[shankar.balan]

I just test drove the Ford EcoSport 1 litre EcoBoost in Titanium Trim with all Options. I am personally not interested in any other variant of this vehicle except the fully loaded AT option.

We turned up at St Marks Road, Metro Ford just casually this morning around 945am. They had the vehicle available for TD so my dad and I took it for a spin.

Some simple impressions I've noted here which might help an average lay person like me to make a decision, in case they are wavering:
The ride quality is excellent over the horrid Bangalore bumps. I drove it quite harshly over some speed breakers and it felt perfectly composed and comfortable and NOT skittish, the way a tall vehicle sometimes feels.
Lovely, confidence inspiring ground clearance.
The gear throws are reasonably precise and feel good, if not quite as excellent as my Yeti's gearshift. Overall though, the gear shift is comfortable.
The petrol engine feels nice and silent. it drives well and performs quite nicely indeed. I am used to the power surge in my Yeti so it is not fair really to compare this Ecoboost with that engine, but I feel it is adequate. I might have a little concern when overtaking on a highway though but this is only surmise, having not actually experienced that in an EcoSport.
The steering is light and perfect for the city. I believe the power steering is speed sensitive which is a good thing.
I find the brakes quite adequate. I wish they would upgrade the rear brakes to discs too.
I feel good about the build quality and the solidity which it apparently has. It does NOT feel tinny at all.
The seating position is great,offering an excellent view of the surroundings.
The music system and sound quality with its 4 speakers are more than adequate.
The synchronize facility and other fiddlies are good to have. The steering mounted controls are useful.
The gauges and dials are located well and easy to read.
The overall quality and feel of the interiors, though largely of hard plastic, are quite good indeed.
All the switches are located comfortably within reach. None of these feel cheap and/or flimsy. I do not have a problem with things like the indicators and so on being located the other way round because Im now quite used to it.
I like the visibility offered by the rear view mirrors both inside and outside.
I like the black leather trim and seats.
The seats offer good back support and are nice and firm to sit on.
Getting in and out of the vehicle is easy. It offers plenty of legroom, elbow room, shoulder-room and head room for four regular sized people. No complaints at all there, though a person of my height might find it a little irritating sitting in the back seat for a long time. However, for the most part, I surmise that a chap like me would end up driving the vehicle and not sitting in the back, so that is of no consequence at all.
I find the luggage space to be fine though it will certainly fail my lateral golf bag test.
Yes, it could be sometimes difficult that the tailgate opens the other way round and it certainly would have been better to go with a hatch type tailgate, but one can live with it. I like the clever little button release mechanism very much.

I like the looks of the vehicle a lot. I love its alloys, its fat tyres and pretty much everything else.
The dealer treated me very well indeed this morning so no complaints there either.
Some of the accessories available can be considered as expensive, but then, if you don't want them, you can always choose not to buy them!

The only small negatives in this vehicle are the lack of the hand-hold grips above each door, the fact that the front seats do not offer good enough under-thigh support for a tall person and the front passenger seat does not have a height adjust option and that as of this moment, there is no option of 4x4 which some of us might wish to have, whether they use it or not.

The EcoSport definitely feels much better put together and of a far higher quality than the Duster and its ilk. The sense of 'compact premium-ness' is certainly there in the EcoSport when compared with the Duster, the Scorpio, the XUV etc.
I will clearly state here that the quality and sophistication of the EcoSport and its overall feel is significantly higher than the feel I get in the Duster, the Scorpio, the XUV and many other vehicles. No doubt about that.
It feels quite as nice and solid as does a short chassis Toyota RAV4 or Short Chassis Grand Vitara, both of which I have sat in on occasion, abroad.

Pricing is very very fair indeed. The only options worth considering in my opinion, are the top end, top spec trim versions, the Titanium ones with as many options as there are available. Definitely more worthwhile than say, buying a Honda City Top Spec or a Hyundai Verna top spec...

I can only speak positively about the experience and endorse the fact that it is a very sensible vehicle to buy when compared to the typical family sedan. Very good option indeed for the smart, upwardly mobile, youthful or young-at-heart couple with a youngster and maybe a doggie, who like a bit of weekend driving and road tripping combined with the daily grind commute.

