[SoundManiac]

Here goes the first pre-booking cancellation - Almost!

Had a TD of the car @ a dealership in Hyd yesterday and was underwhelmed :(

Would be difficult to list out actual reasons / logic as for me its more a matter of feel/gut/heart...Its about how I feel while driving or sitting in the car.

After the TD I got back into my i20 and felt a big sense of relief and relaxation! Why?

Ecosport felt constricted for space - dare I say - Claustrophobic! I have not compared the exact dimensions and for all I know it could be having more space inside than many other cars (certainly more than an i20) but the feel I got was highly suffocating.

The raised dashboard reducing the size of the windshield, the high window panels reducing the external light, dark interiors, curves on the door, bigger driver seats etc all created a constricted feeling....

Its the kind of feel one gets in a Beat (especially on the rear seats) or in a new fiesta - that of lack of 'breathing' space!

Couldn't help but get a similar feeling in an ecosport...hence, in the end I just wanted to cancel it - whatever the price.

However, just held myself back to give it another shot and take the opinion of my family...

Lets see what they feel and what I finally decide...

The post is purely about my personal opinion - no offence to any who might have liked/loved the car.

Cheers!

[thiagust]

Went today to mpl Ford Chennai to collect my pre-booking cancellation cheque. There were hardly a few people looking at the vehicle. I still remember how the capital Honda showroom in meenambakkam looked during the amaze launch, full of people jostling for space and waiting for TD.

[rlvl]

Went to Metro Ford, saw the car... Saw one in white,gray and orange/red.
The experience was a mixed one. The new Fiesta was placed next to ecosport and I ended comparing them. The first thing that came to mind when I peeped inside the window. "That read seat looks real cramped." And it was. Should you try accommodating a third person in there, he will not be happy.
Then I decided that I couldn't care less about the folks behind and decided to move the front ones. Here, I was not disappointed. Everything felt well put , the doors felt solid, the steering wheel feels good in the hand(I did not like the placement of the horn though)
Moving right to the back, the bootspace is fine , nothing amazing, nothing bad either.
And then I sat in the new Fiesta, and I was even more impressed. It just felt so right! The rear seat is just as hopeless as the Ecosport, but the boot... My God, it's huge! The overall build I felt was a small-tiny notch behind the ecosport (or maybe that was the age showing).
The price expectation from the dealer seems to have gone up a neat 50k more that before. That's what happens I suppose given all the hype and pre-bookings.
26th will be the D-day for me . Will it be the ecosport or .. wait for a new car is left to Ford's pricing.

[sunilg33]

Originally Posted by SoundManiac

The raised dashboard reducing the size of the windshield, the high window panels reducing the external light, dark interiors, curves on the door, bigger driver seats etc all created a constricted feeling....

Its the kind of feel one gets in a Beat (especially on the rear seats) or in a new fiesta - that of lack of 'breathing' space!

I completely agree. It's too dark in the back. High window panels make it very difficult. Even though a lot of us love black coloured interior, this car desperately needs some light inside.

[Nilesh5417]

Yep. I agree too that back is spacious but dark and dull. Going to get beige seat covers with red inserts to liven it up.

I'm begining to sense a trend that those owning newer gen cars such as I20 with similar levels of features, space, fit and finish will not be much impressed. Ground clearance isn't considered a feature yet.
But the likes of me who will move in from previous gen or not so well equipped (by current standards) cars such as Getz, Palio etc will be excited. The OTR will truly be a deal breaker for most in the first category. For the likes of me, a few thousand give or take is ok.

[Firebird]

Guys, the official TD has started. I was the First lucky to get the TD without registering. Did that in Mumbai. That was Ecoboost version.

It was a good drive. It's fun above 1500 rpm and meaty torque.

I booked TITANIUM Automatic with 50k DP. The delivery starts on 26th. Not sure when I will get as there is long queue. The good thing is, not many waiting for Auto version so I might get it early.

This was a twist in story as had gone to book Fiesta and the TD Vehicle arrived in time. Hence got TD of Fiesta auto and Ecoboost back to back.

Now the killing wait will start.

[damager21]

Originally Posted by Firebird

Guys, the official TD has started. I was the First lucky to get the TD without registering. Did that in Mumbai. That was Ecoboost version.

