[hemant.kamat]

Drove my 1.0L Petrol Ecoboost 250 kms from Panaji to Kumta & back with a light foot on the accelerator, speed around 80 kmph, and AC set to 22 degrees. Highway FE: around 19 kmpl

One question though, someone had mentioned earlier in this thread that the ecosport accelerates slightly if the vehicle speed is too slow for a particular gear, to prevent the engine from stalling. This is proving to be troublesome when navigating speed breakers - the acceleration results in the ecosport going over the speed breakers with a thud, enough to cause slight discomfort to the rear passengers. Therefore, I navigate the speed breakers in neutral (5~10 kmph) and then shift to 2nd directly as the ecosport is still in motion. Will this affect the gearbox/engine?

[humyum]

Originally Posted by hemant.kamat

One question though, someone had mentioned earlier in this thread that the ecosport accelerates slightly if the vehicle speed is too slow for a particular gear, to prevent the engine from stalling. This is proving to be troublesome when navigating speed breakers - the acceleration results in the ecosport going over the speed breakers with a thud, enough to cause slight discomfort to the rear passengers. Therefore, I navigate the speed breakers in neutral (5~10 kmph) and then shift to 2nd directly as the ecosport is still in motion. Will this affect the gearbox/engine?

Why not use the clutch keeping it in 2nd anyway ? Why the neutral and all ?

I mean, 2nd gear, clutch and brake together, clutch release whenever you think you need power and viola done.

This phenomena of accelerating is because the ECU is preventing the engine from stalling. The push you get is higher in a diesel car than a petrol car if the ECU senses you are heading towards a stall.

[hemant.kamat]

Originally Posted by humyum

Why not use the clutch keeping it in 2nd anyway ? Why the neutral and all ?

I mean, 2nd gear, clutch and brake together, clutch release whenever you think you need power and viola done.

I use clutch only while shifting gears and avoid driving with clutch half-pressed, even in bumper to bumper traffic

Just to clarify my earlier question, will shifting to 2nd directly from neutral, engine running and ecosport moving at 5~10 kmph cause any engine/gearbox problems?

[Thad E Ginathom]

Originally Posted by humyum

Why not use the clutch keeping it in 2nd anyway ? Why the neutral and all ?

I mean, 2nd gear, clutch and brake together, clutch release whenever you think you need power and viola done.

This phenomena of accelerating is because the ECU is preventing the engine from stalling. The push you get is higher in a diesel car than a petrol car if the ECU senses you are heading towards a stall.

Maybe if I drove it I might find that I'm making a fuss about nothing, but, if I take my foot of the accelerator, it is because I want the car to go slower. Having the ECU countermand that is anything from weird to dangerous.

Originally Posted by hemant.kamat

I use clutch only while shifting gears and avoid driving with clutch half-pressed, even in bumper to bumper traffic

Riding the clutch wears it out.

Just to clarify my earlier question, will shifting to 2nd directly from neutral, engine running and ecosport moving at 5~10 kmph cause any engine/gearbox problems?

Not at all.

Although... I am against coasting at any speed

[humyum]

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

Maybe if I drove it I might find that I'm making a fuss about nothing, but, if I take my foot of the accelerator, it is because I want the car to go slower. Having the ECU countermand that is anything from weird to dangerous.

Yes, but that is because he is going over the speedbreaker in 2nd at 5-10 which must be below idle rpm speed and the ECU is just keeping the car going and hence the push. Also the push is such that it will come for a second and if you don't give any inputs on the accelerator, I ll run in 2nd gear at idle rpm @ whatever the speed is.

If this feature is not there, there will be lot of stalls for a lot of people. The push is not that great, maybe a 2 to 3 kilometer speed increase on its own, that's all.

Originally Posted by hemant.kamat

I use clutch only while shifting gears and avoid driving with clutch half-pressed, even in bumper to bumper traffic

Just to clarify my earlier question, will shifting to 2nd directly from neutral, engine running and ecosport moving at 5~10 kmph cause any engine/gearbox problems?

Not at all, but you are adding an additional step of clutching and de-clutching by this neutral thingy.

What I was saying was.

Whatever gear you are in, say 3rd before the speed breaker, you put it in 2nd with the clutch still pressed and the foot on the brake, while you are crossing it, you start releasing the clutch so that when the rear end is going over the speed breaker, the car does not completely stop due to lack of momentum of the rear part of the car over the speed breaker. This gives you more control as you have slowed down a lot for the speedbreaker, you just have to release the clutch.

By going from 3rd to neutral, release the clutch, then again rengage clutch, put it into 2nd, you are adding an additional step, it obviously won't cause any harm, but you will pain yourself with doing all this all the time for nothing as the way I mentioned will equally not cause any harm.

[arunphilip]

Due to two successive & extended illnesses, I had not used my EcoSport for 24 days.

I park my car in a well lit and clean area, so there's no risk of rats - even so, I did a quick check. Fortunately, no damage.

I was quite pleased to note that when I unlocked the car and fired up the engine, it all happened without any fuss or delay. I was half dreading facing a dead car, or a weak battery.

