[TheSchwantz]

Originally Posted by shravan2k2

I am in the same boat as yours. I had to halt my plans as the features were deleted. The lack of sync3 and Apple CarPlay is a deal breaker plus no signs of BS6 or any development news from Ford is a big deal breaker. After telling him this he confirmed that the features are deleted and price reduced by some 50-60K. It is confirmed that the features are no more present.

It's unfortunate. I guess its futile now to waste any more of our time & energy trying to dig through and enquire about the features you may or may not get. Multiple sources point to wards the same thing- NO SYNC 3 feature in the upcoming Titanium+ AT variants! RIP EcoSport!

However it is heartening to see that people like us who are "fussy" about connectivity features in cars do not actually belong to a fringe group. More & more people are expressing disappointment on Ford's ludicrous decision to remove the Sync 3 feature from the Titanium + variant. This thread in particular is one such example. All i can say is that growing discontentment & frustration of the buyers doesn't bode well for an already struggling company like Ford. Both new-comers (KIA & MG) as well as established car makers (Suzuki, Hyundai, Mahindra) are adding these features even in cars which are priced much lower than the Titanium + variant of EcoSport.

Also I was under the impression that if i book a car soon i might get a AT Titanium + variant manufactured in April/May loaded with all the features. Sadly, that now looks like a remote possibility.

On a sidenote though, my budget is around 13-14 Lakhs. And one of the pre-requisites is Automatic Transmission. Could you please suggest any other SUV in this price range which i could possibly take a look at? Also what other cars are you looking at as an alternative to Ford EcoSport?

Or is the upcoming KIA Seltos are our only option?

[strawhat]

Originally Posted by TheSchwantz

On a sidenote though, my budget is around 13-14 Lakhs. And one of the pre-requisites is Automatic Transmission.

You can consider Hyundai Venue as it has got a smooth shifting DCT gearbox, long list of features comparable with EcoSport, backed by Hyundai's A.S.S. Most importantly it will fit your budget.

If you are OK with an AMT. Nexon should be on top of your checklist. Actually the transmission in Nexon is rather good. The lag is negligible and can only be felt if you focus on it. Should not be a deal breaker according to me. A 5-star safety rating should push it.

Another option is the recently launched XUV300 AMT. It is a lovely stylish car, very unlike Mahindra. Currently only offered with Diesel. Also Mahindra AMT's haven't been reliable. Courtesy the TUV. Would suggest you to wait for the official review here before falling for it.

[SilentEngine]

Prices have been revised for this month. Titanium+ AT is 11.20 ex showroom (increase of 12k), but I wonder who will buy that without Sync3, going by the common sentiment here. Or may be it again comes with Sync3 now!

While some variants see a price increase, some models also see a decrease. Titanium + MT is 9,99,900 now (less 18.1k).

Originally Posted by TheSchwantz

Or is the upcoming KIA Seltos are our only option?

I doubt if Seltos will be in same price range as EcoSport. Seltos is likely to be in Creta territory or above.

For what it's worth, EcoSport AT (with Sync3) was overall a good package in the price range compared to competition. Ford seriously messed it up with recent flip-flops.

[TheSchwantz]

Originally Posted by SilentEngine

Or may be it again comes with Sync3 now!

I hope that's true!

However i do remember that you had posted a comment on this very thread that newer lot of Titanium + AT cars are not coming equipped with Sync 3 and CarPlay feature.

To quote what you had said- "So, I went and saw the car in the yard. It doesn't have Sync3. There were just two cars from new lot. Didn't bother checking rest of the features much because anyway I am not going to proceed with booking, but nothing else seemed missing. Basically the new brochure looks correct."

I am curious as to what makes you hopeful that they may come with the Sync 3 feature again?

Sorry if i am being a pest, but your comment gave me a ray of hope and for a moment really got me excited. Given my budget Ford EcoSport was the perfect car for me but the lack of Sync 3 & CarPlay was simply a deal-breaker.

[bottle]

Originally Posted by SilentEngine

Prices have been revised for this month. Titanium+ AT is 11.20 ex showroom (increase of 12k), but I wonder who will buy that without Sync3, going by the common sentiment here. Or may be it again comes with Sync3 now!

While some variants see a price increase, some models also see a decrease. Titanium + MT is 9,99,900 now (less 18.1k).

