Team-BHP - Ford EcoSport : Official Review

Had been to Cauvery Ford near Binny Mill to take a TD of the Ford Ecopsort Titanium Tdci. I was made to wait for an hour for a 10 min TD, so thumbs down to this dealer!

To sum up the experience in one word, it was strictly satisfactory. The positives first:

Very Linear Power Delivery
Clutch has less travel than on my Polo Diesel
Superbly refined engine,remains very silent at idle and upto 3k rpm
Steering is more or less similar to the Polo,albeit its more "light"
Brilliant drivability within the city, I had to shift to 1st only when I came to a complete halt. Car didnt struggle in 2nd even if speeds dropped
Rear seat far more comfortable than in the Polo.

Dislikes

I don't know if it was the linear power delivery nature or what, but the car felt borderline underpowered with 4 adults in the car. Just doesn't feel like 90 bhp on the go at all.
Heavy clutch, I could make out the extra effort needed in traffic to drive this car compared to cars with better clutches
Despite the taller stance, it doesn't give me a better view of the road ahead when compared to my Polo. I had set the seat was at its highest position
I doubt if it'll be adequate power for the highways, the car feels adequate for city,but i'm sure most will want more power on the highway
Post 3k rpm, the engine gets noisy but not like VW diesels

I was expecting a lot from this car, especially wanted a more FTD car after my Polo D but this hardly feels like an upgrade in terms of power, it has marginally better space and GC. I don't think this is the car for me unless things change with a longer TD which is quite doubtful. The SA was also quite sure the Diesel Titanium will be approx 12L at launch OTR bangalore. At that price,i'd personally buy a Vento diesel,notwithstanding the VW experience so far.

Did a TD of Titanium TDCi at MPL Ford, Pallikaranai, Chennai. There were just 2 Ecosports available - one, a display vehicle was the Trend variant (TDCi again) and the other was the TD vehicle - both in white color. I was eager to have a look at the Mars Red.

There was quite a number of visitors and TD was being done on a token-basis. Our token number was 6 and had to wait for some half an hour to get into the car. Sadly, because of the rush, the TD lasted hardly 10 minutes. :Frustrati

Some points I noted:
1. Steering is super-light. Not sure how it would behave at high speeds in the highways.

2. Rear seat - A point which has seriously put me off. It is definitely a 4-seater or might be a 4.5 seater utmost. Three of us sat in the car (the display vehicle) and it was okay. But, guess it would be difficult for long journeys.

3. Doors are quite bulky and close with a superb 'thud'. You have to be in a position to pull the door properly. I was casually leaning against the rear door and tried pulling the front door which was almost behind me. Ooops!

4. The indicator and wiper stalks are placed in the 'American' way and not the 'Indian' way.

5. The display for avg fuel efficiency etc is quite small in font size.

6. Booking amount is Rs.50000/-. And no cancellation charge till 26th June when the prices are announced. Post that cancellation charge of 3000/- would apply.

7. Expected price range according to the SA: 7-9L for 1.5P, 9-12L for D and 11-12 for 1.0P - all OTR, Chennai.

Overall, the car looks really good.

Would I buy: Well, I might. The 'might' factor/second thought comes only because of the rear bench. If not, it would definitely be a 'Yes'.

All the other boxes are checked. I particularly like the high-seating position and the rear-mounted spare-wheel.

Btw, the SA told me that the 1.0P Ecoboost engine is an imported one. I was a bit surprised hearing that. Is that so?

Cheers!

Took a short test drive of ES Diesel in Hyderabad. Overall impressed with the vehicle. Engine is adequately powered and refined. Front seats are pretty good and road visibility is supreme. Ride is good and car is fun to drive.

On the negative side: interiors are so so. Plastics are cheap. Car is not big and does not have a SUV'ish presence, though it looks modern and well proportioned.

Haven't booked as I am yet to decide between Titanium and Titanium Option pack. The decision will be based on price difference. If Ford prices it less than 10lacs on road in HYD, there will be lot of takers. Otherwise, all other comparisons with i20/Polo etc will be made and people might settle for proven cars to save few lakhs.

Went for a TD at Delhi Ford today. The drive was very short, rather insufficient to really judge the car. So I will instead write some other related stuff.

There was a lot of potential customers milling around and waiting for a test drive. So there seem to be genuine interest among the masses. It was around 6pm so time of the day (colder part of 40+ deg heat) may also play a role. There was so many in queue, my test drive was a shared test drive! For a short distance of about 3 km one way to Leela roundabout, I drove first and another potential customer drove back! When I brought this up with one SA he said come tomorrow morning when there will be less rush. I am in no hurry.

Whatever little I could gather during the short drive is that steering is too light and there is lots of play when standing still. I am a sedate driver, so pick up is okay for me. Engine noise is muted upto whatever speed I could achieve during the drive, which would be about 50 kmph.

