[PrideRed]

Originally Posted by naveen.raju

Ford Ecosport launched in Malaysia

The Thai-assembled EcoSport will be available in two trim levels - Trend and Titanium with a single engine and transmission option (1.5L Petrol Automatic) starting at 93,000 RM (Rs 17.67 lakh).

The Thai EcoSport measures 4,273mm in length, 1,765mm wide and 1,675mm tall. This makes it 272mm longer, and 33mm shorter than its Indian counterpart. The ground clearance is identical at 200mm, the boot space at 362 litre.

Well the it is not 272 mm Longer than Indian Ecosport. 4273mm is including spare tire. The Indian version is 3999mm excluding spare tire. I think it is China specific version which happens to be 40xx mm long(excluding spare tire). The wheelbase is actually 1mm shorter. Not sure why it is not as tall as Indian Ecosport.

[bharathan]

Originally Posted by wilful

Congrats on your new vehicle. Would love to see some pics.
How do you find the ride quality? I ask since you have been using an Innova. I assume the ride is stiffer?

Originally Posted by roy_libran

Thanks for this tip. I checked it out and also approached my dealership.
They have quoted Rs. 7500/- for the same.
The part number is SBA0010 (same as pic on Page 183).
There is another Airbag compliant seat cover as per my dealer and it's part number is SBA0011.
Would you happen to know the Part number of your seat cover?

Here are the pics of the sear cover i have installed. Apologies for the poor quality; these were taken from my phone. As i said, the white linings go well with the White car color. I'm also planning to install Eagle Eye Headlamps with HIDs. Will post fresh pics when its done (should be a week).

[wilful]

Originally Posted by bharathan

I find the driving much more comfortable in this (easy to maneuver, light steering, less noise, smoother accelerator etc.). My Wife says that the cabin is a little bit more claustrophobic but the ride quality on bumps etc are a little better. But I do feel the doors are much more heavier in this compared to the Innova. I used to open and close my Innova with 3 fingers, but this one I need 5 fingers, wrist and a little bit of force from my elbow too.

I suppose the ride quality of the petrol Ecosport is a touch better than its diesel version. I've always found the Innova's ride pretty decent. So your AT Ecosport sounds a reasonably comfortable vehicle.

[dsunn]

Tragedy has struck me on the 4th day itself.

I went on a ride with my office colleagues today evening and everything went as expected. After about 15 odds kms, we were stuck in a traffic jam and I had to down-shift to 1st gear. But when I pressed the accelerator to pick-up speed, the car didn't accelerate and eventually stalled. I realized that the gear was in neutral. I again pushed the gear to 1st but it still came back to neutral position. It seemed that the gearbox was not able to hold the 1st gear. After multiple attempts, I gave up, manually pushed my car to the service lane and called road-side assistance.

The sight of my 4 day old "dream" car being towed away was dreadful.

[Thad E Ginathom]

Trying 2nd gear, with a more gentle clutch release might have saved you the trouble of pushing, but that is a small detail and wouldn't have been much consolation.

That's a dreadful experience. I hope this gets fixed very soon. Do please keep us all informed of the details. Ford A-S-S is on trial here.

[dsunn]

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

Trying 2nd gear, with a more gentle clutch release might have saved you the trouble of pushing, but that is a small detail and wouldn't have been much consolation.

That's a dreadful experience. I hope this gets fixed very soon. Do please keep us all informed of the details. Ford A-S-S is on trial here.

Tried that too. After the car stalled couple of times and I realized that the gearbox wasn't holding on to the 1st gear, I started the engine again and tried to pick up the car in 2nd gear with a mild clutch release... but again the engine stalled. There was also a mild burning smell. That's when I quickly shut the engine off and got off the car. Besides, I was on a busy highway and cars behind me were honking continuously. In those panic situations, one just wants to get out of traffic's way so as to avoid collision with incoming traffic. Thankfully, I was in third lane and we had to manually push the car for mere 5 meters or so to get into service lane.

