[diffsoft]

@ quickdraw - Congratulations.

Originally Posted by quickdraw

Fun fact : I have to pay 30% of the ex-showroom value of the varient/model I choose, thanks to The Govt of India's "Gift Tax"

Separately, the Gift Tax is not new, been around for a while though we do not know about it since we ( or atleast me! ) rarely get high value gifts except during wedding etc. Gifts upto a certain amount are exempt, not sure if it is Rs 25,000 or what, but you can deduct that from the Invoice Value to consider your Gift amount. Check if you can deduct VAT as well.

Cheers,

[analyse]

Originally Posted by johy

11:32 - The skiddish tyres. Really! These big 16 incher 205 tires are skidding! He mentions this more than once. And I have not come across this in too many reviews, but he specifically mentions that the car seems to skid even at speeds of 80 to 100 kmph. Not good.

.

I felt the skidding twice during the test drive of the TDCI where the rapid acceleration from a slow speed on slightly broken roads with a slightly late clutch release resulted in a huge squish - but it was too pronounced to be missed.

Did not check the tyre make - will do so next time I pass the showroom.

[analyse]

Originally Posted by quickdraw

Hey guys,

I'm the guy who won the Urban Discoveries contest.

I'm currently pondering over which color/variant to go for (Yes ford let me choose). I'd love to talk to anyone curious about the EcoBoost (lived with it for a few weeks).
"

Congratulations. Lucky guy

Have been struggling to make up my mins on the ecoboost - worried over the drop in fuel efficiency under load and spirited driving indicated in some reports of other fords that use ecoboost.

What was your experience like? With light foot and reasonable loads what did you get? Your inputs would be very helpful. Thanks.

[naveen.raju]

So finally decided to make the move. Went and booked the 1.5D Titanium. On road price is 1006318. Although Extended Warranty is mandatory, you can choose to withdraw it. I chose to pay for the extended warranty. They didnt ask me to pay for any accessories but listed out some to see if I was interested. Deliveries will begin today and 30 cars will be given out to their customers in the evening.
Well, the obvious question would be the delivery date. I have to wait for atleast 3 months. Hoping I might get in 2 months.

[agambhandari]

Watching cell guru show on NDTV. well known Host Rajiv Makhni is driving the AT EcoSport, but mostly discussing about the Tech in the car (SYNC etc.)

So I guess, official media drives for AT shouldn't be far off.

[NevGin]

First and foremost, what an excellent and comprehensive review. Those that don't have a chance to test drive the car can just bank on it blindly as the description is exactly how the car is. Test drove the EcoBoost today. The car looks poised but when driven is a pain to potter around in the city. There are just too many flat spots in the powerband and I find that very disruptive to my driving style. There is some amount of body pitch and roll as well but as said, considering the height, its passable. Plastic quality is below the mark, There were about 6 display cars and 3 test drive cars and each of them had at least one plastic component loose or broken. Fit and finish could be better. The car is better made externally than on the insides (engine bay included). I don't quite believe the claim that the max hp is available starting 1400 rpm. This will be a good highway or long distance cruiser. In the city it will be cumbersome and clumsy to drive. Turning radius for a car this size was also not good. Good effort by Ford and full marks on pricing and trim levels. Just not my cup of tea that's all.

[Nilesh5417]

Got my vehicle allotted and going to the dealer to make my payments this evening. Had opted for chill but settling on sea grey now. Should get my car in about 8-10 days time.
I TD'd the car one more time and I find the tdci sprightly for city use. Again, the steering is a boon in the city. I believe it ties in with the essence of the car, an urban Suv. Drove it in bumper to bumper traffic and it felt easy to drive. Missus is happy that it feels car like though it looks imposing to her. The clutch which was a potential area of concern was given a thumbs up by her too!! All in all, feel that I made the right choice in plonking my money during the pre booking period.
Was told that T(o) will not be available even if I opt for it until end-Aug.
Will comment on the dealers stand on insurance and accessories once I come back after making the payments.

