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-   -   Ford EcoSport : Official Review (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/official-new-car-reviews/136854-ford-ecosport-official-review-15.html)

True, I own 2008 Hyundai i10 Kappa and it has HPS, perfect feedback, well-weighted steering. Recently, drove the Fluidic Verna, total disaster in terms of steering feedback.

I think someone already asked this question before but i did not see the answer. How is the EcoSport rear seat space as compared to say that of Figo/i20/Amaze etc. ?

Also the boot seems to be bigger than that of Figo. please confirm ? I am yet to see EcoSport in person so just need these information to keep my excitement going

The rear seat of Eco Sport looked only as spacious as the Figo, if not a tad better. I20 would be more spacious I reckon. I haven't seen the Amaze, so I reserve my comments on that.

Boot is definitely bigger than Figo and the I20. People compare the boot to Dusters and Quantos. Compared to a Figo, it is much bigger.

In my opinion, if you are looking for space, Ecosport is not the car which you should upgrade to from a large hatchback.

Pardon me for saying this but I am terribly disappointed with the car.

First of all is the weight. It is about 100 kilos heavier than the bigger and larger Duster. But if you really compare it with sub 4 metres hatchbacks like others claim, it is 300 kg heavier than Swift, Brio and 350 kg heavier than Liva. That means it is 40% heavier than Liva. The weight is the one thing that kills everything. It kills handling. It kills performance, fuel efficiency, braking pretty much everything you can think of. I find is surprising that the Eco boost engine variant weighs 60kg more. That is more strange when they claim that the engine itself is 97kg. I think since ecoboost engine is available in the top end version is is loaded (literally) with unwanted features.

The next thing is ride and handling. Nobody buys a SUV for craving corners. So there is no point in making the ride stiff to control body roll with such a high CG. The Duster has a perfect ride/handling balance. The main reason for buying SUV is dismissing bad rods without slowing down. Exactly what the duster does. Of course I dont mean it to be like SUMO or Safari but you get the point!

I must also say that I do not even like the looks that much. In isolation it looks fine. However I remember a visual comparison here itself between Ecosport and Duster side by side. The Duster made the Eco-sport look like a hatch on stilts.

The 1.5 Diesel is probably the one that is going to provide max volumes and that one is not fascinating by any standards if the Fiesta is anything to go by. The 1.5L petrol is hopeless and the idea of putting it in the sub 4m car is laughable. SO it comes to the one and only 1L Eco boost engine. And what they have done is make it unavailable in the base versions. It is like "you can have the Eco boost but then you shall also have to have the crap that we will sell along with it."

Coming to the eco-boost engine extracting 125 BHP from a 1L turbocharged engine has a drawback. It is called Turbo lag. And it amplifies with tall gearing. And these are all very well cleared up in the review. So thanks Ford Anyway.

The problem is Ecosport is not a complete package. It will suffer from the same problem that is there with the Beat. These cars do not target any particular customers. Obviously the Eco-sport is not for enthusiasts.

The T-Jet, Polo GT, Vento TDi offer much better Engines and probably better handling.

It is also not for being chauffeur driven. Thanks to the stiff ride.

For people looking for an AT, The Polo with the DSG is a superb choice.

As an everyday commuter there are cheaper options like Amaze & Dzire (most probably). The only way for the Eco-sport to have some success if they can price it on par with them which looks like to be a distant dream considering the level of equipment. Come on Ford nobody in India Syncs their phone before leaving for office. And nobody will use the stupid voice command once the initial euphoria dies down.

What i infer from our review is that the ecosport has good legroom and shoulder room at the back but the seat width is poor.Therefore it can only accommodate 2 adults at the back, third will be very difficult.

The figo can accommodate 3 adults at the back.So i assume the rear seat of the ecosport is inferior to the Figo in terms of width.

VID/GTO will clear our doubts.

Safety. Heavy and rigid body shell to protect you in the event of a crash. It may kill fuel efficiency but it protects people.

Subjective. As for me I want all the features of the top variants.

Agree.

Why? Is the 1.5l petrol engine that bad? On the other hand if you are talking about cubic capacity, I find putting 1.2L / sub 90PS engines in compact sedans laughable.

It would be an insult to call this a review. This is more like a award winning movie on the Ford Ecosport.

Personally I am very happy that the latest technologies are being introduced to the Indian Market.

I have driven the 2013 Ford Escape SUV here in the U.S.A and was very impressed with the NVH in that vehicle. Except when the vehicle is accelerating, there isn't a a mention of engine noise inside the car. The car was sprightly and the handling was superb for an SUV. It also had an awesome panoramic sun-roof.

If priced rightly, I might go for it even if it only seats 4 in comfort. Ford have come a long way in terms of technology and it shows in its latest line-up of vehicles.