Do you know the price for Titanium now? We booked one recently and while booking the dealer said prices are increased by 12k but we refused to budge from agreed price

[SilentEngine]

Originally Posted by TheSchwantz

I am curious as to what makes you hopeful that they may come with the Sync 3 feature again?

Sorry if i am being a pest, but your comment gave me a ray of hope and for a moment really got me excited. Given my budget Ford EcoSport was the perfect car for me but the lack of Sync 3 & CarPlay was simply a deal-breaker.

Sorry, I didn't mean to raise your hope! It was just that, seeing all the changes in last few weeks, one can't rule out anything!

Originally Posted by bottle

Do you know the price for Titanium now? We booked one recently and while booking the dealer said prices are increased by 12k but we refused to budge from agreed price

I saw the prices in website. Your dealer seems to be right. Petrol Titanium is 940,000, diesel is 990,000 as per website now, both up by 12k from last month's price list.

https://www.india.ford.com/suvs/ecosport/

[The Rationalist]

I don't know why someone would buy a Ford EcoSport Automatic! I took two test-drives of the newer TC one, it was lagging like hell. Even the earlier DCT wasn't any better. And now in the penultimate year of production it's not worth putting your money on. Maybe I'm spoiled by my Aspire automatic which is quite a hoot to drive, though not as fast as the DSG.

I concur with the views listed in favor of Venue DCT, it's far better than the EcoSport TC one, the only fly in the ointment being cramped rear.

[Vedant Gupta]

Originally Posted by TheSchwantz

Hello fellow BHPians....
This is my first post on this forum. This wonderful thread on Ford .

If the AT transmission is an absolute must, I would recommend that you to skip the Ford Ecosport. (The titanium+ AT is simply not offering what a car should offer in 2019)

The Hyundai Venue is a good car, the seven speed DCT may not be the best transmission out there, but it is certainly the best in the sub-compact SUV segment. It is loaded with tech, material quality is top notch. Space might be an issue but that is a subjective call you will have to take.
Venue is built on a new platform, the car certainly doesn't look dated and if you are someone who keeps their cars for 7-10 years, the Venue makes more sense right now.

If you are willing to wait for a month or two and have a slighly flexible budget, you may want to consider the Seltos. Although it is a segment up, it may still be a very attractive proposition if its priced right.

Originally Posted by TheSchwantz

On a sidenote though, my budget is around 13-14 Lakhs. And one of the pre-requisites is Automatic Transmission. Could you please suggest any other SUV in this price range which i could possibly take a look at? Also what other cars are you looking at as an alternative to Ford EcoSport?

Or is the upcoming KIA Seltos are our only option?

The Kia Seltos is definitely going to be more expensive than the Venue because the tax structure in place makes sure that any car over 4m is taxed much more than a car under 4m.
Kia, with the kind of features they talk about are going to charge a premium, or atleat price it at par with the Creta.

If we get really lucky, the top trim of the Venue may just compete with a entry level Kia Seltos ( I doubt it, though)

I would recommend waiting till the Seltos is officially launched. With a budget of 13-14 lakh, you want to check out the Venue for sure. XUV 300 is a good option, especially now that the AMT has launched and that is a pre-requisite for you.

If Kia prices the Seltos entry level variant at 14 lakhs on-road and loads it with decent features, it might just make it a more attractive buy than a smaller Venue.

[bled_soul]

Originally Posted by The Rationalist

I don't know why someone would buy a Ford EcoSport Automatic! I took two test-drives of the newer TC one, it was lagging like hell. Even the earlier DCT wasn't any better. And now in the penultimate year of production it's not worth putting your money on. Maybe I'm spoiled by my Aspire automatic which is quite a hoot to drive, though not as fast as the DSG.

I concur with the views listed in favor of Venue DCT, it's far better than the EcoSport TC one, the only fly in the ointment being cramped rear.

I disagree with you completely, and I just hope that the test drive vehicle that you drove was faulty af, because I recently test drove a lot of cars, including the venue and the ecosport and the venue just doesn’t perform. The low end of the venue is downright irritating, and the tendency of the gearbox to shift to 2nd very very soon makes it cumbersome to drive in the city. The engine comes alive only post 2000 rpm in my opinion, and the ford engine and gearbox certainly feels sprightlier. The TC isn’t as fast as the DCT in the venue, but the difference isn’t as grave so as to term the eco laggy and venue far better. In fact, by dual clutch standards, venue is pretty slow.
Also I don’t think the space is that big a constraint in the venue, as the eco isn’t much bigger (keyword being “much”). It just feels bigger on the inside as compared to the venue.