This vehicle has the potential to easily become todays generation's cult vehicle of choice, the way the Maruti Gypsy was, for the generation that went to college jn the 1980's. A real smart choice for the modern generation, in my opinion. Given the state of the order book and the waiting period, this is quite the hottest seller to come down the pike in a long time!

All in all, if you have the patience, this vehicle is definitely worth going for.

[jaykc78]

SA from Metro ford called me on Friday and said my Ecosport 1.0 diamond white is in transit and would be getting the delivery anytime this week.

Was pleasant surprised with service I got from Metro Ford as they had told me it would take 3-4 months.

Looking forward for the delivery and it is going to be an exciting week

[JayPrashanth]

Originally Posted by PrideRed

Agree with you, the topple by journalists was actually caused by hitting a median and then a truck or something like that. I am not sure of the other incident.Apart from these two, all rest are just rumours as no proof is available.

Coming to Duster, i have posted a pic in this thread showing a toppled Demo vehicle(Duster- KA registered).

Also Duster apart the other SUV's like Scorpio,Safari and even Fortuner have reported incidents of topple.

Any Vehicle that is tall,high GC is supposed to be driven like an SUV. Forget the above mentioned cars, i guess even the SUV from the likes of Merc,BMW would topple if driven like a sedan/hatch.

Reproducing verbatim the first person account of the EcoSport accident at Goa. This automotive journalist was riding shotgun in the EcoSport that toppled. This should settle some doubts.

Sometimes too much technology is just not good enuf.. Gone are the days.. of checking the spark plug and tapping the float bowl and get your buddies to push start and the car fires.. !! With that said the Ecosport Driver was pushing hard on a S shaped curve ... hit the outer line while entering the curve and shifted towards the right lane .. and we were headed straight into an oncoming lorry...the driver tried to correct it at that speed.. flicked left and slammed the brakes and the car started fishtailing...and knocked a concrete pole ..(Broke it) .. and flipped on its side...airbags inflated immediately ... the driver's smart phone was syncd'..and it dialed out 108...and he screamed HELP ~ I by then managed to get out of the Ecosport to get some peace & help! The Ford Team & GVK guys all arrived in a matter of 5 - 10 minutes

Cheers,

Jay

[shivasuma]

Originally Posted by shankar.balan

I just test drove the Ford EcoSport 1 litre EcoBoost in Titanium Trim with all Options.

The biggest flaw/drawback of the vehicle was the waiting period. So I cancelled my booking and lost 3K in the process. But then I got a very good offer on the Rapid at Vinayak Skoda. My apologies to you, as I used your reference with GM Hemanth without asking you. I will be taking delivery of a Red Rapid TDI on Wednesday.

[raul]

Excellent feedback Shankar! Incidentally I also found myself pottering near a Ford dealership and stepped in to have another look. I agree with nearly everything you said, spot on there.

As a Duster RXZ 110 owner the first thing that hits you is the interior build quality, everything feels well put together and solid. Its modern, what you would expect in a car designed and manufactured today. The Duster lacks here, its a serious shortcoming.

I would strongly suggest folks have a personal look at the car, in pics and online it feels small and possibly claustrophobic. But it's not, the back seats are surprisingly spacious, and comfortable, as are the front, though if you are a bit wide and heavy it could get a bit tight upfront.

I like the quality of the plastics, the way they feel, things like stalk holders, the doors, buttons - things seem solidly put together. Nothing feels cheap, there is a certain modernity about the interiors that you don't get in the Duster.

I still find the overall exterior design a bit imbalanced, its like the designers work was cut short, and the height, width, and length are somehow not aligned. But overall I think its a great buy, if I was in the market today and the Duster was 2-3 lakhs more I would probably go for this. It's a sensible buy.

The Duster still has the lead in more space overall, and fabulous ride quality, also the 110 is a 6 speed and has lot of power on tap even after 120

[saisrujan]

Originally Posted by techfreak

Can you tell us what is the weight of the sump guard you fabricated with 1.5 mm sheet?

7.27 kg without the rubberized 3M under-body coating.

Originally Posted by techfreak

On the toppling issue my personal feeling is it is the driver who is to be blamed. Being in a job I have access to all kind of vehicles from truck to suv to earth movers . Every vehicle is made or rather designed with a purpose and particular role and so the vehicle dynamics vary accordingly, it is the man behind the steering who has to understand it and handle it accordingly.