Happy that the vehicle also weighs more than the average Indian Car. Helps in stability in crosswinds on the highways.

Hope they price it right.

- Agree that one does not look for handling in an SUV, but a capability to dismiss bad roads and to a certain to a large extent, a go anywhere attitude.
- But then if you look in the other direction, in cities like Bangalore, where infrastructure is so pathetic, that one heavy rain in the evening, and all places get clogged and water runs knee high.
- In such cases GC and the tall stance really helps.
- So I would say, dont look at it as an SUV but, as an extended hatch meant for a bit of outdoors. If Ford prices it on par with premium hatches it has a winner.
- Coming to Ecoboost vs TDCI I cant comment on ecoboost. I was personally very impressed with the TDCI in Fiesta.
- Ford did not get the pricing right and hence the car sales suffered (add to it cramped rear seat space).
- But I will still hand it out to the engine.
- So in case of TDCI, Ford will have to price it higher. And if sales still come from diesel, this TDCI pricing would be the key.

Sorry to say, Ford, but honestly, no matter how much positive articulation the EcoSport is surrounded by, its just a hatch on stilts, no more and I, like very very many, wouldn't pay 10L (as someone speculated earlier) for the top end EcoBoost. IMHO, It just doesn't justify the price.

One could get real SUV's like the Scorpio or Safari with reasonable equipment levels for ~3lakhs more. No guesses what anyone looking for an SUV would choose given they're compared side by side.

Ford should consider itself fortunate for having got such a detailed review from Team-bhp and soon, with its pricing, show us what it's attitude towards the market is. After all this super-aggressive marketing, hope they don't disappoint with the product positioning.

No offence but if I want features I will buy an Alienware an Ipad or a Nikon D7100. A car is meant for enjouing the drive. Performance, Handling, Confort Reliability and Safety is all I want. I dont need gadgets. To each his own.

It is not about being bad. It is about spoiling the Excise benefit of a Sub 4m Car.


While it is true that initially the good and bad points were split over 50/50 in team BHP. Now it has become much more mainstream like the other magazine reviews with the +/- ve ratios as 80/20. Cars are not exactly being criticized too much. Not just ecosport...

But you have to acknowledge the effort and the attention to details. It is still better than what most offers.

Stay in Gurgaon before you criticize Bangalore. It has got practically no drainage system. Thank god the rains are rare.

It is refined but is nowhere as punchy as the 1.6L from Vento or Hyundai. I once drove the 1.5 TDCI and compared to the Vento is has more lag, a weaker midrange and does not like to be revved as much as the Vento. But yes it is smooth and a lot more refined.
And the brilliant chassis like Fiesta deserves a lot better engine. Trust me.

While reading last few comments I can easily deduce that EcoSport is facing the same positioning problem which was faced by Fusion 9 years ago.
If anyone remembers the T-BHP 'Test Drive' section which was discontinued few months back (It was one of the best feature, I still miss it) the opening lines regarding the Fusion mentioned very clearly that no way Fusion should be mistaken for an SUV, it is more of a overgrown hatch as it looks 'puny' due to the sliding roof design at the back.
All this and more applies for EcoSport.
As a Fusion owner I can easily surmise that it is the perfect replacement for the Fusion.
But at the same time I can also say that despite being launched 9 years back, Fusion still has so many features and solid build quality, I don't miss anything much.

A small comparo :

Advantage Fusion -
Large boot space
Wider back seat accommodates 3 persons comfortably
Hydraulic steering
Top opening Tailgate
Lesser Blind spot at A-pillar area
Higher powered Petrol engine (1.6 vis-a-vis 1.5)

Advantage EcoSport -
Airbags
Higher powered Diesel (1.5 vis-a-vis 1.4)
AT
Side opening Tailgate
Contemporary and stylish design
ACC

Common Features -
Commanding view due to higher seating position
High GC
Gearshift
Ride quality
Go Anywhere ability
Storage below front passenger seat
Wonderful Stock ICE
Powerful AC
60:40 split rear seats

Features not considered as an advantage IMHO due to 9 years gap as with the continuous R & D these have become standard :
Auto lamp with vanity mirror in sun visors
Turn indicators on OVRMs
Contemporary designed alloys
Bluetooth handsfree
MID
Steering mounted controls
Armrests
Sunglass holder, though Fusion has storage box at the top in the middle (not exactly) of the dashboard

One can go on and on...

Some "would definitely not" like to pay more for an 'overgrown hatch'.
Some "would not mind at all" paying anything for a "Perfect Car" in their eyes.
Some "would not mind at all" paying anything for "it's different" car.
To each one his own...

