[ramzsys]

Done with a 1000+ km trip with the Ecosport tdci. Some observations:

FE ranged between 15.xx to 23.11 kmpl, depending on urban or 4 lane highway runs, speeds <100 kmph.

The fuel gauge needle shows fluctuations based on the slope of the parked vehicle.

Final drive ratio is small- reflects in the poor engine braking at lower gears. Have to do panic braking at the last moment, as this raised hatch masks high speed very well. But the low FRR helps in cruising at 60-70 kmph in 4th gear through our 2 lane highways(and getting good FE as well).

Braking is fantastic- there are moments when i spotted a speed breaker at cruising speeds just 60-65 meters away(thanks to the par-excellent road lighting from Ford ), but i managed to grind to a halt without breaking a sweat / disturbing passengers.

At another instant, i could spot a white dog standing at the center of the road- i had already reduced speed owing to glaring light from an oncoming truck- swerved and the dog got hit at the area below the right side fog lamp- got down to check it, no visible damage. I recollect that i had a leaking radiator in a similar incident years back in my Padmini 137D.

[autoenthusiast]

Originally Posted by bharathan

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

I don't think they would be from Ford, would be a ford dealer sourced option. I bet ford too wouldn't advise any kind of seat covers. Coming to the second point of whether they are tested, I'd seriously doubt that....

Check out the following URL, with the difficulty in sueing someone if something goes wrong, I doubt our seat cover makers would be too concerned about ensuring their seat covers won't adversely affect the airbag operation.

http://www.deploysafe.com.au/About_U...at_Covers.aspx

[Thad E Ginathom]

I doubt our seat cover makers would be too concerned about ensuring their seat covers won't adversely affect the airbag operation.

It would take expert design and proper testing, and the testing alone would waste quite a few expensive airbags*. Call my cynical, but it doesn't seem very likely to me.


*And maybe a vehicle or three!


~

[blacksport]

Originally Posted by autoenthusiast

I don't think they would be from Ford, would be a ford dealer sourced option. I bet ford too wouldn't advise any kind of seat covers. Coming to the second point of whether they are tested, I'd seriously doubt that....

Check out the following URL, with the difficulty in sueing someone if something goes wrong, I doubt our seat cover makers would be too concerned about ensuring their seat covers won't adversely affect the airbag operation.

http://www.deploysafe.com.au/About_U...at_Covers.aspx

Airbag compatible seat covers are available from a lot of car makers. One can be cynical about whether they are tested properly, but then, you can be cynical about almost anything, including the airbags themselves.

This seat covers they are selling looks like a genuine accessory, and has a part no. I called the dealer and checked. After trying to sell me third party covers, when I insisted that he look in the inventory for the particular part no, they confirmed that it exists, at 7100 per set plus 800 for fitting. Am going to check it out, and buy only if the airbag compatible tag is present on it.

[the13thtee]

Hello felllow BHPians and Ecosport enthusiasts,

It's been good 2-3 months that I've replaced the OEM bulbs with xtreme visions 55/60 Watt and DRLs. I'm posting some pictures of the same. There is an increase in output for sure and the DRLs seem reliable till now. The pictures of the DRLs are taken at different times so they may seem blue at times but they are white.

The only thing I'm worried about is the right positioning of the bulbs in the Headlamp, like right at the focus of the concave as I'm seeing very bright spots at some places and very dim spots at some points. Rechecked the clip that holds the bulb twice, looks good to me.

Any suggestions?

[sidenzo]

Originally Posted by the13thtee

Hello felllow BHPians and Ecosport enthusiasts,

It's been good 2-3 months that I've replaced the OEM bulbs with xtreme visions 55/60 Watt and DRLs. I'm posting some pictures of the same. There is an increase in output for sure and the DRLs seem reliable till now. The pictures of the DRLs are taken at different times so they may seem blue at times but they are white.

The only thing I'm worried about is the right positioning of the bulbs in the Headlamp, like right at the focus of the concave as I'm seeing very bright spots at some places and very dim spots at some points. Rechecked the clip that holds the bulb twice, looks good to me.

Any suggestions?

Hey they look amazing.
Can you share more details about the bulbs and the DRLs. I am looking for same upgrade as well.
Does the DRLs stay on when the car is switched on or you require to turn it on using light knob?

[blacksport]

Originally Posted by the13thtee

The only thing I'm worried about is the right positioning of the bulbs in the Headlamp, like right at the focus of the concave as I'm seeing very bright spots at some places and very dim spots at some points. Rechecked the clip that holds the bulb twice, looks good to me.

Any suggestions?

I can confirm that I have the same issue with osram nightbreaker unlimited. The illumination is not uniform and produces uneven bright and dark areas in the beam. I suspected it to be due to bad reflector design, but since the OEM beam looks ok, it has to be the bulbs. There is definitely a possibility that we bought fakes.

[sunilg33]

Originally Posted by the13thtee

The only thing I'm worried about is the right positioning of the bulbs in the Headlamp, like right at the focus of the concave as I'm seeing very bright spots at some places and very dim spots at some points. Rechecked the clip that holds the bulb twice, looks good to me.