Have been driving the Ecosport for about 25 days now, and I feel the following factors contribute towards the propensity of toppling:

• High-seating position inspires a level of confidence and there's a tendency to throw the car into the corners
• Superior ride, handling and NVH makes the driver feel the car is travelling slower than it actually is (60 kmph feels like 40 kmph to the driver)
• The steering is definitely light, but eager and precise. In hazardous situation, if the driver over-reacts with his inputs to the steering, the car will just swerve immediately in response to steering input.
• Some of us pointed out that the car can sometimes oversteer, and fishtail.

Which of the qualities are bad? Maybe the steering. But this steering is actually good, because it is direct and precise (not vague at all). People just need to spend enough time with the steering to get adjusted to it.

We should never be over-enthusiastic in driving a new car, until they spend enough hours behind the wheel to know how the car reacts. Looks like people are pushing the car too hard.

Originally Posted by shankar.balan

I feel it is adequate. I might have a little concern when overtaking on a highway though but this is only surmise, having not actually experienced that in an EcoSport.

You don't have to worry about highway experience with the ecoboost engine. There's plenty of power on tap even at 120 kmph (and you should not try overtaking at speeds higher than this - the Ecosport is no sports car).

Originally Posted by jaykc78

SA from Metro ford called me on Friday and said my Ecosport 1.0 diamond white is in transit and would be getting the delivery anytime this week.

Brilliant. So, you're the next in the team-bhp family to get the ecoboost diamond white. Congratulations! I'm sure you'll enjoy the car.

[shankar.balan]

Originally Posted by saisrujan

[*]High-seating position inspires a level of confidence and there's a tendency to throw the car into the corners[*]Superior ride, handling and NVH makes the driver feel the car is travelling slower than it actually is (60 kmph feels like 40 kmph to the driver)

You don't have to worry about highway experience with the ecoboost engine. There's plenty of power on tap even at 120 kmph (and you should not try overtaking at speeds higher than this - the Ecosport is no sports car).

.

To your point one, I would have thought that the contrary would apply. The lower the seating position the greater the 'seat-of-the-pants' feel and hence the greater the tendency to chuck the car into corners with abandon...thats what happens to Mini Cooper Drivers, Mazda MX5 drivers and the like.

To your point two, I appreciate the ride and handling and NVH levels. Yes indeed, even in my Yeti I sometimes feel I am going quite slowly until I take a gander at the speedo, at which time I retract my right foot rather rapidly.

To your point three, that is good feedback about the power reserves this engine apparently has. And yes, I do completely agree that it is not even worth attempting to drive one's car, however sporty it may be, at 120 kmph anywhere or at any time in India.

[johannskaria]

All my Fellow BHPians,

I present to you my Black Panther
Feel free to give your opinions


http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-d...ur-garage.html

[ACM]

Originally Posted by lovesujay

Just got a news from my brother in law's friend. His car got toppled in Kerala.

Pls have your BIL share a snap of the accident with you. Am sure the BIL's friend would have taken a snap of the same that would be quite essential. Along with this a some info of the driving antics of the driver would help. If the snap is not possible suggest you ignore the info as it is not really verifiable.

[ecosport rules]

Hey guys,

About the toppling incidents,I have driven my ecosport for more 3000km till date, and had a fair share of testing and pushing the vehicle to its limits.

I dont say we can push to the limits like a low hung sedan like my Honda civic, but for a vehicle with this high Centre of Gravity it handles phenominally well.

IMO only an idiot can topple this vehicle.

Any reasonably good driver will agree with me that as soon as you start to drive a vehicle we can immediately judge the dynamics and limits of the car.

People who have poor judgement of what they are driving can easily topple a Ferrari by banging the divider at a perfect angle and then call it unstable.

Please note that there is no car manufactured in the world till date that hasn't toppled , all you need is an extremely terrible driver.

Hope this helps all the prospective ecosport buyers who are apprehensive about its stability.

[Rameshdude]

Friends, I took delivery of my Mars Red ecoboost yesterday.
I preferred Petrol over the diesel as my running is not more than 700 kms per month. The suspension is better in ecoboost, the engine per se is highly rated ,for the power and the noise level is less too.
Ofcourse the diesel is peppy to drive in city.

