[VernaCular]

Originally Posted by BeingCynical

Congrats penpavan on the purchase.

The one thing that I see Ford should have taken into their consideration is a cover for the backpack tyre, just like Tata Safari. Not sure of others but a naked tyre at the back is a big turn-off for me. I know, the cover can be demanded after paying a small sum but it should rather have come by default.

Rest all in the beast just looks so perfect

I second you on that, naked tyre somehow spoils the entire look to add it the accumulated dust, dirt on tyre makes it look worse. Again this is specifically only for premium SUVs and not on real SUVs like Thar or Endy.

[tifoso]

Great review 'penpavan' and congrats on your new ride! This was a really useful review to me as I too have booked an Ecoboost (expecting to get it by November) and was itching to know of it's real world performance/pains.

Regarding 'Sync', I've read that if using a USB to play songs, Sync does not recognize folders and treats all songs as a consecutive list! Did you encounter any such issue?

Have a magical driving experience!!

[penpavan]

Originally Posted by tifoso

Great review 'penpavan' and congrats on your new ride! This was a really useful review to me as I too have booked an Ecoboost (expecting to get it by November) and was itching to know of it's real world performance/pains.

Regarding 'Sync', I've read that if using a USB to play songs, Sync does not recognize folders and treats all songs as a consecutive list! Did you encounter any such issue?

Have a magical driving experience!!

Thanks tifoso, yes I do face that problem in SYNC which you mentioned.
It has forced me to be always on the shuffle mode.

Guys update on the FE.

I drove 480 Kms. 400 on highway at almost a constant speed of 120 kmph and around 80 Kms in city.
Tank to tank method gave me a figure of 12.43 where as MID was showing 12.6.

Makes me think MID is pretty accurate.

I drove again 440 Kms only on highway at almost constant speed of 100. I did not use tank to tank method but I see the MID shows 15.8. I think I can trust it.

OK, another update on the information display.
I cannot get it to set to display 12 hour mode for clock. I can change it alright, but soon as I restart the car it shifts back to 24 hour mode.

[yogeshnaik]

First, congratulations on your EcoSport! Thanks for the update on Fuel Efficiency. This is helpful.

Originally Posted by penpavan

...But I figured out a major problem. If at signals, if you turn off the car, your music system will also be turned off. You will be required to press the Start/Stop button again to bring vehicle to ignition to start the music again.

These are LAN (CAN bus) signals controlled from Control Unit. You can activate (ACC) Accessory Mode to use stereo and other equipments when the engine is switched off by simply pressing the Start/Stop button without pressing the clutch.

[penpavan]

So here comes my 5k KMS update, highlight is that the car attitude is exactly same as it was on day 1. The driving behaviour has not changed a bit.
Presenting my experience:

1. Understood the car more better now, fall in love with the engine every single time I start the car. Its power to pull simply leaves a big smile on your face.
2. If you always drive in the range of 50-70, you will definitely get a mileage of around 13.5/14. But this car is not meant for that, and thats another matter.
3. Had 4-5 occasions when ABS got kicked and no harsh noises. Just the pulsating pedal.
4. Gear lever has reverberating rattle in 1st and 3rd gear. Goes away when you hold the lever.
5. The gear itself feels "notchier" after the first service at 2.5K KMS, point to note that I had complained about the rattle in the lever and the service guys had opened the gear house.
6. You will badly need the seat covers (mine is Titanium), as they get soiled very easily and very badly.
7. The thick A pillars continue to annoy me at times.
8. Honking is real pain. The horn pad is very hard and so unreachable.
9. That music turning off at every signal (when you turn off the car) just spoils everything about the music.
10. Have to take extra care and precaution at petrol bunks to let the guys know that is NOT a DIESEL.
11. Even after 6 months of its launch, the car generates lot of interest on the roads and turns many heads. (Well, I don't enjoy that attention frankly)

Other than the few downsides mentioned above, there isn't much you will complain about the car. Ride and handling continue to inspire every drive you take. Not to mention the great ergonomics.

After 6 months of ownership, I must say I am a very satisfied owner of Ecoboost EcoSport.

[achopraa]

Firstly, a very late Congratulation on your buy. I remember congratulating you when you bought your i10 way back in 2008. Long Time huh

Originally Posted by penpavan

So here comes my 5k KMS update, highlight is that the car attitude is exactly same as it was on day 1.
2. If you always drive in the range of 50-70, you will definitely get a mileage of around 13.5/14. But this car is not meant for that, and thats another matter.

