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.