[shankar.balan]

Originally Posted by ecosport rules

Hey guys,


Please note that there is no car manufactured in the world till date that hasn't toppled , all you need is an extremely terrible driver.

.

Just an anecdote:

In the 1950's and 1960's there was a campaign in Germany involving a challenge which stated that if anyone succeeded in toppling a then VW Beetle, they would immediately be given a brand new car.

Of course there were conditions attached ref the driving conditions that had to be adhered to in this. For example one would not have been entertained if one drove off a road into a deep ditch and by that, managed to overturn the vehicle.

As far as I know, I don't think anyone quite managed to topple one driving on the autobahns around curves and everything at whatever speeds.

[johannskaria]

Originally Posted by Rameshdude

Friends, I took delivery of my Mars Red ecoboost yesterday.
I preferred Petrol over the diesel as my running is not more than 700 kms per month. The suspension is better in ecoboost, the engine per se is highly rated ,for the power and the noise level is less too.
Ofcourse the diesel is peppy to drive in city.

Congrats buddy welcome to the Ecosport family...
The diesel is indeed peppy, I can vouch that
Do put up your ownership reports...

[jojoinassi]

I need a small piece of advice
I would like to know how to prevent the fading of the plastic cladding all around the vehicle.
I am apprehensive that this plastic portion can fade/get discolored in the long run.I tried using formula 1 protectant. It looks good now.Is there any thing else which is better

[sup?]

It has been 6 days of the Ecosport Trend Diesel and I have done nearly 600 KMs with about 2/3rds on the highways and 1/3rd in the city. And here are my observations.

Disclaimer: These are just some of the things I noticed and are in the context of my driving experience with the Ecosport and others before this. Feel free to disagree or correct me if I am wrong.

Positives:
1. Seating: Position is brilliant. The view is truly commanding.After 6 days of the Ecosport, I wanted to see how much I have got used to the seating position and took out my Wagon R (which I am holding on to till next week) for a spin and the feeling was akin to one of being locked up in an underground cellar.

2. Steering: This is awesome in the city. And it certainly weighs up a little on the highways, though probably not enough for those who are used to a hydraulic steering.

3. Interiors: It does feel more like a plane cockpit than a car interior. There are so many buttons to play with and explore. While this may feel like a nuisance for some of the older generation, I have no complaints there. Give me more buttons I say. The beam height adjustment, the light switch, which when plonked in the middle ensures that it lights up when we open the door to alight, and the speed range of the wipers are all little things that bring a smile to your face.

4. Ground Clearance: Lets just say the notorious Bangalore speed breakers have more than met their match.

5. Instantaneous Mileage Indicator: Though my Trend diesel does not have the average fuel economy meter, it does have the instantaneous mileage indicator which gives great feedback about your driving style and lets you make adjustments to increase the fuel efficiency.

Negatives:

1. Power Delivery: I am coming from a petrol hatch, but somehow the much talked about surge after 1.8k RPM did not feel like much of a surge at all. If you want to reach even speeds of 70-80 in 4th gear, you have to hold the foot down for quite a while the RPM hits 2k at which point the speedometer inches to 80. I am not sure of how it will behave beyond this RPM since I am making sure I do not rev over 2k during the run-in period.

2. Boot Lid Release: I absolutely love the great design of the boot release button. But somehow, I have already faced a couple of instances where the boot lid refused to open despite repeated pressing of the little button. I hope this was just a case of the boot not being closed properly. I somehow fear the long term effectiveness of this design.

3. Power Windows placement: The power windows button, as mentioned in the official review is placed much too in front of the driver. I keep accidentally operating the rear passenger's window instead of my own all the time. I do not think of this as a big deal, but its a minor irritant never the less.

4. Not even mild off-roading: I went on a trip to the Manchinbele dam about 70kms from Bangalore. The dam is quite small and you can take the vehicles to the edge of the bank almost. Understandably the path to the bank is quite rocky and just a wee bit wet. The tyres (Stock Goodyears) really struggled to get a grip on the way up and they just screeched without moving forward on the way up from the bank. I saw that the same road was taken with ease by even Altos and Maruti 800s. I had to maneuver the vehicle very carefully back to the road. Not very confidence inspiring I would say.