Team-BHP - Ford EcoSport : Official Review

On comparing Trend with Titanium variant one can list down a host of features missing from Trend. Now with the list of accessories available, it seems the gap in features between the 2 variants can be minimized.

Following are some of the features available in Titanium but not in Trend:

Front Fog Lamps INR 5999
15" Alloy Wheel Kit INR 25027
Reverse Parking Sensor INR 3176
Roof Rails INR 10005
Chrome Front Grill INR 2764

Total : INR 46971

However, despite spending INR 47K, Titanium will continue to remain feature rich.

Following are the features you can't install as an accessory in Trend:

Smart Keyless Entry
Airbags (Driver and Passenger)
Front Courtesy Lights with Two Map Reading Lamps
Auto A/C
Cooled Glove Box
Fuel Computer - Displayed in Cluster showing (Econometer, Distance to Empty, Avg. Fuel Economy, Avg. Speed, Configurable Speed Alarm and Outside Temperature)
Driver Window One Touch Up& Down
Push Button Start
CD/MP3 Player
3.5" MFD Screen
SYNC (Emergency Assist & other voice features)
16" Wheel
Leather Wrapped Steering Wheel
Leather Wrapped MT Gear Shifter Knob
Driver Seat Armrest
Driver Adjustable Lumbar Support
Sunglass Holder
12V Power Point - Rear

With this I wonder if Titanium will be priced INR 1.5 Lacs above Trend. If the gap ends up being INR 75K then Titanium will be a steal.

Quote:

Originally Posted by suhaas307 (Post 3150478)

I just noticed something in the Accessories list above. In the second picture, I see No. 6 'Protection Pack' which includes 'engine guard'. You also get it separately for 3k

So Ford is going to charge us around 10 lakhs for a car and then ask us to shell out an additional 12k if I feel that my car's engine and spare wheel requires protection. :Frustrati

And looking at that long list of optional equipment, I won't be surprised if my 'dream' EcoSport would tickle the Duster 110 RxL (o)'s OTR price-tag.

Maybe you should look at it in a positive way. Ford might price it low because of this, though not certain. Also, say some of them came factory fitted. Ford will have to increase the price. So that means your OTR price also increases significantly. By making it an accessory you will save on road-tax and insurance (might be a minor saving but still a saving). Hopefully all these will make the Ecosport pricing less than 10L in Bangalore which will save a significant amount in taxes.

Completely, OT, but my name is also Suhas, but with a single a :).

I went to Elite Ford today and talked to one of their representatives. She had absolutely no knowledge of what the engine variants are. Seemed a little strange considering that all the fanfare surrounding the car is because of the Ecoboost engine and what it can do despite its size. Least you would expect is that Ford would have coached them some catch phrases about the Ecoboost technology. No demo car, no test drive, no idea about the price, no idea about the launch date and yet they have bookings in triple digits. I for one am not going to book a car without even knowing the price.

I left the showroom thoroughly disappointed that I was none the wiser for braving the Bangalore traffic and visiting the showroom.

Quote:

Originally Posted by zteg (Post 3150445)

Attaching here is the list of accessories received from the dealer. He just received it in the morning and he had no clue what certain items were. The prices mentioned are Delhi MRP and he said Bangalore prices will be a bit more than what is mentioned.

It mentions Vinyl cover for Titanium* trim too, does that mean FORD is offering cover for Air-Bag equipped seats? How is that?

Can someone put light on this?

BTW, Spare wheel is little expensive but if we consider the dealer margins, everyone can try getting a good deal from the dealers at a one on one level.

I'm surely gonna push my dealer to atleast give me the spare wheel cover for free for being part of the first buyers if nothing else!

Quote:

Originally Posted by jayded (Post 3150482)

It'll look nice only if the tyre is new and polished. Once the spare is mounted back after it's done some kms and is dusty, it's not going to be a good sight. The cover will give it a nice clean look. :-)

Very valid point. Thank you for your insight. agree:

Quote:

Originally Posted by anumod (Post 3150484)

Plus customers are getting an advantage of Insurance and road tax to be paid less.

Quote:

Originally Posted by shivasuma (Post 3150501)

By making it an accessory you will save on road-tax and insurance (might be a minor saving but still a saving).

If the accessories are not covered by the insurance premium, I guess one cannot make an insurance claim for these accessories. Is this a good idea?

If you add an expensive ICE (in-car-entertainment/ music system) for example, would you declare that in your insurance premium payment papers and pay the additional premium for it so that a claim can be made in the unfortunate event of a theft etc?

Quote:

Originally Posted by sharninder (Post 3150102)

The only good thing that has come out of this delay, for me personally, is that I've started looking at other cars too. The Ecosport seems like a very nice package overall, but there are others in the same league and with more responsive manufacturer and dealers.

