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-   -   Ford EcoSport : Official Review (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/official-new-car-reviews/136854-ford-ecosport-official-review-236.html)

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Hi Team BHP friends,

This is my first post on Team BHP and happy to be here(after months of watching from and waiting in the sidelines).

I am an Ecosport-awaitee as well and have been following this thread on its alleged tumbling tendencies. I agree with Shankar.balan above and feel that drivers need to be conscious of a few things about Ford Ecosport:
-we all know that an object with higher Center of Gravity is prone to a higher centrifugal force at the top when force is applied sidewards. The higher ground clearance of Ecosport means higher CoG
-the higher gauge steel also means greater weight in 'relative' terms towards the top as compared to other cars(where the heavier chassis/engine combination close to the ground keep things grounded)
-the smaller engine(that fits on an A4 sheet paper) probably also contributes to lesser relative chassis/engine weight
-the rear-mounted wheel(as against bottom mounted or placed-in-boot wheel of other cars) also contributes it mite to higher weight distribution
-finally, we should get a hang of the steering response before any adventures lest we overcompensate in panic

Waiting for the call from the SA with my delivery details - Ecoboost Mars Red booked 10 July, Chennai Ford.

I feel hill assist must be a mandatory feature for all 4 wheelers to be sold.
In slow traffic people keep rolling back on Culverts and humps while there is no way for you to know a hump exists in bumper to bumper traffic. When you try maintain distance, there are two wheelers that fill that gap.:Frustrati

Thanks for the clarification guys.

So it is possible to turn off ESP and Traction control on Ecosport. I don't think that Ford would have given the option to turn them off individually.

Hi ACM, Just for the record THe EcoSport AT has a six speed gear box. I noticed this when I switched to the S Mode and used the TipTronic. AM not sure that more gears help increase FE

Link to News Section

Unable to service the stiff demand for the Ford EcoSport, many Indian dealers of the American car maker have temporarily stopped accepting bookings for the crossover. While some Ford dealers aren't taking fresh bookings for the base-diesel model of the crossover, other dealers have stopped accepting bookings for the mid and top end variants of the EcoSport.



While the 1.5 liter petrol engined model of the EcoSport seems unaffected by high demand, bookings of the top-end EcoBoost engined model are also said to be stopped at certain dealers. Waiting periods for the EcoSport range from a few weeks at certain parts of India, to as much as 8-12 months (for select variants) in most other parts of the country.

The stoppage in bookings at the dealer level seems to be prompted by the car maker, who is seeking to gain control over the growing waiting periods. The stoppage of bookings is at odds with Ford India Managing Director, Mr Joginder Singh's statements. Mr Singh, in an May 2013 interview to BusinessStandard, had this to say,

Quote:

We are not only ready for the domestic market but are geared up for the export market as well. Chennai will be the source for domestic and exports. If the demand goes through the roof, which we think it will, then we are geared up for that too.

The crossover is available with three engine and two transmission options. A 1.5 liter naturally aspirated petrol unit, a 1 liter turbo petrol unit and a 1.5 liter turbo diesel motor are the three engine options on the EcoSport. A 5 speed manual gearbox is standard on all three engines while the 1.5 liter petrol motor gets a dual clutch 6 speed automatic gearbox as an option.

The EcoSport is sold in 10 different variants, spanning across the 3 engine options. The crossover is built at Ford India's Maramalainagar factory, off Chennai, with a localization level of about 70%. Ford India also exports the EcoSport to markets across the globe. Eventually, the EcoSport will be Ford India's biggest export driver, taking over the mantle from the Figo hatchback.

The Ford EcoSport is manufactured across three locations, Brazil, China and India, with the fourth location, Thailand, to begin production soon. While the Brazilian facility will cater to Latin American markets, the Chinese facility will cater largely to local demand. India will be an export hub catering to Middle Eastern and European markets while the Thai facility will focus on the Far East.

