[RT13]

I’m have no opinion either way on how it looks but I’d never buy a car without a spare wheel. Call it paranoia or a need for complete peace of mind, I know you don’t need it most occasions (these days with tubeless, tpms and electric pumps) but on the rare day that you do, it’s worth every ruppee of the marginal cost. At least for me, I would never ever do a highway run without one. And even city runs late at night would be a bit of a concern. But that’s just me.

[Storm2.0]

My biggest concern here is the lack of spare wheel/tyre in case of a puncture.
Also if this version sees success then it'll set a wrong precedent where other manufacturers too will start deleting the stepney soon (stating the stupid law as the reason).
Just imagine something as basic as stepney, which we all took for granted, will not be there anymore. I can sense some greedy manufacturers already deleting stepney from base trims to save few more bucks.

[H0RSEPOWER]

The rear door mounted spare wheel made Ecosport the most unique & macho looking crossover among all. In fact it is the only monocoque car available for mass in India today, along with a spare wheel mounted on it’s rear door. It would be sorely missed!

[Bibendum90949]

This is akin to someone shaving off their eyebrows !

Voted for should've retained it

[charanreddy]

It looks like there is some mis-communication. I am assuming that a spare wheel does exist, just that it’s not mounted on the tail gate. It could save Ford some $$ as the hinges need not be so strong and Ford could move the universal raise up tail gate vs swing to the side one.

It think the spare wheel mounted on the tailgate was very SUV ish vs the sea of cross overs we have. Voted the same.

[1.2TSI7DSG]

I believe that the Brazilian EcoSport never had the tail mounted spare wheel. It was only in India where it was done to become the sub 4 SUV. If they are removed the wheel would it be bad to expect a hotter engine, if it is going above the 4 meter mark?

The tailgate spare did make it look good. But then again, ask a guy with a bad back to put it back on, it was a task. With TPMS and a RFT/tubeless, spare wheel deletion will have a massive effect on the brand. It has the potential to spiral the sales to zero by such deletion.

[Fusion2006]

I wonder, does the rear still open sideways, or is now an upward opening hatch?

And where on earth is the spare now ?

[itwasntme]

Originally Posted by 1.2TSI7DSG

The tailgate spare did make it look good. But then again, ask a guy with a bad back to put it back on, it was a task.

Fully agree as a back pain sufferer. It was a struggle to handle my Cruze 205/60/16 during punctures, so holding it up will be impossible for me at least.

Again, I don't deny that the tailgate-mounted one looked good. It's just it's relocation to an under-boot fitment (assuming) is not the end of the world. What Ford could have done is to design some snazzy selective cladding at the back to break up the bare metal. THAT is a design mistake and/or cost-cutting.

[Annibaddh]

Must say it looks dreadful! It may just be that we're not used to seeing the car like this but first impressions, it is positively ugly and out of proportions. Wonder why they'd do it?

[pkk077]

Originally Posted by Vinod_nair

I prefer a clean back, just the name, and number plate moved down to the bumper.

Agree. Number plate should move to the bumper.

Having said that, they should have made space for the spare in the boot. On Indian roads, I would not like to travel without a spare ever.

[PrasannaDhana]

This is one of those cars that will lose a lot of appeal without a rear mounted spare wheel, the most significant other is the Safari Storme.



The above pic means that the car will bear an uncanny resemblance to the Renault triber from the rear with the spare wheel removed.

[vshankarhere]

Looks quite odd to me. Would prefer to have the the tailgate mounted spare wheel which obviously lent quite a character to Ecosport.

So how does this open now? Side or like any other hatches?

[Miel]

To me an "SUV" is one with High Ground Clearance (at least 190mm) and AWD/4x4. The Ford Ecosport sold here never got the 4x4 box available in the US. So, to me our Ecosport was always seen as a spirited hatch with high GC, and not an SUV. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love the car.

So all that considered, IMHO, a tailgate-mounted spare looks cool on a vehicle that can do rough sport with its 4x4/AWD feature. Else, the spare is just a wannabe showoff feature with no inner substance, to me, akin to Nanos with 4x4 stickers on them. And yes, I sadly have the same issue with Boleros and TUVs. It is a mind thing for me - can't help!

[haisaikat]

Frankly when a car is positioned as a SUV which can go anywhere, a spare wheel is a must. Yes it should better be inside of the car than outside owing to protecting the rubber from the external weather conditions especially heat and rain.

[RGK]

Frankly speaking, the awesome look of this SUV is because of the tailgate spare wheel. Really do not understand who give this kind of ideas to Ford India.
The photo was taken during my Udupi trip on the Madikeri-Mangalore Ghat section.

NB: I Heard both Anuragji (Sales Head) and Ominderji (Service Head) have moved out of their current roles a few months back.