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Not sure what was the reason for this change but it certainly doesnt seem to be for the better. I see 2 main issues with it.

First is ofcourse the image angle. One of the main things going for its mini SUV image was that outside wheel which now becomes more a high hatch kind of look

Secondly where will the spare go now? Hope its not in the boot given the small boot area the car already has.

In my opinion the tail mounted spare really adds to the character of the Ecosport. I am not a fan of this new look. Happy that Wifey's car got delivered in Sep and with the tail mounted spare. clap:

Folks, I have a strong feeling the vehicle spotted above is not for India market and they will be an export variant, Europe in particular because a spare wheel is not mandatory as per European homologation requirement. It sounded strange for me when I first heard about this regulation.
Cheers!

Just saw this variant of the Ecosport on the Top Gear site. It made its appearance at the Sao Paulo show.
The Ecosport Storm!!:)
http://www.topgear.com/uk/car-news/f...ept-2014-11-03

Wonder how it would do if it were to make an appearance here.

A question to all Ford Ecosport owners Titanium & Plus, Can you kindly let me know if you are able to play music with .flac extensions on the Ecosport ICE. I find the .flac format way too good and superior to even mp3 or 4 @ 320kbps in terms of quality.

That's quite an interesting line of thought. Moreover, its not just regulatory, market tastes in Europe/UK are also against a tail-mounted spare:

Quote:

Upright, narrow SUVs with tailgate-mounted spare wheels might have been the height of sophistication in the Eighties, complete with spare wheel covers adorned with a pair of Rhinos doing the unspeakable, but since then SUVs have moved on. So despite its urban warrior grille, Ford's narrow, upright EcoSport with its rear-mounted spare looks antediluvian. Ford's defence is that some markets love this rough-and-ready image, but not, one suspects, the UK. Source: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/motoring/...rt-Review.html

Quote:

There’s nowhere to go with a baby crossover other than up, so it was inevitable that the EcoSport would be short and tall, but the bluff front end – splattered in lip gloss and shaped like a dust mask – is a feature that might take a lifetime to grow on you. Likewise, the side-opening rear door and the covered spare wheel attached to it. Source: http://www.autocar.co.uk/car-review/...cosport/design

Quote:

One feature that’s likely to grate with UK buyers is the spare wheel mounted on the side-hinged tailgate – a feature reminiscent of an early nineties Suzuki Vitara. Ford was keen to point out that it can be removed, but that leaves the question, why not just fit a standard tailgate in the first place? Source: http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/ford/ec...d-ecosport-20l

I'm on the look out for a new hatch. Having already owned & disposed Getz, Ritz(K12) & recently acquired VW Vento Diesel Highline., was on the lookout for a new hatch.TD Polo(only the 1.2 mpi) available, Ford Figo(1.4 d), elite i20(p), zest(p) and etios cross(1.4 d & 1.2 p). Initial plan for a hatchback but got mixed up somewhere.

1st up the hatches:

Always loved the Jazz, eagerly waiting for its March,2015 launch. Thought I'd try the VW sibling.

Initially having driven and confident of the VW brand I knew it WS the polo I wanted. Was ready to book the 1.2 mpi high line without TD until the realization dawned that I should somehow take a TD for other brands to best gauge the car I'd settle for the next 5-7 years.

TD the facelifted VW Polo 1.2- Just about okay, not fun. All other areas intact as Vento. Good handling and comfy ride.

Next, had received positive inputs about figo diesel so TD that as well.- don't like it.

Called in for Fiat Pinto Evo but alas Tata Motors, Siliguri no longer supported Fiat but they informed about their Zest. TD that(petrol). Honestly, not bad all with the 3 driving modes and updated interior.

Two of my friends suggested TDing the Etios Cross, did that. Okay motor. The vehicles as a package was the favourite so far by my wife and the entire family. Almost going to book it.

Now here's the part:
Since cross is a crossover, I imagined its worth a try checking eco sport as wheel. Called the previous sales exec who helped arrange TD of Figo. He seemed totally us interested. Kept my cool and enquired about the prices. He politely answers. Checked which banks they're tied up with, they ask which one I want, I state SBI. Asked for the loan execs ph no and he reads my no back to me. I ask "are you not interested in selling g me the car?". He says "not interested".

I found the incident strange and the response appalling. Is that what customers are bound to get for having turned down one of their cars(figo). Is it a norm and I'm just over reacting or I oughta teach this bugger a lesson? Inputs!!!:deadhorse

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Wow, that was downright rude! I suspect he thought you were just trying out cars without being serious, based on the Figo experience - which is plainly a dumb attitude to have, because any buyer will buy only one car from his short-list (or not-so-short list!)

Was this in Bangalore? If so, write to the dealership and tell them you're going to another dealer solely due to the sales exec's behaviour. And a copy to Ford India's corporate ID, coupled with a copy on Twitter/FB.

Name 'em and shame 'em. Following which, the best way to improve their behaviour is to vote with your wallet.

I don’t need a large car/SUV/MUV now that my wife and I are gradually experiencing the empty nest syndrome. I am past the age/mindset where speed/torque/performance thrills.

So what is it that I am looking for?