It was a good drive. It's fun above 1500 rpm and meaty torque.

I booked TITANIUM Automatic with 50k DP. The delivery starts on 26th. Not sure when I will get as there is long queue. The good thing is, not many waiting for Auto version so I might get it early.

This was a twist in story as had gone to book Fiesta and the TD Vehicle arrived in time. Hence got TD of Fiesta auto and Ecoboost back to back.

Now the killing wait will start.

Which dealer did you go to in Mumbai and which location? Also has the demo car arrived in showroom?

[PrideRed]

Originally Posted by Nilesh5417

Yep. I agree too that back is spacious but dark and dull. Going to get beige seat covers with red inserts to liven it up.

I'm begining to sense a trend that those owning newer gen cars such as I20 with similar levels of features, space, fit and finish will not be much impressed. Ground clearance isn't considered a feature yet.
But the likes of me who will move in from previous gen or not so well equipped (by current standards) cars such as Getz, Palio etc will be excited. The OTR will truly be a deal breaker for most in the first category. For the likes of me, a few thousand give or take is ok.

The regular titanium comes with biege'ish seats and beige inserts in black dash and door pads.You might want to check that.
I think feature and size wise many will not find it an upgrade from i20,polo..But its a definitely in a different league when it comes to drive,rear seat comfort.

[coolboy007]

Just returned from Delhi Ford and had a brief test drive of the Ecoboost Titanium (O), i was not too impressed with the engine with 4 people inside and ac on full blast and that may be because i am used to driving Vento Tdi and that engine is in a league of its own (not comparing both cars as they cater to different segments).

The ACC is an absolute chiller, while going to the showroom in our car the ac was struggling to keep up in this 45 degrees heat but the Ecosport chilled the cabin in no time, not too impressed with the engine as there is some amount of turbolag till 1500-1600 and its very linear. The steering is good, a notch lower than my Linea but better than Vento, the ride up front was good, handling is stupendous, i was at 100+ but literally yawning, visibility all around was average, the gizmos and gadgets are good and all the buttons exude quality especially the power window switches.

The audio system in one word is awesome , wanted to test drive the diesel as am interested in it but the wait time for it was 1.5 hours so i just TD the ecoboost, will wait for 26th and pricing now and book the Diesel Titanium same day.

Waiting time quoted for diesel is max 90 days, Ecoboost and automatic variants could take upto 4-6 months is what am told.
Of special mention is the diesel's NVH, hit the push button start and its very very quiet, leagues ahead of Vento TDi.

[Firebird]

I was at AVK FORD. The TD has started.

The car was all black interior. It was Ecoboost.

[ghodlur]

Saw 4 EcoSports on the Thane roads today but none of them had any TD vehicle sticker on them. These must be for the deliveries which would be starting on 26th June (as reported by Firebird). The vehicle looks very much in the same size as Duster and if Ford prices them well, then Duster sales would be surely affected. However wasnt too pleased with rear lamp cluster look. Also what thelamps on the rear bumper for? Are these fog lamps/reverse lamps?

[sridhu]

Driving from Neyveli to Madras saw a yellow coloured Ecosport just zip by. He was easily doing 140 -150 kph . Pity he was weaving & generally being a pest.

The car can Certainly move !

[djay99]

Had been to Lathangi Ford, JP Nagar today. A blue ecosport TDCi was on display. It looked good, solid built and had a macho kind of look. Interior quality was decent and i felt interior space on a lower side. Probably my expectations were high.
Also i felt driver/passenger seats were smaller when compared to my Getz. Some how did not like the car and came back without a TD as i had to wait for over an hour. Was planning for 1.5 AT but dealer quoted 4 to 6 months waiting period. Now everything depends on pricing.

[Srinivas C]

I did a TD of the diesel Titanium(o)yesterday. Here are my feelings as a layman.
I have been driving a Wagon R for last 10 years and DZire (old model) on and off. Did a TD of Duster some time ago and drove it again a few days ago to help me ‘compare’ with the Ecosport.
Went for the TD with a lot of excitement that turned into disappointment as soon as I sat in the car. The first feeling was the car is too dark inside and is claustrophobic because of
1) The huge black dashboard that rises up and inwards towards the driver.
2) The black/dark seats and side panels
3) A general feeling of being cramped in the front.