That being said,

Originally Posted by TheSchwantz

Hello fellow BHPians.

This is my first post on this forum. .....

However another user on this very thread had said that the newer Titanium+ AT variant lacks the Sync 3 and apple carplay feature. If that's the case then its a deal-breaker for me. Due to lack of any definitive clarification from Ford & conflicting reports on the same, i have put on hold my plans of booking the Ford EcoSport.

the latest update has killed the ecosport completely as they have removed two of its very important features; cruise control and the SYNC3 system, which was pretty much the USP of the car. I own a kodiaq as well and I can say with utmost conviction that the unit on the eco is better than that on the kodiaq. The car being sold right now is not worth the money and it gets lost in the crowd, and I truly believe that the venue now is the better overall choice, though it’s still not a better car to drive.

I MEAN NO OFFENCE TO THE VENUE OWNERS.

[TheSchwantz]

Finally i have some concrete info on this. I hope this time around it settles the issue once and for all and clears the air on what features have been left out of the Titanium+AT models.

Today afternoon I went to the Ford's Service Center in my city. They had 2 brand new Titanium+AT cars waiting to be delivered to their respective customers at the yard. Both of them had no registration plates. One of the cars arrived last saturday and the other one was delivered approx 10 days ago according to the PDI (Pre-Delivery Inspector) there.

Checked them both and to my utter disappointment neither had Sync 3 with voice recognition feature. The button for the voice command was also missing from the steering wheel which was present in earlier models. Also the cars came equipped with the 9.0" FlyAudio screen (in contrast to the much better 8.0" screen shown in some brochures). I fiddled around with the screen a little bit and here are my impressions:

-- The screen is clunky as hell. I mean the poor receptivity and the laggy response gives an impression of a very cheap quality screen. That personally was a huge turn-off for me. Don't get me wrong, i never expected a smart-phone level of touch screen quality to begin with. But to have such a low standard screen in a car of this price-range is utterly disappointing.

-- Tried the much-hyped in-built navigation system of these 9.0" screens (which was apparently missing in the earlier 8.0" screens). I tried entering my home's address in the destination bar just to check how accurately it depicts the location, correct route, ETA etc. However operating the navigation system itself is a hectic task due to the slow and laggy nature of the screen. You definitely can't type a new address quickly enough while safely driving the car. For that one might have to pull-over in order to get the typing right.

-- Bluetooth connectivity is good and i had no problems syncing the contacts on my phone with the 9.0" screen. You can see all the contacts in your phone book on the car's infotainment system as soon as you connect your phone with BT. However to call a person you would either need to operate the phone manually or operate the touch screen. There is no way you can scroll down the contacts in your phone book using the buttons on the steering and make a call. This makes it risky and accident prone. Again highlights the utility of Sync 3 with voice recognition. I guess the best you can do is connect your phone with the screen via bluetooth, play music and pick up incoming calls. Operating everything else through the touch-screen is way too troublesome and pretty much useless. Also there are 2 USB ports given side-by-side just below the screen (just like the previous models) along with a 12V charging point. Dont know what purpose would those 2 USB ports fulfill as there is no CarPlay or Android Auto feature any more.

-- Also there is no Ford MyKey feature and Ambient Footwell Lighting in the newer Titanium+ AT variants. And yes there is no sun-roof as well.

-- The interiors are all-black with a leatherette finish.

-- I also couldn't find a Hill Launch Assist (HLA) button after putting in much effort. If it is indeed not there then Ford surely are not doing themselves or the customers any favor.

All this indicates that the brochure put up on Ford India's official website is absolutely correct and the features in the new cars exactly match the specifications given there. This also means that link to some of the brochures posted on this thread by some users and brochures currently available with dealerships are both outdated. The common conception among sales representatives that "Nothing has changed in the Tiatnium+ AT variant and only the MT variants have seen some reduction in features" is also not true. Infact a lot has changed in the newer Titanium+AT variants.

In the hopes of boosting EcoSport's sales by cutting 30,000-40,000 rupees, Ford has inadvertently dug a bigger grave for itself.

[SilentEngine]

Originally Posted by TheSchwantz

Today afternoon I went to the Ford's Service Center in my city. They had 2 brand new Titanium+AT cars waiting to be delivered to their respective customers at the yard.