Much as I would like to do what you are doing (looking at other cars) with all the delay surrounding the launch, I am not able to find others in the same league. :Frustrati Would be happy to know what other similar cars are on your mind.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Murugan (Post 3150683)

If you add an expensive ICE (in-car-entertainment/ music system) for example, would you declare that in your insurance premium payment papers and pay the additional premium for it so that a claim can be made in the unfortunate event of a theft etc?

Much as I would like to do what you are doing (looking at other cars) with all the delay surrounding the launch, I am not able to find others in the same league. :Frustrati Would be happy to know what other similar cars are on your mind.

If I were you I would certainly declare, pay additional differential premium and insure any expensive accessories in the car.

Ref similar vehicles to Ford EcoSport, simple answer; there aren't any! Hence if you want it, you will have to wait for it. Again, if I were you, I would wait because the vehicle is worth it.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Murugan (Post 3150683)

I agree there really isn't another choice in this segment. Which is why I'm looking at other segments too like I told you in the Duster thread earlier.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Vid6639 (Post 3150459)

Were the windows in the doors rolled up all the way? If the window is a little down, it sounds really rattly. The same is seen in my Figo and Altis. The doors in the EcoSport are pretty heavy and felt well built.

Audio quality depends a lot on the settings. Initially we were disappointed by it but after we played around with the setting there was a sea of difference in the audio quality and thump.

Yes, windows were rolled up. The sound wasnt all that bad when compared to VW/Fabia. But expected something similar to Honda.
As you mentioned, the audio settings might be set at a base level so sounded bad. I was quite happy with the OE stereo in my Fiesta and Ikon.

Quote:

Originally Posted by damager21 (Post 3150492)

On comparing Trend with Titanium variant one can list down a host of features missing

With this I wonder if Titanium will be priced INR 1.5 Lacs above Trend. If the gap ends up being INR 75K then Titanium will be a steal.

Take the case of Yeti. There was a 1.5 lac price diff between the Ambiente and Elegance at launch. The Elegance gave so much more for that 1.5 lacs that from amongst the few that bought the Yeti, everyone ended up buying the Elegance on account of the low price differential and ultimately the Ambiente did not sell very well. That is why they had to further de-spec the Ambiente and increase the price differential to a larger degree!

If I were now in the market, I would push for and buy the top spec EcoSport Petrol EcoBoost Titanium provided it comes super specced. Else the AT if that is the real super spec. Would not even bother with the second level.

Here is the data I could collect from my visit yesterday to the Ford Showroom in Bangalore.
1) Ecoboost is sold out for the rest of the year apparently. They had a limited quota due to nonavailability of the engine. I suppose Ford is having a tough keeping up with demand from other markets.
2) Limited color variants ! I was quite surprised by this. He gave me 2 color options for Trend and four for ambiente, The red one being the common one and Black totally missing. I was enquiring about the 1.5L petrol, perhaps other variants may have the colors available.
3) The launch will happen on 20th/21st this month ,cars are presently in their secret underground hideout (just kidding, they are there in their stock yard apparently, waiting for the launch.)
4) While the dealer was extremely reluctant to say a price, he did eventually indicate that the car price will be 5.99lakhs ex-showroom delhi for the ambiente. Upon further probing, he told that I should be able to get my hands on the petrol Trend model for about 8lakhs on-road.

Quote:

Originally Posted by sup? (Post 3150526)

Perhaps acting dumb about the car to prevent further questions? ;)
On a serious note, that's super weird, the folks at Metro Ford seemed very pleasant and knowledgeable (and quite candid) about the car!

Quote:

Originally Posted by rlvl (Post 3150865)

Here is the data I could collect from my visit yesterday to the Ford Showroom
2) Limited color variants ! I was quite surprised by this. He gave me 2 color options for Trend and four for ambiente, The red one being the common one and Black totally on-road.

Thanks for the post, can you please tell me which dealer did you talk to?

Quote:

Originally Posted by rlvl (Post 3150865)

Sold out? And the prices are not yet out. In India only AT buyers look for petrol and for that also we are getting 1.5

So either ford is not planning to launch ecoboost in India or its just a hype

Quote:

Originally Posted by rajshenoy (Post 3150952)

Sold out? And the prices are not yet out. In India only AT buyers look for petrol and for that also we are getting 1.5

Ford is definitely launching it. The dealer told that he had taken 30 odd bookings

[quote= So either ford is not planning to launch ecoboost in India or its just a hype[/QUOTE]

agree: It's crazy that the car is getting sold out even before it's actual launch!

Quote:

Originally Posted by rlvl (Post 3150865)

it is just a marketing gimmick.This same situation i have faced when i was interested in buying the fiesta when it was launched but the price turned me away.The sales guy had said during the launch of fiesta that we have achieved our targets for the current year for diesel fiesta,we can give you only petrol.And after a week or so they kept calling me continuously to buy the diesel car with immediate delivery as the pricing ruined the product.The sales guy are just creating hype about the vehicle being sold out,put hard cash on the table and speak directly to the senior in charge and you will get what you want.Sales guys are just interested in talking big and nothing else