Now, this is where the Heart v/s Mind games start playing. Every morning when I start for my Office, I ride gently for few Kms and then the Heart starts shouting - "Is this why you bought the 250NM Torque Ride for?"

4. Gear lever has reverberating rattle in 1st and 3rd gear. Goes away when you hold the lever.

I have a similar observation wherein the phenomenon happens only in 4th Gear in my Rapid. But I am of the school of thought that "Don't fix if it ain't broken".
Do let me know if you manage to get the root cause for the same.

5. The gear itself feels "notchier" after the first service at 2.5K KMS, point to note that I had complained about the rattle in the lever and the service guys had opened the gear house.

With the time, the Gear lever should ideally turn smoother. Strange it is still notchy after initial few KMS.

9. That music turning off at every signal (when you turn off the car) just spoils everything about the music.

Doesn't ECO Sport have the ACC Mode where though the Engine is turned off but you can still use Accessories?

[arunphilip]

Originally Posted by penpavan

1. Its power to pull simply leaves a big smile on your face.

Absolutely, I love the way it pulls without the drama and noise of a diesel, and keeps going well up the rev range. I've noticed that there's an added surge that comes in somewhere between 4-5k rpm.

Originally Posted by penpavan

7. The thick A pillars continue to annoy me at times.

I'm comfortable with the A-pillars in the city. However, when I drove to my hometown (Coonoor, a hillstation) I found that I needed to put in extra effort to cover off blind spots while taking curves, something that was more pronounced only there and not in the city. In contrast, I found my dad's Indica Vista to have A-pillars that I found more obstructive/annoying in the city.

Originally Posted by penpavan

10. Have to take extra care and precaution at petrol bunks to let the guys know that is NOT a DIESEL.

I've now learnt the colours of the fuel dispenser handles at the bunks I frequent to double check that they're filling only petrol.

One amusing incident: one attendant started filling my car with petrol, and he went away and another chap came to finish up. He freaked when he saw the petrol nozzle being used, and came running to me asking if I needed petrol or diesel Happy ending, fortunately.

Originally Posted by achopraa

Doesn't ECO Sport have the ACC Mode where though the Engine is turned off but you can still use Accessories?

penpavan is one of those lucky few to have a Titanium with push-button start/stop. Unfortunately, the EcoSports with this button only have an ACC mode available when starting the car (tap the button without pressing the clutch), but its not available when stopping it (pushing the button kills the engine and turns off electricals). The only crude option to get to ACC mode on a running car will be to dump the clutch and stall the engine (obviously, I'm kidding).

[penpavan]

Originally Posted by achopraa

Firstly, a very late Congratulation on your buy. I remember congratulating you when you bought your i10 way back in 2008. Long Time huh

Hey man, how are you! Wow, time just flies. It was 2007.
I remember we were among the first few owners of the then I10.
IIRC, you were the first to own an I10 on TBHP.

Aah, and I see you still have the same pic as avtar.

[girishglg]

Congrats on owning a very smart little white beast with an unique heart as well. Not only does your ride attract attention on the road it does off it (read TBHP) as well!

As a potential buyer got very interested about the following two statements after your first hand experience-

Originally Posted by penpavan

3. Every passing day, the brakes are just inspiring more and more confidence. They are really one of the best I have seen in any car.

This is really confidence inspiring since it has considerable power on tap which gets it into high speed run situations.

Originally Posted by penpavan

Ride and handling continue to inspire every drive you take. Not to mention the great ergonomics.

Not many cars can boast of well sorted ride and handling. On the ergonomics felt similarly when I had checked out the car in the showroom right after launch for a few moments but wanted to get a confirmation from some one who has owned and driven it around for some time!

[penpavan]

Originally Posted by girishglg

This is really confidence inspiring since it has considerable power on tap which gets it into high speed run situations.

Thanks Girish, however, I must point out that they do make squeaking noise when you apply them softly after driving for more than 350KMS on a trot. The noise is definitely from the brake pads bruising against the disc. But this is a rare occasion and can be ignored.

But on ergonomics front, you cannot go wrong with this car. Everything just falls into the right place.
A special credit for the seats. You will love the seats. I used to take several breaks and stretch my muscles when I drove other cars for long, but EcoSport seats offer magical comfort, I have driven without any pain for more than 5 hours.

My only quetching is the thick A pillars. Requires you to be extra alert in tight corners.

But at its price, EcoSport packs so many features and functions which are traditionally alien for all cars at this price class.