Did you check which series this was from? If it's June make (KY), then what you found is nothing new. That's what was allotted to me as well.

HLA, this must continue to be there. I don't think there is any separate switch for this.

[TheSchwantz]

Originally Posted by SilentEngine

Did you check which series this was from? If it's June make (KY), then what you found is nothing new. That's what was allotted to me as well.

I didn't check the month of manufacture for those cars, though that would have been useful. However given the specs these cars are coming with, i guess its safe to assume that they belonged to the production lot of May or later.


I have a question for my fellow BHPians.


In the yard, there is an unsold Titanium+AT car lying around. According to PDI the car has been lying there for the past 8 months. Reason- the customer after booking changed his mind and instead went for a MT variant. Now this old Titanium+AT has all the features like Sync 3, Voice Recognition, CarPlay, better quality 8.0" touch screen, ambient lighting etc. (stuff that is missing in the newer Ti+ AT cars).

I couldn't test-drive it today as the battery was fully drained after lying still for so many months, but i could very well see that plastic wraps on seats were still intact. Ignoring its overall dusty body and windshield, that car looked as good as brand-new to me (atleast on the inside). PDI also assured me that the car has not been driven around at all and has been lying around since it first arrived.

Now the biggest plus point is that they are offering the car at 80,000 less to make it more attractive...given the fact that the car is losing its market worth with every passing day.


My question- is it safe to go for a car which has been lying around for 8 months, loaded with features but with no takers? What all things i should be wary of and check before committing to buying that car? Would any of you ever buy a car which looks as good as brand-new, is offered at a great price but hasn't found any buyers for quite some months?


I would highly appreciate some valuable advice in this regard.

[somspaple]

Originally Posted by TheSchwantz

My question- is it safe to go for a car which has been lying around for 8 months, loaded with features but with no takers? What all things i should be wary of and check before committing to buying that car? Would any of you ever buy a car which looks as good as brand-new, is offered at a great price but hasn't found any buyers for quite some months?


I would highly appreciate some valuable advice in this regard.

Yes it would make sense to go for this considering you are getting better features and there is discount. Only point is - haggle for more discounts and buy only if financial gain is significant for you.

But ensure that they agree to changing all the fluids in the car [Engine Oil/Brake Fluids/Radiator Coolant etc] and a new battery before delivery. Another point to be noted is invariably since the car has been standing in the open yard, paint surface would've collected some stains [tree saps etc] which might be difficult/impossible to remove. That is something you would have to live with [or you can get them corrected based on how they respond to your request after sale is done]. Insist that you need the car to be delivered in brand new - showroom condition.

Another caveat : SA/PDI teams are not 'experienced'[or used to] in delivering/inspecting cars this old - and they unintentionally miss out on few checks [as most new cars do not need, rather do not undergo rigorous PDIs as most them will be good shape]. You would have to be insistent on few these checks.

All this from my personal experience . I went for similarly yard-aged new car as the discounts helped me decide to purchase the car [it brought down the on road price under my cut-off budget]

All the best!!

EDIT: Check out the car in person before committing. Switch on the engine/drive around within yard if permissible. Commit only after agreeing to above and make sure the above points are mentioned on the booking form in writing.

EDIT2: Make sure they do all the above changes in your presence

[FrodoOfTheShire]

Originally Posted by TheSchwantz

In the yard, there is an unsold Titanium+AT car lying around.

Whoa man! This is like discovering a long lost treasure! People would kill for it. Grab it!

Absolutely agree with @somspaple. Bargain hard and get everything checked out thoroughly. Hope you get a good deal and the purchase goes through! Good luck!

Originally Posted by somspaple

Yes it would make sense to go for this considering you are getting better features and there is discount. Only point is - haggle for more discounts and buy only if financial gain is significant for you.

[TheSchwantz]

Originally Posted by somspaple

Yes it would make sense to go for this considering you are getting better features and there is discount. Only point is - haggle for more discounts and buy only if financial gain is significant for you.

Thank you so much for the helpful reply. I would definitely keep the above points in mind going forward. I would be bargaining hard and i hope that they atleast agree to replace the oil, lubricants and the battery with the new ones if not give me any substantial concessions.

Also i am glad to know that you got a good deal for your preferred car. On a sidenote though, how has your yard-aged car been treating you so far? I hope you didn't have any problems with it and it runs as good as any new car would.

Thanks again for your valuable insight in this matter. This forum and its wonderful community has been a boon for amateurs like me.