Team-BHP - Ford EcoSport : Official Review

Quote:

Originally Posted by revv_maniac (Post 3166287)

Hey all EcoSport to be owners ,

I am getting delivery of my EcoSport TDCi Titanium on wendnesday (3rd July), i booked it a couple of weeks back knowing(Believing) that it would not cross 10 lacs OTR. But it was 10.33 lacs OTR with essential pack (Rs.7700) and Insurance (Rs.34K).

So at last, the OTR has come down to Rs.10.03 lacs. As I got insurance for Rs.22K (Zero-Dep) from outside. I got loan from SBI, applied on saturday and got the DD on Monday afternoon 3 o clock. Appreciate the serivce.

Hi Revv, which Insurance costed 22k ...?

Appreciate ur help.

Quote:

Originally Posted by xuv2390 (Post 3167227)

Does anyone know what where the Engine Guard goes? Does it go below the engine as an under body protector or does it go on the engine?

Now, if it protects the upper part then it will act as a 2nd noise barrier too? I also think there are clips evident on most corners of the engine bay where this Engine Guard rests!

Experts, please comment!

Yes, it is a thin layer that sits on top of the engine. That was the 1st accessory I was interested in, but doesn't seem very useful at all.

BTW, Getting delivery of my Ecosport today evening :D from Cauvery Ford. No mandatory accessories, In fact I was advised out of this engine guard, by my helpful SA.

I believe it is the first tranche of Ecosports getting registered in Bangalore today, feels special :)

Quote:

Originally Posted by limited-edition (Post 3167506)

I guess the driver has some devine power. Talked with the guy who was in EcoSport when it toppled.. He said it was not over 80Km/Hr.

C'mon guys, it's really not that difficult to topple a car with a high center of gravity on roads like ours even at relatively low speeds of 80. All you need is a single rock or pothole on the road to upset the balance, and these are found in abundance everywhere on all roads.

Might be OT but I think it's important to point out that even the Duster had toppled during a test drive, this was at Palm Beach Road if I'm not mistaken.

Quote:

Originally Posted by limited-edition (Post 3167204)

EcoSport topples during a test drive @ Perumbavoor kerala.

This was just a rumour. Guess there are soem rufled feathers on Ford Success - i do not mean this poster - whoever is creating the orginal rumour. :uncontrol

http://bharathautos.com/ford-ecospor...oor-kochi.html

Here"s a clarification in the link:

"Note - Actually the sources we referred turned to be incorrect that the incident occurred in Perumbavoor, Kochi, Kerala, now only after Ford India contacted our team we updated that incident took place at Gandhinagar, Gujarat."

Took a short spin of the Ecoboost variant yesterday. A colleague was keen that I drive it and rate the same based on his existing drive which is a Fusion Duratec. He had booked the Ecoboost last weekend when Ford dealers started accepting bookings. Even though he is among the first in line for the EcoSport Ecoboost, the cars delivery is unknown. There is no accurate time frame on when he might get it. This is one huge downer. Getting back to his existing car and comparing it to the Fusion, the Duratec mill is once heck of a responsive engine as is and even after 7 years and 50'000km which is nothing for a petrol, it still responds very well and performance is strong. Its the rest of the car that feels aged. I guess I went with over expectations with the Ecoboost engine. When I read 125Ps, I was expecting a massive difference over the Fusion and my car which develops 114Ps. There is difference (power) but its not night and day over the old Fusion. It did not feel 125Ps as Ford claim. Like I said earlier, I probably went with over expectations and that is what ruined it. The Ecoboost engine is not in the same league as the GT TSI or the Fiat T Jet. What I can say is torque is well spread and the Ecoboost is a very flexible engine to use. I found the drive ability aspect superior to the T Jet engine which is also turbo charged. You have to hand it to Ford though for what they have achieved. There is no hint of the Ecoboost engine being a 3 pot even when strained. It does get a little vocal when pushed but its not a noise where you get the feeling that the engine isn't liking it. The numbers are surely incredible for a 1l 3 pot. Its no enthusiast engine though. This engine will do wonders in a Figo. How about an RS Figo Ford? Power delivery is more linear than neck snapping which is probably a good thing and better for economy. I am not very confident about the claimed economy. 10-11kmpl sounds more like it going by what the average indicated in the console which was 9kmpl. This information can only come from owners. Its a 1l lugging a heavy car too. On other aspects, I liked the strong brakes, excellent ride quality, has enough room for four (forget five), lots of toys to play around with (I found the ladies voice of Sync the exact same as found in Blue N Me. Both are Microsoft developed) decent boot space, good fit and finish on the inside for the most part. The Ecosport is a really nice car. Not sure whether to call it an upgrade over the Fusion. On safety and kit, Yes. On other aspects, I did not think so.