[aspire]

Hi,

Can anyone confirm the waiting period for this car in Bangalore as well as the OTR?

The ford website claims the below
Fuel economy of a 1 litre [COLOR=#000000]You’ll be hard-pressed to find better fuel economy than the 1.0L
EcoBoost petrol engine. It gives you 18.88* kilometres to the litre so
you can go further on one tank. That’s up to 20% less fuel compared
than a traditional 1.6 litre petrol engine, and produces just 126g of
CO2 per kilometre.[/COLOR]

What is the average mileage one can expect in city driving conditions like Bangalore?

Regards
Shailesh

[desdemona]

Originally Posted by aspire

Hi,

Can anyone confirm the waiting period for this car in Bangalore as well as the OTR?

The ford website claims the below
Fuel economy of a 1 litre [COLOR=#000000]You’ll be hard-pressed to find better fuel economy than the 1.0L
EcoBoost petrol engine. It gives you 18.88* kilometres to the litre so
you can go further on one tank. That’s up to 20% less fuel compared
than a traditional 1.6 litre petrol engine, and produces just 126g of
CO2 per kilometre.[/COLOR]

What is the average mileage one can expect in city driving conditions like Bangalore?

Regards
Shailesh

If I could jump in with a supplementary query?!

It is a turbo petrol, so its mileage is highly sensitive to the driving style being in tune with the rhythm of the turbo boost/lag? Do you find the lag a chore to deal with, and how do you deal with it (staying a gear lower?)

Thanks.

[arunphilip]

Originally Posted by aspire

What is the average mileage one can expect in city driving conditions like Bangalore?

I've got 6K on the odo, and I now get 11.5 km/L to 12 km/L in Bangalore traffic, the variance is due to the temperature I run the AC at, as well as any times I encounter noticeably bad traffic, causing lots of idling. Note that I've not yet done an oil change.

Originally Posted by desdemona

It is a turbo petrol, so its mileage is highly sensitive to the driving style being in tune with the rhythm of the turbo boost/lag? Do you find the lag a chore to deal with, and how do you deal with it (staying a gear lower?)

The nice thing in the EcoSport is that it comes with an instantaneous mileage indicator, that is quite good at giving useful feedback to tune and improve your driving style. I found that upshifting like an NA petrol car (my reference point was my 1.3L Getz) kept dropping it out of the usable turbo band, with rpm immediately after the upshift ending up at/around 1400-1500 rpm. So yes, I now hold on to gears a little longer to be assured I end up at/around 1700 rpm after the upshift.

Likewise, I've seen that lugging the engine increases fuel consumption, so again, a quick downshift is highly recommended.

In the city, I truly hate the fact that I can't take off quickly in 2nd after a speed breaker. I have to wait a second or so for the boost. Downshifting to 1st is fine, but you'll find yourself having to follow it with an upshift to 2nd shortly thereafter.

I feel the second gear should have been geared for more torque/less speed. Today, I face the problem of speed-breaker takeoffs at the lower end of 2nd gear. However, I can do 80 km/h at 5000 rpm in 2nd, indicating I can hit 100 km/h near the redline. I would have gladly traded a bit of that top-end performance for better lower-end grunt in 2nd gear.

I have no such complaints about the other gears: 1st is good for parking/crawling speeds, and steep hill climbs; 3rd is great and has perfect ratios for faster driving. I've occasionally felt the need for a 6th gear to help "roll" on highways to extract the best mileage. Right now, driving in 5th at highway speeds still keeps enough torque in reserve to perform punchy manoeuvers - the downside is that this is addictive, and results in you getting poor mileage if you keep doing it for thrills.

[Endless....]

Hi
I have booked my Ford Ecosport 1.0lt . I just needed a frank from the heart reply about the car. I booked the car based an impluse , now after reading about ford service, other issues begining to think twice. Just a frank opinion would be great :-)

[gsurya]

Originally Posted by Endless....

Hi
I have booked my Ford Ecosport 1.0lt . I just needed a frank from the heart reply about the car. I booked the car based an impluse , now after reading about ford service, other issues begining to think twice. Just a frank opinion would be great :-)

Frankly, if you really want a petrol go for the 1.5P Ecosport - but waiting periods are high. The 1.5 Diesel is priced almost near the Ecoboost, thats a better option.

With any company there will be some service complaints, Ecosport is a great car, Ford is a decent company, service varies by dealer & spare parts are costlier than Maruti/Hyundai but not in the VW/Skoda range.