As far as my personal opinion goes, I feel very very excited by looking at the EcoSport, its 'near perfect' car in my eyes which would've been perfect had it was a 5-seater and that's where Fusion scores handsomely.
I also own a T-Jet and the combination of Fusion (P) and T- Jet will definitely won't make me miss EcoSport in the years to come.
At the same time I wish and am also hopeful that Ford should give some good offer to Fusion owners so as to convert them into actual sales. But who knows, if they get runaway success like Duster and Amaze, they may not do it or postpone it like MnM who is now going all out to woo potential XUV5OO customers who were 'once upon a time' had to actually go through lottery to be able to 'purchase their car after paying the full price'. We also bought our XUV5OO through lottery route only. Talk about change of fortunes.

Looks like there is no "Cruise Control" feature in this vehicle...!

C'mon Ford, India got better roads now with 80 Kms posted speed limits. It is there in new Fiesta, but why did you miss it while taking components from that...?

JK

]]You have made valid points. :) However, I'd like to make a few just to put things in perspective.

- Yes, it's heavier that the Duster and much heavier than hatchbacks too. But you've got to remember that all these cars mentioned here aren't put together exceptionally. I mean, the fit is good but the quality of material used is average in all these cars mentioned, if not worse. It's ridiculously easy to dent a Swift or a Duster. All you need to do is lean on the body work and exert a little force for it to cave in. The Liva too feels flimsy in comparison. And frankly, the Brio is a notch below in terms of dimensions and weight. I believe it's 150 kgs lighter than the Jazz. Ford products are fairly strong and feel durable from my experience. They have that typical European-ness in their build-quality, even in their built-to-cost / budget products.

- I can't really comment on the EcoSport's ride and handling. But again from my experience with Fords, the suspension ought to feel stiffly sprung at low speeds so the ride may feel harsh, but once you pick up speed it's reasonably compliant with the road surface and provides adequate damping without throwing you around inside the cabin. Some cars like the Liva and i20 may ride nicely but their suspensions aren't compliant enough at high speeds thereby making the ride feel slightly choppy and disconcerting. But it isn't bad, that's for sure.

- Looks is subjective. While I do prefer the way the Duster has been designed, I do like the funky EcoSport and its stance on the road.

- Cars like the Linea T-Jet and the Polo GT sure do look tempting at their respective price points, given that the EcoSport will be in the same bracket. And I have kindled thoughts of a Polo GT in my driveway sometime in the future. But I thought twice about it when I was forced to wade through a knee-deep swimming pool and several branches / stones / speed breakers of different sizes / shapes, just the other day when the sky in Bangalore had opened up. I'm not sure if the tech-laden Polo GT would have got to the other side of that 'wipe out' obstacle course. But I'm positive the EcoSport would have tackled the situation reasonably well.

- Turbo lag is present in almost every turbocharged car. It's practically impossible to completely eradicate it. Engineers may try and shorten the lag and reduce it to a minimum, but it's still going to be there. This is why it is important to 'learn' the engine's characteristics and attempt to work around it. Staying in the right gear and in the meat of the torque band is important. Once you understand how it should be driven, I'd imagine that the lag won't be that big a negative factor.

From what I've understood, the EcoSport may be a competitor to the Duster, but it falls just short of the segment thanks to its smaller cabin and boot. This makes the EcoSport a great car to upgrade to from a small hatch. It's a good alternative to large hatchbacks like the Swift, i20, etc. It offers similar levels of space / equipment / performance with the added versatility of its 'on stilts' like stance and SUV-esque ground clearance.

The Duster on the other hand is the perfect upgrade from a large hatch like the i20 / Swift and is a great alternative to C-segment sedans like the Rapid, Vento and the like. It offers similar levels of performance, cabin / boot-space in a package that rides well over bad roads and handles rough surfaces with aplomb. :)

Anyone looking for an SUV, should not even consider EcoSport IMHO. Let us not compare this to an SUV then. This is a completely new segment and let us compare apples to apples.
When it comes to SUVs, Mahindra has a whole stable of 'boats', XUV 5oo and then there is the Safari. These would come within the sub 15 Lakh segment. Still, the real SUVs are the Endeavours and Pajeros which are all priced north of 15 Lakh territory

Hi all,
Yesterday evening while driving from Mumbai to Thane, I spotted dark grey Ford ecosport - titanium near Dadar Ambedkar road bridge. Unfortunately he drove down the flyover so could not grab better picture. Here is very bad quality picture (image - behind BEST bus on left side)which I could manage to take in evening traffic.
Surprisingly the car was having TN registered white number plate. I am sure this car must be one of the test cars which given to staff.
Ecosport really has very good look and road presence. IMO much better than duster, I am not even counting Quanto or Rio for comparison. Actually It's very compact compared to pictures in magazines or newspapers. I feel they should come up with 4wd version as well on day one. If ford offers 4wd ecosport at descent price then it's perfect Compact SUV for family to go anywhere in India.
Cheers!