynamic Guidelines



New 1.5 Dragon Petrol Engine. Fuel Efficiency of 17kmpl, down by 1.8 kmpl.



Transmissions - 5 Speed Manual & 6 Speed Automatic (Petrol).


New Torque Converter replaces Old Dual Clutch. Paddle Shifters standard.


Top Spec to continue with 6 Airbags, Automatic Wipers & Headlights.




Ford claims Best in Class Ownership Costs for New Ecosport


Source: https://twitter.com/autocarindiamag

[blurust]

Originally Posted by aryayush

This is the sort of contradictory advice that must really confuse companies. Almost every potential customer on this forum has expressed deep frustration with the tendency of manufacturers to keep the top spec trim away from the hands of automatic users. For once, Ford seems to have specifically looked at the complaints on this forum and decided to listen to feedback, and I'm incredibly grateful to it for doing so. Two automatic trims, including the topmost one, is the best configuration one can hope for in a country like India, where automatics still don't bring in the numbers that manual transmissions do.

I completely agree with each and every word you said. Let me tell you what happened with me. Ford had launched ecosport in 2013 and I so wanted to buy it, but I couldn't and i ended up buying Figo Diesel Titanium, because I like top models irrespective, reason being the front seats(I have a large frame) not being supportive and top model automatic and those leather seats. Cut to 2016 - 17 with minor facelift and automatic variant still remains not as desirable because of the absence of touchscreen and better alloys etc on the platinum edition and ford had erased the front armrest as well. Amidst all this i kept on trying all other cars that I would like to upgrade to but because of ford dynamics and cheap service and spares compared to our maruti s cross 1.3 alpha and even swift in the family (both diesel, with similar running as my figo) I kept falling back to ecosport wishing if only ford could give me better seats and a true top model in automatic, I would jump the gun. I respect ford as a company, more for actually listening to the customers and working on bits that people have complained for. I see very few manufacturers doing this.

On a different note, I wonder if ford has added a direct TPMS or an Indirect one ?

[manish_symc]

Hi Friends,

I have a question related to Android auto & Apple car play. Can we use apps like Gaana, Saavn or Youtube with them or just Navigation apps?

[aryayush]

You can use most (if not all) of the apps on your phone.

[Nissan1180]

Originally Posted by 84.monsoon

I disagree completely.

If that's the consensus, then I may have experienced a bad example. It was a Zoomcar, so could have been maintenance related. I agree about the Clutch and Gearshift. But I was struggling to make it move in the first gear from the traffic signals, especially on the highway. It felt quite slow, and hence the observation. Thanks.

[libranof1987]

Originally Posted by aryayush

Here's a rundown:

Thanks! I stand corrected.

The top four (workable) grouses I have my EcoSport are:

1) Lack of auto-fold mirror
2) Lack of a proper arm-rest for the front passengers (leave alone the back)
3) Poor headlights (corrected with XP Micro)
4) Factory-fitted electrochromic IRVM with reverse camera (with retrofit possibility in other trims)

Glad that Ford has worked on these shortcomings and gone above and beyond to make it an even better vehicle. Oh, and AT gets paddle shifters! I'd have loved those on mine.

Must say, the rear bench looks classier with the arm-rest, not so much for the middle passenger though.

Hope the engines turn out to be capable. With the EcoSport, Ford must be the first manufacturer to experiment this much with a 4 year old vehicle in terms of engine and gearbox options!

[manish_symc]

Which variant will be more costly among T+ diesel or T+ AT?

[blurust]

Originally Posted by manish_symc

Which variant will be more costly among T+ diesel or T+ AT?

In the current avatar, leaving alone the platinum diesel titanium plus was 30k more expensive(approx) when compared to AT titanium, in the face lifted avatar they might turn out to be on par, still can't be sure, we shall wait and see.

[manish_symc]

I need help that which variant to go for, whether petrol or diesel.
Though, presently my running is under 800-900 km per month but since i will be keeping the car for long 7-8 years and not sure in future my running may go up or down.

If petrol, then question comes manual or automatic. I have heard that Automatics give really bad mileage.

I am choosing ecosport for safety reasons but at the same time want to keep running cost minimum.

[RavenAvi]

The new EcoSport's cabin (looks like the MID display size is for the Titanium, plus the steering wheel doesn't have Cruise Control buttons on the bottom left):

(Source)

And that small-sized MID houses the Tyre Pressure Monitoring System!
Also, if the bottom left in the MID display is any indication, the petrol AT will be offered in the Titanium trim.

(Source)

Above all, notice the very different MID display in this official presentation slide? The steering wheel has paddle shifts and cruise control buttons on the bottom left.

(Source)

Going by the two images above, can we conclude that the 1.5L 3-cylinder Dragon petrol engine, mated to the 6-speed Torque Converter automatic transmission, will be offered in both Titanium AND Titanium+ variants?!

[manish_symc]

Originally Posted by blurust

In the current avatar, leaving alone the platinum diesel titanium plus was 30k more expensive(approx) when compared to AT titanium, in the face lifted avatar they might turn out to be on par, still can't be sure, we shall wait and see.

In this case, i feel then AT T+ will be costlier than diesel T+.