[TSIched'Out]

Have booked the Automatic with Wasan Ford Marinelines Mumbai. Quoted delivery period is 4 months. Also had a half KM TD of Diesel vehicle as neither petrol MT nor AT was available. I tried haggling over insurance but the showroom manager did not relent. They are charging Rs 32579 for insurance which HDFC ERGO is giving for Rs 15429. On top of it, the essential kit is "ESSENTIAL" for booking. I had the detailed price list which was sent to me on 26th June wherein this kit was quoted at Rs 4900/- which now have been revised to Rs 6000/-. On top of it, now I come to know from the fellow BHPians correspondence with Ford that AT is not yet launched by Ford. Needless to say dealers are taking us for a ride.
I suggest that we all fellow BHPians who have booked the vehicle from Wasan Ford (Chembur and Marinelines) get together and go as a group to Wasan dealerships and ask them to knock off these antics of making money through unethical means. I'm not getting a very good feeling which I'm entitled to while booking the most awaited car of the year or shall I say two years (2012 & 2013).

[Neil Roy]

Originally Posted by oxyzen

I know People are booking the Eco-sport like crazy but it is not a master of any trade. It is not big as an SUV, It is not as stable as a Sedan, It is not as affordable as a hatch. It is a sorry state of affair that we Indians embrace Ecosport with open arms while we renounce the much more capable and complete car YETI. Sure it is priced higher but then it did not sell what it should have. It seems all that the Indian market cares is shape and looks.

Technically,+1 to that. YETI is an all round better performer compared to the Ecosport or the Duster(which I own), but the biggest negative is that it is a "SKODA"(my personal opinion.

The debatable handling of the Ecosport boils down to just one thing. It is a Mini SUV/Crossover and should be driven as such. Just because Ford has priced the Ecosport bang in the middle of premium hatch/entry level Sedan category does not mean that it is a direct equivalent of these two segments other than in the financial perspective.
Any Vehicle with high Ground Clearance and High Center of gravity has to be treated with respect. You cannot throw around the Ecosport around corners the same way you would do a Punto or a Vento without expecting to land belly up.A personal request to all would be/wannabe owners. Please guys, all the gizmos and electronic gadgetry only aid you in your driving experience. It is not a substitute for the laws of physics and definitely not the absolute deciding factor for your safety.
The Ecosport is a wonderful piece of machinery with the best of the technology thrown in for good measure and I personally would have booked one if I had not got myself the Duster, but dont try to drive it as a sedan or a hatchback.

[Dry Ice]

Originally Posted by S@ndy

... I was able to click a few pictures of the Ambiente Variant (1.5D) ...


.... One major query I have is that when I went to book the Ambiente variant of the Ecosport, they asked me to plonk in another 30,000 (Excluding the on-road price, Amritsar) for the optional and compulsary accessories. Although I've booked the Ambiente variant but still they said t'was mandatory to buy those accessories (Either before delivery or after delivery)and didn't mentioned what the accessories were saying that they themselves weren't aware of them! Please guide anyone!

Do you have any more pics of the interior? The headunit looks different from that of the higher variants.

As for the mandatory accessories, shoot off a mail to Ford and also raise the issue through social media.

[pgsagar]

Originally Posted by TSIched'Out

....Ford that AT is not yet launched by Ford. Needless to say dealers are taking us for a ride.

If Ford has no intention of launching AT in immediate future, then they should not have announed the AT price officially.

[vineetg84]

the long waiting period for the ecosport has been confirmed by the Ford customer care.Here`s the email i received from them

[FONT=&quot]From:[/FONT][FONT=&quot] vineet gupta [mailto:vineetg84@hotmail.com]
Sent: Friday, June 28, 2013 8:47 PM
To: Customer, Care (.)
Subject: Ecosport booking issues[/FONT]



[FONT=&quot]Hi,
I am a loyal customer of Ford and have been buying your products and recommending them since past 10 years,However i feel a bit let down by the delivery period of the ecosport.I was told by the dealer in Pune that the minimum waiting period would be 4 months.During the launch Mr.Joginder Singh the head of Ford India had stated that your factory is equipped and ready to handle any demand for the Ecosport.With that assurance, we customers were expecting a max waiting period of 1 month as was the case during the launch of Figo.4 months is a long wait,its a request to look into this matter and give us timely deliveries.
Regards,[/FONT][FONT=&quot]Vineet Gupta[/FONT]






Dear Sir,

Firstly we thank you for showing your intention to purchase our product.

We wish to inform you that there has been an overwhelming response to the new variant hence causing a huge demand which has resulted in the delay in the delivery status. We are on one hand very excited and happy with the situation, this is a situation that every car manufacturer would want to be in, however on the other hand we sincerely regret that we are not able to immediately deliver the vehicles as per the customer demand. We promise that the wait would definitely be worth it, we will do our best to expedite the delivery process of the vehicle.