These were my thoughts when I was mulling over a change in vehicles, some months ago. I had been a Honda City loyalist since April 2003, experiencing the first three generations of that car. My shift to automatics was facilitated in 2006 thanks to the City offering it at a price point I was prepared to pay.
I assessed my desires and needs. I needed an automatic for sure. Since my house is at the end of a (narrow) cul-de-sac, I could not go in for a large car and as I stated earlier, I do not need one now anyway. Over the past several months, with the worsening of roads in Cochin in the form of craters with jagged teeth and yawning chasms, the City had been taking hits on its belly, careful as I was, when travelling with four occupants. I was clear in my mind therefore that my next vehicle should have decent ground clearance. We do the occasional trips out of town – to temples around Kerala mainly – and some of the roads are not too good. Also, over the past several months I have been acutely aware of the tinny feel of the City that I owned – a feel enhanced when you shut the doors. Despite the presence of front airbags and abs, the feeling of disquiet grew gradually – several Team-Bhp posts dwelling on safety issues, sheet metal thickness or the lack of it on some of the popular models probably contributed to this state of disenchantment. I started my search for a new vehicle based on these thoughts.

My priorities, to sum up, were safety, comfort, robust build, decent ground clearance and reliability. The vehicle had to be a petrol automatic, equipped with at least 2 airbags (or more) and other safety features like abs (and more), which could seat up to 4 passengers in fair comfort and a mid sized boot. My budget was 10 lacs (plus minus 50 K). Sedans like Vento and Rapid with the impressive DSG (I did get to test drive a Vento TSI) were out because of clearance and reliability concerns. I wasn’t enthused by hatches like the Punto, the Etios Cross etc. Duster and Terrano were not looked at because they did not have an automatic version and with those bulging wheel arches, a bit too wide for me.
That left just the Ecosport Petrol AT. Perfect for my needs and desires; just brimming with kit that I lusted for. With those 6 airbags and all the other safety stuff and the looks, it was just what the doctor ordered. Trouble was, Ford wouldn’t play ball. It just wasn’t available. The stories going around was that they were losing money on this AT version when sold locally. They were focussing on exports. They were selling limited numbers of the AT version, restricting them to the metros and so on. As early as May this year, I started badgering the local dealerships but it was no dice. I had a couple of test drives on the top diesel variant which the dealers were more than willing to deliver quickly but no petrol AT. As the weeks and months went by, I started getting a bit frustrated.
Around mid August my plea for a booking was answered but I was told that delivery would take some time. Time went on again and I kept making calls just to keep my case fresh in their memory.
Finally at the end of October, I got a call from the dealership saying that my vehicle was on the way.

I took delivery on the 5th of November. I have done just around 460 kms. Made a Guruvayur trip over the weekend (220 kms).

Ok – here are my initial impressions.
I am enjoying the high seating position and the heft vis a vis my erstwhile City.
It is heavier and hence I feel better driving at higher speeds although I must confess I have not gone beyond 90 kmph.
The high GC gives me greater confidence to negotiate bad roads. It has many more features compared to my earlier car – 6 airbags and traction control, climate control, SYNC, spare wheel alloy etc – and all these within my budget.
It is too early to talk about FE but as far as I can gather, it seems to be giving the same kind of numbers as the City i.e. 13 to 14 on the highway and around 8 in town.
I really love the music system – it is much superior to the one in my previous car.
The dimensions are pretty much spot on for my requirements.

Things or extras that I would have liked having –

Electronically foldable ORVMs.
Rear Disc Brakes

Nitpicks –

Not many for the moment anyhow.

Maybe a better armrest would be welcome.:)

Posting a few pics (not too many since I am a poor photographer and in any case there are much better ones in this thread). The last 2 pics are of a new wheel spanner that I bought since I am not enthused by the stock spanner which looks pretty fragile. The new one is telescopic and is supposed to be pretty handy at loosening particularly tight nuts.

Thank you for this info and the nice write-up :thumbs up. My dad's considering an EcoSport and I'm keen for him to get the AT for the very same benefits you've outlined. Could you please share a little more information around what you did to get the booking done?

Auto-folding ORVMs - I agree, I truly miss this, and is the only obvious bit of gadgetry Ford seem to have missed out on while speccing out the EcoSport. Presumably Ford are saving this for the midlife facelift.

Rear disc brakes - Have you actually felt the need for stronger braking, or is it just the feel-good aspect of having discs all around? I've done occasional hard braking, and didn't find the need for better braking at the rear, especially with the weight transfer towards the front.

Sales advisors are getting better incentives on figo, since it is not selling well.

I had a similar experience when I showed interest in ecosport after finalizing a deal on the figo. I had to change my SA to even make a booking for the ecosport !

There are two other designs which were showcased. See my earlier post here:

Now the Ford Ecosport Sedan has been announced. Has great looks IMO:



See the IndiaAutoBlogs news article:
http://indianautosblog.com/2014/11/2...t-china-156379

Actually I had a stroke of luck.:) Apparently they accepted just a handful of bookings for the AT (4 I think) during the time they took mine - it coincided with that extra shift at the factory possibly. My persistent enquiries paid dividends. At the moment I understand they are not taking AT bookings but you could check out.
Regarding disc brakes, it's just that the pros outweigh the cons - esp in a place like Kerala with an extended rainy season.

It is the Ford Escort sedan (not Ecosport), made for the China market.

The last 2 pics are of a new wheel spanner that I bought since I am not enthused by the stock spanner which looks pretty fragile. The new one is telescopic and is supposed to be pretty handy at loosening particularly tight nuts.[/quote]

Where did you get the spanner from?
How much did it cost?
I was also planning to buy one