A couple of not so nice things were, I could not figure out the gearbox. I struggled a few times and lost momentum when I wanted to slot third gear. I found the clutch a wee bit stiff and springy. These problems could be specific to the car I drove or might be something one needs to adapt to.

Right after the Ecosport drive, I introduced my friend/colleague to the GT. In less than hundred meters in to the drive and without even flooring it, he was floored.

Had a test drive of the Ecosport 1.5 Diesel yesterday

About the Car:

1. Did feel a bit of lag below 2000 rpm but you don't get that sudden splurge of power that comes with turbo diesels. I own a polo and kind of like that boost you get after 2000rpm
2. Car handles well and brakes are good. Felt like driving a hatchback
3.Overall space is decent maybe slightly roomier than the polo

About the sales person/Showroom

1. Now this where the biggest hitch was, they currently have over 600 bookings(is what they claim!!) and a waiting period of 6 months !!
2.The amount of attitude the sales person threw upon us when we inquired about the compulsory package as part of on road price I quote his reply "Too early to discuss about this !! Didn't you see the board in the showroom which says 6-8 months waiting period ? You can the block the car with 50,000 and then we shall discuss"
3. Now I know there is a lot of demand but I certainly did not expect this kind of a reply. I have bought a swift vdi and polo diesel when they were in demand and the sales people there were helpful and friendly and did not throw their weight around
4. If the sales itself is like this what will be the state of the service centre ?

I went with the intention of booking the car but walked out due to this attitude thrown around.

Quote:

Originally Posted by rajshenoy (Post 3166937)

Edit:
BTW why do you want to add that spare wheel cover ? I am assuming you are going for a non-alloy wheel variant. I personally liked the look of naked Wheel. Looks aggressive. Is Ford providing wheel cap for 5th wheel ? else you can purchase one by paying 400-500 rs. Trust me it looks dashing and you use that money for other accessories. May be Fog lamps if you did not plan.

I have a slightly different opinion. I don't think anyone should buy the standard Ford cover for spare wheel. What I see is a great opportunity for creative expression. Like custom-designed t-shirts, there's tremendous opportunity to get creative with spare-wheel covers. I'm not sure if we have companies in India that can make inexpensive but good-looking spare wheel covers made of screen-printed leatherette etc, but I'm sure they exist elsewhere. If there is no such company here in India, I see a good business opportunity here.

One example I just made up in a few minutes. (Credits to the original photographer).

Ford EcoSport : Official Review-cyclist.jpg

Quote:

Originally Posted by limited-edition (Post 3167506)

I guess the driver has some devine power. Talked with the guy who was in EcoSport when it toppled.. He said it was not over 80Km/Hr.

Well, did you actually talk to the guy who was in the car when it toppled? All the while, I was thinking that the story from Kerala was a made up one. After all, there were no pics, and those posted were lifted from the Gujarat incident. Now that you claim to know the person in the toppled car, can you post a detailed account of what happened? Whether it hit a median? Was the car doing a fast cornering? Was the road slippery?

I was always torn between the Polo GT and Ecosport AT. Went ahead with the Ecosport only because of the unreliable DSG in the GT. Now, I am having second thoughts. I think it is better to get stranded with a conked off gearbox than end up under a toppled Ecosport.

Quote:

Originally Posted by roy_libran (Post 3167602)

^^ And that is what is perplexing me as well, Sandeep.
My choices are either the 1.5L AT Ecosport or the Polo GT TSI. Heart Says Polo, mind says Ecosport. :(

I sold my Polo for Ecosport and if you ask me I am not going to recommend Polo to anyone till they increase the ground clearance and overall height quite a bit. The bottom hits speed breakers way too often and there have been some first hand complaints of oil chamber breakage in both Polo and Vento (my cousin brother broke his vento's oil chamber twice in about a year.) due to these ground bumps.

In addition, try reversing the car, I could never understand the existence of the terrible rear view mirror that Polo has. The size and incline of the rear windshield creates too many blind spots while reversing.

Though, my biggest complaint with the Polo with regards to the engine and turbo (diesel) is sorted if you buy the GT, I do hold a strong opinion on these regular issues which forced me into selling it for a car I hadn't even test driven!