We also wish to inform you that the allotment of vehicles and delivery period are under the direct purview of the respective dealerships which are subjected to pending orders available with them to process. Our dealership would be in a better position to provide the tentative delivery time for the model / variant you would be interested in. We apologize for the inconvenience caused and we thank you again for your patronage. We request you to contact our dealership for the availability, since the dispatches of the vehicle would also be based on the order priority across dealerships based on the order placed with us by them.

Assuring you of our best services and continuous support at all times.

Thanks and Regard,
Abesheik.H,
FIL - Customer Relations,
1800-425-2500 BSNL/MTNL 6000-2500 Add STD code of your state capital
[COLOR=#1F497D][/COLOR]
[COLOR=#1F497D][/COLOR]

[rajamuneeb]

The reason about Ecosport landing on its belly a couple of occasions could be a mix factor of both driver error combined with the car itself. As we know the electric steering is unresponsive especially at high speeds and combine this with a hard rubber the car is bound to skid and drivers lack of anticipation and experience about handling this particular steering in circumstances of sudden braking at high speeds will most probably cause an accident. At least Ford can do for now is replace the hard MRF tyres or at least put some soft rubber instead and also get the hydraulic steering back instead of this Hyundai copycat as suggested by many reviews as well.

[arunphilip]

I test drove the EcoBoost variant at Metro Ford this morning.

My observations from the TD below. A lot of these are relative to my 2006 Getz.
* The EcoBoost engine feels good. Turbo lag is present, but the revs pick up quickly, so it doesn't seem bad. Yeah, you won't be able to rocket away and fill up a just-opened gap in traffic, but that's not what I personally look for. YMMV.
* Steering is lighter than my Getz (which has a hydraulic unit)! Sad. But the feel is decent and behaviour is fine.
* Seating position is fine. Blind spot from the A-pillar is present, but can be lived with quite naturally (not too bad compared to my Getz).
* I'm curious to see a dyno report of the EcoBoost - I cannot believe the peak torque starts at 1400.
* Interiors feel reasonably good. Coming from the Getz, the quality doesn't feel like a step up (the seatbelt release button is something that really looks cheap, in my eyes). Gadgety thingamabobs aplenty though. I personally like the darker interiors of the Titanium+.
* Interiors are quiet. Love it.
* AC is good. Had to turn it down (up?) when I sat in the back, it was that cold!
* ICE is good. I'm not an ICE connoisseur, so the EcoSport's stock kit is better than what I would have wanted.
* Space doesn't feel like a step up from my Getz. That's fine, I don't need more. Feels a little more claustrophobic because the seats feel closer to one-another, and you feel slightly hemmed in by the doors. Not a problem, just a feeling.
* Front seats seem to be slightly small. Not uncomfortably small, and its perfectly fine when sitting and driving. But when I sat on it and reached for my wallet (twisting my hips), I found the seat support ended, where my Getz had more. Likewise when I spread my legs apart I ran out of support on the outside of my thighs (I fidget a lot when stuck in Bangalore traffic!)
* The exterior quality is awesome.

Ford seems to have had the following principles in mind for the EcoSport:
* Target the show-offs - make the exteriors better than the interiors.
* Target the mass market - keep the steering light.

I like the EcoSport, but the car has not 'wowed!' me, in stark contrast to the new Fiesta.

I wonder:
a) If a tire upsize will improve the steering feel?
b) If the steering's weightage can be increased, since its an EPS?

Also, Metro Ford have put up a poster stating that the waiting period for the petrol variants (1.0 definitely and 1.5 AT I think) is 360 days. On talking to a sales advisor, he stated that Ford is prioritizing diesel manufacturing over the petrols. I still don't believe this, I think its worth waiting a few weeks to see how the demand finally shakes out, and how Ford decides to prioritize the production of the petrol variants.

[rajamuneeb]

[quote=arunphilip;3164023]I test drove the EcoBoost variant at Metro Ford this morning.

My observations from the TD below. A lot of these are relative to my 2006 Getz.
* The EcoBoost engine feels good. Turbo lag is present, but the revs pick up quickly, so it doesn't seem bad. Yeah, you won't be able to rocket away and fill up a just-opened gap in traffic, but that's not what I personally look for. YMMV.

Hang on! Are u saying that there is a turbo lag even in a petrol engine?