Source Profit.NDTV

Yep it has 6 speed box and more gears do help increase fuel efficiency as there is a correct (most optimum) gear for each smaller range of speed and torque requirement. There are today even 7 & 8 speed boxes in certain luxury vehicles.

Jayprashant

A Mumbai/ Thane Dealer has in fact only stopped taking orders for the EcoSport AT rather than the variants mentioned in your post. It seems Ford does not wish to spend energy on focusing on this variant right now as it would be a limited order book in the longer run, and it is attempting to either convert these to other variants or full fill with specific colour production runs.

I understand from one of the dealers that TDCi Titanium (O) shipment from the factory is expected to resume / start from 2nd week of Sep.

I visited the showroom with two of my friends since they thought i used influence to get the Ecosport (I kept telling them I booked it even before prebooking started which is why my car was delivered but they didn't believe me) & tagged me along to use me so called "influence" :D

Anyway the SA told me they are getting more Trend & Ambient versions than Titanium for deliveries now. He told us that they have stopped taking bookings now & there is a rumor about an eminent price hike in the next 2 months. So far he has been spot on about everything! My friends then started insisting on doing "something" & that they were prepared to pay full cash down payment but my SA denied it flat out. They glared at me as my invisible coat of "influence" was fading away.:uncontrol >

Anyway I am glad that my car is already delivered (My biggest kick is when everyone who sees my car says "8 Lakhs on-road? That too for a diesel? Ru sure? This looks like a 11-12 lakh car")

I hope ford keeps the old prices for people who booked it earlier (If the price hike is indeed true).

Interesting. Even the Yeti I dont think has this option of turning ESP off. It has the option of turning off the front passenger airbag though. I for one, did not know that the EcoSport had ESP.

Hill climb assist and esp is available only in AT variant.

I have heard that abs can be disabled in safari via taking out the fuse. For those who drive on snow would wish to use the same technique on EcoSport

Toyota had to do it for the Fortunner, Mahindra had to do it for XUV500 and now Ford has to do it for the EcoSport. I guess this was expected because a waiting period of 6+ months is just not ok. It will also help company get a bearing on the outstanding demand. I remember seeing the interview with Mr. Singh where he had said that Ford is ready to meet whatever the demand. I guess he too did not expect the response to be so fantastic!

It's not just the number of gears that determine a better efficiency. Consider the Maruti Esteem Di, for instance. If you were traveling on 5th gear at 100 km/hr, which would be at 3000 rpm, you could go from Hyderabad to Soan without re-fueling. If you are traveling at 160 km/hr, which would be at over 5000 rpm, you would be using close to twice as much fuel. If the Esteem had a 6th gear, it could have helped in reducing the rpm and thus consume lower fuel. However, they could just as easily have decided to make the 5th gear taller for better efficiency while spacing out the ratios of the other gears.

Everyone would like to say that they can deal with unexpected demand, but it's within certain limits. The design of the EcoSport is much better than that of the average-looking Duster and modern but van-like Ertiga; Chevrolet Enjoy and Nissan Evalia are further away from creating an appealing design. In a country that won't use sidecars or pedal away on bicycles, looks sell and in big numbers. Design aesthetics are something that are very subjective and it's difficult to tell if something will have a mass acceptance based on focus groups.

Either way, Ford has a lot to lose in sales to the Duster and Ertiga (and maybe even Bolero?) because of the long waiting period and by not accepting any more bookings.

Nope I was a bit wrong now they have stopped taking all petrol bookings at a dealership I checked with.

Hi all,

A got a call yesterday by Ford dealership to make the payment for Ecoport D Titanium (O).
the vehicle is in transit. time for yet another experience with Ford

Apparently booking has been halted for the automatic variant at (at least) : Shreeji Ford (thane), AVK Ford (Powai) - Mumbai. Still waiting for someone to answer my calls at Wasan and SC Ford.