Team-BHP - Ford EcoSport : Official Review

Completely agree to Pridered and blacksport. The primary reason for me buying this is because my wife loved the looks and the front seat comfort. I just checked whether it's better and bigger than my Swift (which it was considering that the boot is more important for me rather than rear seats). I didnt even TD any other cars and everything (right from taking the decision to buy the car, selling the swift and booking the ecosport) happened in less than a week. After all, it's a personal choice. The car makes me and wife happy and that matters at the end of the day. CSUV or SUV, hatch on steroids doesnt didnt even bother me. A featured packed car for 10L on road is a steal and I am completely satisfied with the decision. As I had pointed out, it performs really well when compared to the Swift and I had highlighted many instances like high speed stability, comfort, ride quality on bad roads and even service bills. I know this will be a different story when the free service is done, but even Swift service was expensive. Just conveyed my version. No offense!

I don't understand how people, those who buy it, complain about the Ecosport for not being a proper SUV. The ones who buy cars like the Ecosport or the Duster in haste, and on style and height factor alone, often don't even know where the power from the engine is going? Front or rear? Neither do they compete for off-roading challenges nor hit the sand-dunes. So why complain about the missing 4WD?

From what I have experienced, the common misconception among Indians, is that all cars are rear wheel drive and are sisters to BMW. I once saw an Esteem accidentally stuck on a divider; the front wheels were air-borne and the rear ones were on the road. Yet, the driver kept on flooring the throttle to gain some traction!

So, when a product like the Ecosport is launched in the market. You have 2 kind of customers running towards the product:

- those who see form over function. Fantasize themselves sitting higher than other mere mortals on roads, and like to flash the butch proportions of their SUV to every marriage, party or family occasions they enter. I would happily say that 80% of the Ecosport customers are like that. This Ford looks the part and definitely does that!

- the second type of customers are those who know they have a limited budget. Daily commute means trundling in traffic, so a compact sized car is preferred. Won't mind spending a few grands more if the car comes decently equipped. They understand Indian weather and road conditions too. Which means when-it-rains-it-pours. And when it pours the road they take chokes! So they think that 200mm of whatever Ford is boasting about might work, no? Next, when they overload the car with their middle-class-extra-large-sized family members or relatives on the rear seat, chances of the vehicle bottoming-out are very low as the car is very high. And when the whole city parades to the nearby hill-station on weekends, they too can head along without having to worry of being left out behind hatchbacks and sedans on empty straightaways, or corners for that matter. Also, occasionally, they might like the attention they get on-road, and may want to behave as type 1 customers, which seems alright.:D 19.5% of the Ecosport customers belong to this category I would like to believe.

So, the remaining 0.5% of the customers didn't read the brochure clearly, waited for 6-odd months, had their money lying with Ford, read zillions of reviews on and offline, got the delivery of the car, then drove it for a while and one fine day realized,' Whooooaa!! Where does the 4WD of my SUV go?'...and then started complaining. Fair enough, sir.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shivank (Post 3466992)

You have 2 kind of customers running towards the product:

- those who see form over function. Fantasize themselves sitting higher than other mere mortals on roads, and like to flash the butch proportions of their SUV to every marriage, party or family occasions they enter. I would happily say that 80% of the Ecosport customers are like that. This Ford looks the part and definitely does that!

- the second type of customers are those who know they have a limited budget. Next, when they overload the car with their middle-class-extra-large-sized family members or relatives on the rear seat, chances of the vehicle bottoming-out are very low as the car is very high. And when the whole city parades to the nearby hill-station on weekends, they too can head along without having to worry of being left out behind hatchbacks and sedans on empty straightaways, or corners for that matter. Also, occasionally, they might like the attention they get on-road, and may want to behave as type 1 customers, which seems alright.:D 19.5% of the Ecosport customers belong to this category I would like to believe.

So, the remaining 0.5% of the customers didn't read the brochure clearly, waited for 6-odd months, had their money lying with Ford, read zillions of reviews on and offline, got the delivery of the car, then drove it for a while and one fine day realized,' Whooooaa!! Where does the 4WD of my SUV go?'...and then started complaining. Fair enough, sir.

Shivank,

I have an Ecosport and I would like to know what category I fall in from the above three? Here are the requirements I had when choosing Ecosport:

1. I already had a Figo and wanted an upgrade. None of the hatches seemed like a proper upgrade from the Figo.
2. Bangalore is known for it's mountain speed breakers. My Figo would scrape even with 2 people on board. My dad has an Altis which scrapes with only him and driver sitting on some of the humps. I don't have a large family to overload the car with, just 3 of us; me, mom and dad.
3. I did not need a full sized boot so didn't see the point in getting a sedan and a compact sedan was a hatch with a half boot.
4. I wanted a car which I did not have to worry about exploring new roads in the city or outside. Earlier I would find myself stuck as the roads were too bad for my Figo sometimes even in outskirts of city.
5. I wanted airbags and ABS compulsory.
6. Rear seat was not a priority and definitely no need for 7 seater. It should be more spacious than Figo and easy for folks to get in and out of.
7. FE should be decent and diesel since i was using a Figo.
8. Interior quality should be an improvement over the Figo. The Duster felt a notch lower.
9. Improved performance over the Figo.
10. Dynamics had to be good. Coming from a Figo, I knew this would need a compromise but did not want to lose car like feel.
11. Budget had to be within 11-12 lakhs. Not more than 7 lakhs from my pocket after selling Figo.