The towing vehicle arrived in about 40 mins. I was expecting mechanic to come along, but there wasn't one.

I hope it is not a major manufacturing defect. Even if they resolve it qucikly, I will always have that fear in mind whenever I will take this car on long drive / out of city. After all, a car which develops a snag in 4th day cannot be a long-term reliable companion. Sigh.

[dsunn]

Originally Posted by dsunn

Tried that too. After the car stalled couple of times and I realized that the gearbox wasn't holding on to the 1st gear, I started the engine again and tried to pick up the car in 2nd gear with a mild clutch release... but again the engine stalled. There was also a mild burning smell. That's when I quickly shut the engine off and got off the car.

Well, I feel that it could be that the transmission fluid was low? The burning smell indicated the transmission system overheating due to low lubrication level. I doubt that there is a defect with transmission band or clutch.

Well, lets see what Ford ASS comes up with tomorrow. Btw, anyone got any clues on how one can check transmission fluid?

MOD: Please merge with previous comment.

[Thad E Ginathom]

Btw, anyone got any clues on how one can check transmission fluid?

Long, long ago in my little (it was the original model) AT Civic, the gearbox had its own dipstick. I had to use it to, as the car (very elderly when I got it) had a slow gearbox leak, and if the fluid dropped sufficiently there simply was no transmission through the hydraulic box.

Other than that, I have never known any means to check, nor necessity.

But your isn't an auto anyway?

[dsunn]

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

But your isn't an auto anyway?

Oops! Got it mixed up.

I'm afraid there might be a serious internal mechanical fault with the transmission system. No way the clutch, transmission mounts or bearings got worn out in 4 days.

This is so disappointing.

[wilful]

Originally Posted by dsunn

Oops! Got it mixed up.

I'm afraid there might be a serious internal mechanical fault with the transmission system. No way the clutch, transmission mounts or bearings got worn out in 4 days.

This is so disappointing.

Yes - this must have been so dismaying.
The only consolation is that they will have to rectify it without any cost to you.

[dsunn]

Got a call from service center... the gear cable bus got loose and the service adviser shrugged it off as a "minor incident" and assured that it won't happen again.

I'm going to the workshop and will see it first-hand and also take some pics. I'm still wondering what caused the burning smell... the service agent also didn't have an appropriate answer for that.

Any clues?

[dsunn]

Update 2:

The problem was related to gear cable shifter bus installation. The service center dropped off the car at my residence today late afternoon and I took the car for a spin. When I release the clutch pedal after gear shift, there is a mild 'tick' sound which wasn't there before. If I release the clutch suddenly, then the sound is more prominent. I hope this is not related to the burning smell. I will take the car back to the service center on Sunday.

[sidenzo]

Had my first puncture today. Have completed 16k kms. I have stock Goodyear tyres. As mentioned before in this thread that the sidewall is very delicate in these tyres, same happened with me. The puncture is on the sidewall only. Hope ford takes note of this and improves quality.

[autoenthusiast]

Noticed that a lot are installing seat covers in cars with side airbags. Though the after market covers might state they are airbag compatible, there are still lots of risks in installing them. If the airbag does not deploy properly due to the seat cover it can have disastrous consequences. Side airbag positions in the seats differ from manufacturer to manufacturer, it's not a very good idea to install seat covers on cars with side airbags and you need to consider other potential risks.

[bharathan]

Originally Posted by autoenthusiast

Noticed that a lot are installing seat covers in cars with side airbags. Though the after market covers might state they are airbag compatible, there are still lots of risks in installing them. If the airbag does not deploy properly due to the seat cover it can have disastrous consequences. Side airbag positions in the seats differ from manufacturer to manufacturer, it's not a very good idea to install seat covers on cars with side airbags and you need to consider other potential risks.

Seat Covers from Ford is ok, I think? You have to assume they tested it.