The only indication that I'd not driven it for a while was slight grinding from the disk brakes when applied. This lasted for about a km until the rust was scrubbed off.

[rajeev k]

Autocar UK has tested and has come out with a review of the updated Ecosport.

The interesting points worth noting are as under, (excerpts from the review)

The car seems a bit less precarious on its wheels, because of the chassis update of the 10 mm drop in ride height.
The updated one is firmly suspended, quite closely controlled over bumps, more directionally responsive and much more secure in its adhesion to the road.

The spare wheel is no more on the boot door.
We will now see many Ecosport owners in India removing their spare wheels to the boot.

[Thad E Ginathom]

10 mm drop in ride height.

I thought one the main purposes of this car was having real clearance to deal with real bumps and real holes? Is this cutting a main selling point?

[Sankar]

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

I thought one the main purposes of this car was having real clearance to deal with real bumps and real holes? Is this cutting a main selling point?

The GC will still be higher than hatches and sedans so its USP remains though a bit compromised. But if the 1cm drop in ride height helps to keep the vehicle more stable its good news.

[roy_libran]

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

I thought one the main purposes of this car was having real clearance to deal with real bumps and real holes? Is this cutting a main selling point?

Originally Posted by Sankar

But if the 1cm drop in ride height helps to keep the vehicle more stable its good news.

Is this a Country specific change or likely to be a world-wide one?

Due to the generally better state of roads in the UK, the 1 cm drop has more benefits than disadvantages, and hence improves the Ecosport's desirability factor.
However, owing to the state of roads in India, this would be perceived very differently, than in the UK, and would actually make the Ecosport rather undesirable. Right now, the High GC with the relatively short Wheelbase, makes the car tackle a lot of situations with ease.
Hope Ford takes this into account.
AWD would be a different matter altogether, and one Ford should fast-track!

[Vid6639]

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

I thought one the main purposes of this car was having real clearance to deal with real bumps and real holes? Is this cutting a main selling point?

Originally Posted by Sankar

The GC will still be higher than hatches and sedans so its USP remains though a bit compromised. But if the 1cm drop in ride height helps to keep the vehicle more stable its good news.

Also to note, the spare wheel is now below in the rear boot. This would have needed a redesign of the rear structure. The spare tyre cavity may have reduced the clearance at the rear. Although I think they just fixed the suspension.

For India the suspension is already rock hard. Not sure stiffening it further like in UK will come to India.

[wilful]

I'd been wanting to buy a trunk mat for my Ecosport for sometime now. Trouble was, the dealers would only sell it along with the set of 4 floor mats amounting to around Rs.4500/- (if I remember rightly). I only needed the boot mat and felt this was a mite too steep to shell out. Finally found a cheap option on Amazon - for Rs.663/-. Maybe of interest to those looking for just the trunk mat. (It does look a bit tacky and feels it too but since it is generally out of sight...)

http://www.amazon.in/dp/B00TB229F2/r..._tnp_emaildp_1

[the13thtee]

Hello fellow BHPians and Ecosport owners,

My 1.5 Petrol manual transmission Ecosport's 20,000 km service is due next week. How much cost can I expect considering that it's a paid service and no part needs replacement except the oil filter (as far as I know). Please throw some light over it.

And my car didn't get any ECU update, ever. So, should I talk about it with the SA? I bought the car in August 2013, the first petrol trim with manual transmission delivered through Harpreet Ford.

It's been a long time since I've been noticing a problem with the power to weight ratio of the car when on minor inclines or with fully loaded with passengers. When I try to accelerate from zero (while off-roading), in both cases the wheels tend to rotate at the same point and the car stays at the same point. It feels like I’m trying to do a wheel spin. The tyres are in great condition not that they’ve worn off or something, except they are MRFs.

I'm looking for good quality sun shades that get stuck on to the side doors (I guess with double sided tapes) and get hooked with the window so that they can be scrolled up and down along with a curtain for the boot glass. Any one from Delhi NCR installed these? Please share the pictures and details of the same.

Cheers !!!

[Turbo_asd]

Guys, I need some urgent help here.
The thick A pillars of the Ecosport have been a hot topic of discussion since the launch of the vehicle. I'm not sure if this issue has been blown out of proportion, but I have even read that the A pillar has the ability to block a motorbike from view! In heavy traffic in our city, this seems like an accident waiting to happen. Hence we considered that a deal breaker and put our purchase on hold.

I just want to know whether the A pillar is really a deal breaker I have come to think of it as, or just an irritant in the early stages of ownership. Some say "you'll get used to it with time" , but I am at loss as to how a thick pillar can be less of an issue with the passing of time. If it isn't that, how do I prevent it from being detrimental to safety?

I hope it turns out to be a less worrisome problem than what I perceive, because I'd really love re think our decision. It's just that the Ecosport is so hard to resist!

Your help is truly appreciated.

[rajeev k]

All A Pillars do make a certain amount of blind spot. I have experienced much bigger blind spot than in Ecosport in a Santro. The big ORVM of Santro coupled with a rain guard literally makes a blind spot of dangerous proportions.
Ecosport is not at all dangerous in this aspect for sure.