With the above requirement I chose the Ecosport. Could you recommend, what I should have got if not Ecosport and why?

Also I bought Ecosport cause it satisfied all the above criteria but unfortunately I don't fall into any of your categories. Where do I fall into?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Vid6639 (Post 3467136)

Shivank,

I have an Ecosport and I would like to know what category I fall in from the above three? Here are the requirements I had when choosing Ecosport:

With the above requirement I chose the Ecosport. Could you recommend, what I should have got if not Ecosport and why?

Also I bought Ecosport cause it satisfied all the above criteria but unfortunately I don't fall into any of your categories. Where do I fall into?

Er...I hope you didn't take my post the other way round. It was more of a dig at the people complaining about the car, than for those who are happily driving it. Still, since your priorities match more with the second category, that would be it. :p

On a separate note, we too have an Ecosport in the family. Waited for it 9 months before Ford finally delivered the car. Honestly, being a petrol-head that I consider myself to be, my only reasoning to go for the Ecosport was its engine, the 1.0 Ecoboost motor. Slowly, however, I am getting to know about the other qualities and benefits this car offers. Ground clearance being one that tops the list!

However, 90% of the time someone sees that car, they just ask, ' Only this much space? Only this much boot? Only this much 'engine'? Yeh kyun le li?:Frustrati

Even if we had parked an Audi Q5 for the price of the Ecosport, people would still be ranting and complaining about it. So, as long as one knows that their car suits them the best, why would they complain? And if it doesn't suit your needs, why blame the car as it didn't come to your house on its own?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shivank (Post 3467172)

Lol. Unfair! That's generalizing. :)

I don't overload the car and don't drive it thinking it's an SUV. I'm more cautious driving the Ecosport than my Altis or Figo.

Quote:

However, 90% of the time someone sees that car, they just ask, ' Only this much space? Only this much boot? Only this much 'engine'? Yeh kyun le li?:Frustrati

Even if we had parked an Audi Q5 for the price of the Ecosport, people would still be ranting and complaining about it. So, as long as one knows that their car suits them the best, why would they complain? And if it doesn't suit your needs, why blame the car as it didn't come to your house on its own?

This I agree. I feel a lot of people out there don't need the Ecosport but think they do or want one only for the funky styling and features it offers at the price.

Many times people have asked me about getting one and I have so far managed to steer them away to Etios or Honda City. A guy who went and booked it, realised after I got my car that it was not all he wanted. He wanted to fit 5 full adults and big boot for family trips. He was bowled over by the looks and the price. Luckily Ford increased prices and I was able to convince him that he may not appreciate the space and boot for full family trips. He went and got an Etios sedan and is extremely happy.

Another guy I know waited for delivery and then got the new Honda City. More space bigger boot and a full size sedan to show off with.

One more colleague wanted to book one but is now waiting for Mobilio as his requirement has now changed to a 7 seater MUV.

In my case I couldn't have thought of a better car. The newly launched Fiesta did get me thinking but a drive on the monsoon ravaged roads of Bangalore has put me back in place.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Vid6639 (Post 3467136)

You have summed it up quite distinctively and in simple words, you have told us why did YOU pick the Ecosport. I am very sure there will be hundreds of buyers like you who will fall into the same category.

Even when I added a second car, I wanted to make one thing sure - I decide where that vehicle will takes us & not the other way round.

Ground Clearance - Much needed for the monstrous speedbreakers and roads in Bangalore
Ingress-Egress - Parents will love it
Diesel - Its the Era of Diesels for long runners
Better FE - I Live to Drive, I will drive more now
Dynamics - It better stop in straight line when doing highway speeds and give the passengers lesser neck pain at the end of that drive!

There will be many who will talk about space for 5 but when your need is not, you will obviously pick something like this.

There will be folks who can complain about that Dash (Like the case of new Honda offering) but how many will move away only because of that Dashboard?

We all pick our cars based on what we felt ticked the boxes as per our requirements and quite incidentally, I advised my colleague at work to pick the Ecosport over Amaze or even Ritz Top end as he was getting something better & different with that SUVish styling at similar price!

Real or psuedo, SUV or hatch, slow or not : Last 3 pages of this thread clearly articulate the passion and love for this car. Almost every owner/ prospect has been able to find some feature(s) that they are able to identify with. The reason for success of this vehicle is evident

In my view, Ford has hit the blue ocean here. They have been able to pick the most wanted features from category+; packaged it in a form that hasn't been explored by competition yet; spoilt the prospects with choices (performance or comfort) finally delivering it at a great value. Hence comparing Ecosport on conventional parameters won't be justified

I can see that debate is already over :) however to each his own. Do make an informed decision

Quote:

Originally Posted by blacksport (Post 3466043)

I think you got to decide what you want from your car. While cross-shopping is fine, you buy a Ecosport or a Rapid for totally different virtues.