Seat position: I did not get the same ‘seated high’ feel of the duster. It was like sitting in the DZire. The guys raised the seat even as I sat on it ( 85 Kg). At the highest point my head hit the roof but the height now felt good. Lowered the seat so my head was 4 inches below the roof.

Engine Noise: The car started and there was no sound. Only after revving do you get the sound inside.

Steering: The steering was really light. I am used to the wagon R steering but this was much too lighter. I drive with right hand on the steering at 3 or 4 o clock, left hand on the gear knob and right elbow on the side arm rest. But in the ecosport the normal movement of my arm due to the road undulations moved the steering. Maybe good for me ..I’ll learn to drive the correct way with both hands on the steering ! Also it seemed as if the car was pulling to the right. Don’t know if it was because of the road or car needs wheel alignment.

Pick-up: Felt similar to the Dzire incl the lag. It was a bit tough in peak traffic with stop and go movement every 10 feet since I am used to a petrol car. I had no problems in weaving thru the traffic ( I was TDing right !) like the typical Hyderabadi biker and the car maneuvers with great ease. A U turn was effortless. On empty stretches the car really moves to 90 without strain or noise.

Brakes are fabulous and the car did not swing/roll on sudden braking.

Instruments are difficult to read maybe because they seem placed too far inside, are roundish and blue coloured letters. I am used to glancing thru the steering of my wagon R , but here it is difficult. Must be intentional to make people learn not to look anywhere except the road.

The ‘A’ pillar is wider but I am used to it in the wagon r and have learned to raise my head and ‘see’ thru the front when taking right turns. Front , left side and rear visibility was normal to me.

The front seat has a lot of forward/backward travel. I am used to driving with the seat pushed a little far and here there was a lot more to go. ( I am 5’ 10’’). The seat was OK but not as comfy as the DZire. It seemed to be less wide and flat. This kind of seat is good for heavy traffic driving but not for empty highways.

The ‘horn’ is not positioned for easy use but then I rarely use it. The indicators on the left will take some time and those who drive like me with one hand on the steering, will find it a pain because you can’t flick the indicator with a finger.

The rear seats in their farthest recline are very comfortable. The smaller part of the rear seat can be adjusted from inside by a lever on the side. The larger part cannot be adjusted from inside, but it can be pushed to adjust its recline from the boot side. Not sure if it will stay there once someone sits and leans back. The rear leg space is very good. One of the best I have seen. Here the ES is far ahead of the duster.

I then went for a drive sitting in the rear. Except the terrible rash driving of the dealer’s driver, it was a great drive. It was absolutely comfortable in seating feel, driving feel, suspension, view etc. I can be driven for hours without getting tired in this car.
The suspension is not as great as a punto/D Zire. The bumps travel to the seat quite often, though not to the steering. I drove on a few raised pieces of road and the car jerked up and down. Never felt that in the Dzire though my wagon R would have jumped one foot up.

All in all it was an OK feel and I went home without pre booking and decided to do a TD of the Linea ( Thanks to all the review and feedback on this forum).

Late evening went with wife and kid for the Linea TD and on the way pointed out the ecosport showroom. They wanted to do a TD again, so went there. Car was parked for the night and no TD. So they just sat in the back seat and my wife tells me “ This is far better than the duster. Let’s buy it”. I mumble cramped feeling, dark seats, dark dash, beautiful Linea etc. She says dark seats are better to maintain, dark dash looks impressive, rear seating is fab, white car looks stunning , (I hear the words Audi, CRV, White …..). Linea plans dropped. ES Titanium prebooked .

They are expecting the Ecoboost to be priced at same level as Diesel Titanium (O). People were grumbling about having to pay without knowing the price.
Ford burnt their fingers big time once. They would have learned their lesson about customers in India. That’s why the diesel ES supply is almost 80% as per dealer. So if Ford needs to stay in India the Titanium Diesel has to be 10.3 on road.

[esma1981]

Ecosport vs Rivals on Ndtv Car and Bike Show. I should say very inconclusive, but at least they have compared it with the segment it belongs i.e. Premium Hatch.

http://www.ndtv.com/video/player/the...35?vod-related