I will be trying for a longer test drive on more varied road conditions, including speed breakers.

Had a look around and TD at Elite Ford Marathalli. I am pretty dissapointed with sheer size of it.
To me it best looked like a little elongated hatch. I had kept myself on hold of buying duster , the wait seems to be very costly both on time and money. I guess if you need to buy a SUV you need to start looking at duster or XUV. If you are only buying for gadgets what's wrong with i20?

Quote:

Originally Posted by callvvijay (Post 3157123)

7. Expected price range according to the SA: 7-9L for 1.5P, 9-12L for D and 11-12 for 1.0P - all OTR, Chennai.

Did i read it right? The 1.5 L petrol be cheaper than 1.0 L ?

I thought it was the 1.0 L which would be cheapest of the lot, followed by the 1.5 L and then the D.

Agreed its the ecoboost and latest technology, but i think it is the one that gets excise benefits as well? And the 1.5 L of the Fiesta is a gem of an engine in itself.

And the 1.5 won't have that irritating turbo lag of 1.0. So why it would be cheaper ?

Quote:

Originally Posted by DCEite (Post 3157266)

As far as I know ecoboost engine is imported and with the rupee tanking, Ford will probably use it as an excuse and launch it at a price greater than the 1.5L.

Quote:

Originally Posted by DCEite (Post 3157266)

The 1.0L is a fully imported engine not made locally. Even with the excise benefits, it's still imported and has way more cutting edge technology than the diesel or the 1.5L. These don't come cheap.

From idle, there maybe lesser lag in the 1.5L but take a look at the specs and see which one produces more torque.

The 1.5L produces a max torque of 140Nm @ 4,400rpm whereas the tiny 1.0L produces a max torque of 170Nm from 1,400rpm til 4,500rpm i.e. flat peak torque throughout that band.

Got this on Mail today:

INVITATION Launching Ford ECO SPORTS

Launching of New Ford ECO SPORTS

When Wed, June 26, 3pm – 5pm GMT+05:30

Where Bhavna Automobiles Pvt. Ltd. Plot No. 11 & 12, Sec 01, Near L P Bus Stand, Nerul , Navi Mumbai - 400706.

Who BHAVNA FORD

Dear Customer

We are very glad to inform you that Ford India launch a new
vehicle Ford ECO SPORTS in 26th June 2013.

We had open booking , so grab this opportunity and be a
proud owner of Ford ECO SPORTS .

So you all are invited for a grand launching of our new
vehicle on 26th of June 2013 Timing between 3;00 pm to 5:00 pm

We are expecting your precious presence in our Dealer Ship,
hope to see you on launch of our Ford ECO SPORTS .

*Thanks & Regards,*

*Amey G.
Corporate Sales .
Bhavna Automobiles Pvt. Ltd.
Plot No. 11 & 12, Sec 01,
Near L P Bus Stand,
Nerul ,
Navi Mumbai - 400706.
Mo : 9664352811 , 9664422574 .

Took a short test-drive of the EcoSport diesel this morning. My observations:

Appearance: funky, contemporary and definitely a looker. But it may not be to everyone's tastes. It does remind me of a hatch on stilts.

Build Quality / NVH: feels reasonably well put together inside out. The quality of interior plastics is average at best. It's well insulated but you can't get away from the diesel clatter, especially if you exercise your right foot.

Accommodation: Can seat 5 for short drives and city commutes. For long drives, it's a strict 4 seater. The rear bench is just not wide enough to accommodate 3. But leg room / knee room / head room shouldn't be a problem for even tall folks. Good under thigh support at the back thanks to the higher seats and not sheer space per se. Ingress / egress is good but once inside, you do feel claustrophobic. Boot is about the same as the Jazz's, I'd say. Perhaps a tad smaller?

Ride / Handling: low speed ride is good but you can feel the stiffness and tautness of the suspension. Can't comment on the handling because it was a short drive.

Engine / Transmission: The diesel is not quick to respond to throttle input when it's below 1.5 RPM. The lag is apparent but not something you won't be able to deal with. It's a matter of getting used to. The gearbox is super slick. Shift quality is positive and the throw is short.

Steering: Dead. Very light and easy to use in city traffic. But it's dead. There is no weight to it at all. On center, it's pretty vague but return to center is not a violent affair like in the Duster. It is a disappointment, that said.

Features / equipment: Pretty loaded but a lot depends on how it's going to be priced.

Almost all TDs reported here are of diesel variant. Isn't anyone considering the 1.5 petrol manual. I know this may have been discussed adnauseum everywhere but can someone give five reasons why I shouldn't buy the 1.5 petrol (other than mileage and fuel costs). I have just come back here after an hour on other topics of diesel cars stalling due to bad fuel quality etc. with so many issues why do people prefer diesels.