Why the Ecosport got too many bookings when the car was launched, was because a lot of people thought, "there's a car going for cheap, let me go and get one", without even wondering for a moment whether it is a "compact pseudo SUV" that they need.

You need to decide first what you want, CSUV or a sedan. A problem with buying what is cheap and not what you need is, you would eventually see only the bad virtues in it and then start hating what you bought.

And, if it would be of any help to you, if not for the higher ground clearance and an upright seating position, I would have bought a Vento or a Rapid instead of Ecosport.

I already have a Hatch and want to Upgrade.

Basically, I am/was looking for a Vehicle with Higher seating position, high ground clearance, along with other's like safety - ABS and MIN 2 Airbags is a MUST for me, Light steering in City, comfortable for 4, and some others.

My reasons for checking Ecosport is not necessarily for "cheap car", I dont think Ecosport is a Cheap car,, - by any means.

On paper - Ecosport Diesel Checks ALL my boxes. However - Driving the same was not a good experience for Me, I have decided to drop this.

Checked out Duster and Terrano - both ruled out.

I am checking out Sedans - and my shortlisted cars are Skoda Rapid, Hyundai Verna, VW Vento, and Honda City - in that Order.

I need to let go of High GC, and I am ok to do that, provide, I get a car - that's fits my other requirements pretty well.

I have driven Rapid and Vento - I prefer Rapid, am Checking other 2 this/next week.

My 2 cents:

I wanted to upgrade from my Wagon R to a premium sedan / SUV and we as a family wanted space. Though just a family of three, but personally were tired of driving around in hatchbacks and wanted something which in a way matched our living standard. Hope I am not being crude here and request none to take offence to my statement.

The eternal debate between heart and mind began. I wanted a butch SUV whereas wife wanted a sleek sedan. In between the research etc. I even decided to give Swift ZXI a shot because of its practicality for city use and occasional highway runs. My wife was literally tired of my so called practical thinking and said enough of your saving money for so called future emergencies, it will either be a sedan or SUV else let our humble Wagon R and Ritz serve us for a couple of years more.

We already have a Verna, Vento and Superb in family so the only sedan left was the City. It checked all the boxes, but then Ecosport was spotted. I personally didnt like the looks of it and felt it is not serving my personal preference of a butch stance, road presence, own the road etc. Though it ticked all the other boxes of being a premium city and highway vehicle in the 10 L category.

Took wife to test drive the Storme and it just took one test drive by both of us to be convinced that this vehicle pulls all the strings of the heart and a few of the mind. So both of us asked the mind to shut up and we bought the Storme.

So to summarize, IMO most of the Ecosport owners have looked for a "practical" premium vehicle that gave them space, driveability, made them stand apart from the sedan / hatchback crowd, saved them from the bulk of a Scorpio, XUV or Storme and pulled some of strings of their heart by the look and stance of it. So its an in-between choice / compromise (not in a negative way) that evens the game between heart and the mind.

The EcoSport is a different car altogether and there is NO point in ranting about it being an SUV or C-SUV or Pseudo-SUV. Customers who buy it like the car in some or the other way which DOES NOT need any justification.

Why are we having such a long discussion just to debate 'what' the EcoSport is and 'where' in the category of vehicular classification does it fit!

This thread is 'MOST' viewed and 'MOST' replied in all the cars that are currently sold. It is a good point that many like the car and are pitching-in but does give a overall negative image to see 500+ pages of discussion.

Let us all get back to the issues faced / car rather discussing on the SUV characteristics and writing points - 'Why I bought' the EcoSport and not its competitor. This car will sell come what may due to its beauty, no justification is needed.

No offence to anyone here just my 2 cents.

Thanks.

Anurag.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hemant_Joshi (Post 3467596)

I think, I understand your situation, which is not really your fault. We don't have the luxury of choices, so when Ecosport went out of the window due to not-so-good driving experience, due to lack of other viable high GC cars, you had to drop that key requirement.

I did face a similar situation while I was choosing the Ecosport. I wanted power, high seating position and an AT. The Ecosport AT ticked the last two boxes, but power was lacking. I couldn't compromise on seating position because I was getting back pains, and AT because without it Bangalore traffic is a pain. So I decided to compromise on the power factor. And now compensate for the lack of power by stepping on the pedal when I need performance. I get a sub-10kmpl mileage nowadays, because I do wring the engine to extract every drop of performance..

When you make a compromise, make sure it is not something you will regret later. All the best.

Quote:

Originally Posted by a4anurag (Post 3467744)

Let us all get back to the issues faced / car rather discussing on the SUV characteristics and writing points - 'Why I bought' the EcoSport and not its competitor. This car will sell come what may due to its beauty, no justification is needed.

I don't think this thread has such a narrow scope. If yes, mods need to pitch in and clarify. I see these kind of discussions happening in every "test drive" thread.