Any suggestions?

Same here with the Extreme visions. The illumination is not uniform but manageable. But it makes a huge difference against the OEM bulbs for sure.

[Vid6639]

Yup same here. I have Osran night breaker in one side and Philips Xtreme Vision on the other side. Light output is much better than OEM but there are dark patches like the ones shown.

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

"One car, two worlds"



Checked out the Ecosport yesterday and this phrase struck me, similar to the tourism tagline for Karnataka (Was reading a thread related to it yesterday).



The front seats are just a lovely place to be in! The huge dashboard, nice seats - all give a very good feel about the car.



Talking of feel - the front door was a revelation! I went to the showroom complex in a Punto, took a Polo for a test drive and even after all this experience - the Ecosport front door felt like its made of a different sort of metal! Loved it!



The rear seats are horrible. I couldn't even place my feet on the ground thanks to a bar (footrest sort of!) on the front seat which interfered with the floor area. Neither was a able to place my feet on the bar (Would need to raise my knees high for comfort!), nor under it thanks to my preference for Woodland shoes. Also a strict 2 seater and surprisingly - even the rear door had a clanky sound to it compared to the front!

PS- Yet another sad showroom experience though. Ford sales guys don't learn, be it in kerala or Bangalore. :(

[Sebring]

My friend was giving his Escape for software upgrade/recall. While there, checked out the 'much hyped in India' Ecosport. Available only in automatic over here.

I concur the seats are hard and with all your observations. It is claustrophobic inside. Ford is lucky there is no competition for this car in India.


The rear seats are horrible. I couldn't even place my feet on the ground thanks to a bar (footrest sort of!) on the front seat which interfered with the floor area. Neither was a able to place my feet on the bar (Would need to raise my knees high for comfort!), nor under it thanks to my preference for Woodland shoes. Also a strict 2 seater and surprisingly - even the rear door had a clanky sound to it compared to the front!

[bharathan]

Originally Posted by Vid6639

Yup same here. I have Osran night breaker in one side and Philips Xtreme Vision on the other side. Light output is much better than OEM but there are dark patches like the ones shown.

Originally Posted by sunilg33

Same here with the Extreme visions. The illumination is not uniform but manageable. But it makes a huge difference against the OEM bulbs for sure.

Originally Posted by blacksport

I can confirm that I have the same issue with osram nightbreaker unlimited. The illumination is not uniform and produces uneven bright and dark areas in the beam. I suspected it to be due to bad reflector design, but since the OEM beam looks ok, it has to be the bulbs. There is definitely a possibility that we bought fakes.

Did anyone of you guys install a Projector. Of the limited research I have done, Night Breakers and Extreme Visions dont work well with reflectors and require a projector to get the right output (for the low beam)

[naveen.raju]

Originally Posted by bharathan

Did anyone of you guys install a Projector. Of the limited research I have done, Night Breakers and Extreme Visions dont work well with reflectors and require a projector to get the right output (for the low beam)

To attain the best visibility from a projector, you will need to use HID's. Halogen bulbs on a projector wont give the best results. I had used different combinations of lights in my Swift and I can say that Projectors+HIDs gives the best visibility output.

[the13thtee]

Originally Posted by sidenzo

Hey they look amazing.
Can you share more details about the bulbs and the DRLs. I am looking for same upgrade as well.
Does the DRLs stay on when the car is switched on or you require to turn it on using light knob?

The DRLs turn into indicators like the ones many BHPians have installed, got them installed from Gurgaon. The bulbs are of standard power so no need of relays. The parking nob is to be switched on for the DRLs to work. It is not connected directly to the ignition like the Audis and BMs.

Originally Posted by blacksport

I can confirm that I have the same issue with osram nightbreaker unlimited. The illumination is not uniform and produces uneven bright and dark areas in the beam. I suspected it to be due to bad reflector design, but since the OEM beam looks ok, it has to be the bulbs. There is definitely a possibility that we bought fakes.

I think that even if the bulb is placed properly into the socket, the filament of the xtreme vision from where the light is discharged is not at the exact focus of the reflector like the OEMs as the dimensions of this bulb are different and that is causing the problem, because the reflector is the same for both the bulbs, so there should be no dark spots. The point from where the light is discharged is what matters the most, even if the bulbs perfectly into the socket. The bulbs are 100% genuine. I traced the code on them and verified online.

Originally Posted by sunilg33

Same here with the Extreme visions. The illumination is not uniform but manageable. But it makes a huge difference against the OEM bulbs for sure.

Yes, the bright spots are very bright indeed.

[bharathan]

Originally Posted by naveen.raju

To attain the best visibility from a projector, you will need to use HID's. Halogen bulbs on a projector wont give the best results. I had used different combinations of lights in my Swift and I can say that Projectors+HIDs gives the best visibility output.

So if one decides to go for just the bulbs and not HIDs, is it better to go for a projector setup or just stick to the reflectors?