[Chethan B G]

Excellent Review as always! Thanks!

I have a query: My friend had booked a 1.5L Petrol Auto during the first week of Dec 2017. The delivery was scheduled before the end of Jan 2018 which was perfect for him. Couple of days back he was intimated that the car has been dispatched from Chennai and will be ready for delivery during next week. Perfect!

The issue is that the price has gone up by about 40k post Jan 2018 and my friend is being asked to pay as per the new rates. The price hike is not in terms of TAX and entirely due to price revision on behalf of FORD, as he was given to understand.

As he has already paid an advance and booked the vehicle in the first week of Dec, at the then prevailing price and also taken a Proforma Invoice for processing the loan; is it fair for the Dealer to ask for the additional amount? Also, it is tedious to go through re-documentation.

If there are features added due to which the Price hike can be justified, then it is reasonable. Any in-sight / suggestions / opinions would help and will be highly appreciated.

Thanks in advance!

[libranof1987]

Originally Posted by Chethan B G

As he has already paid an advance and booked the vehicle in the first week of Dec, at the then prevailing price and also taken a Proforma Invoice for processing the loan; is it fare for the Dealer to ask for the additional amount? Also, it is tedious to go through re-documentation.

Price at the time of delivery is applicable.

Any in-sight / suggestions / opinions would help and will be highly appreciated.

Check with the dealer/others if they have any 2017-manufactured cars; you can press for discounts on those. But, you might not get the exact colour+variant combination.

[Varun_HexaGuy]

Originally Posted by Chethan B G

Excellent Review as always! Thanks!

I have a query: My friend had booked a 1.5L Petrol Auto in the first week of Dec 2017. The delivery was scheduled before the end of Jan 2018 which was perfect for him. Couple of days back he was intimated that the car has been dispatched from Chennai and will be ready for delivery during next week. Perfect!

The issue is that the price has gone up by about 40k post Jan 2018 and my friend is being asked to pay the new price. The price hike is not in terms of TAX and purely due to price revision on behalf of FORD, as he was given to understand.

Hi sir,
Yeah I understand your friend's situation now. But the thing is he has agreed to the conditions while booking the car. There's a condition mentioned in the proforma or the booking confirmation receipt that the prices are subject to change under Ford India and the customer is supposed to pay the price what the company is charging during the time of delivery of the car.

There's very less we can do anything with this. Now being February, we can't do anything as the car is going to be invoiced in the month of February and at the max what we can do is pay the difference in the costs. Also, try negotiating hard with the dealership atleast they give some freebies considering the ordeal your friend had to go through.

@Ford India, you better understand, this is not how you do business in India. You keep fiddling with the prices so often that people often end up getting discouraged buying a capable product of yours. You better understand that this is no stock market where you're gambling with your stocks.

Varun

[ravib]

Originally Posted by Chethan B G

The issue is that the price has gone up by about 40k post Jan 2018 and my friend is being asked to pay as per the new rates. The price hike is not in terms of TAX and entirely due to price revision on behalf of FORD, as he was given to understand.

As he has already paid an advance and booked the vehicle in the first week of Dec, at the then prevailing price and also taken a Proforma Invoice for processing the loan; is it fair for the Dealer to ask for the additional amount? Also, it is tedious to go through re-documentation.

Not just with Ford, it is always true for all car manufacturers. The price at the date of delivery/invoicing is final. Not the booking amount. Booking amount is only to get a car allocated to you.

There is nothing much can be done. Please see if you can ask for any freebies from dealer if possible ( i really doubt it because this car is in high demand now). Else check if there is any 2017 manufactured car is available, provided the dealer is ready to invoice it at 2017 rates. But this is very thin possibility due to demand and more over your friend have to compromise on color & variant.

Understandable from your friend perspective that 40k is not justified with no change in car, but the last option is, if your friend really feels its pinching, then cancel the car and go for different company/model/make. But i can tell it may be very similar story there as well.

-Ravi

[PrideRed]

Originally Posted by Varun_HexaGuy

@Ford India, you better understand, this is not how you do business in India. You keep fiddling with the prices so often that people often end up getting discouraged buying a capable product of yours. You better understand that this is no stock market where you're gambling with your stocks.

While Ford is known for unstable pricing, the one mentioned above is line with what Automobile Industry did. Many manufacturers increased price citing rising input cost and Ford followed the suit.

[Varun_HexaGuy]

Originally Posted by PrideRed

While Ford is known for unstable pricing, the one mentioned above is line with what Automobile Industry did. Many manufacturers increased price citing rising input cost and Ford followed the suit.

Yeah sir, I do agree and Ford has followed the suite as well. But the thing is the Ecosport facelift is relatively a new model in the market and Ford IMO should've waited for sometime before they hiked the prices of the Ecosport. Yeah I understand, all the products have gone through this price revision but the Ecosport could've been spared IMO.

[Dramitn]

Have some good news,just got a call from my SA, he said the manual transmission in titanium+ petrol is confirmed,
But didn't confirm the pricing of the model, it will be out shortly

[Dramitn]

1)Ecoboost 1.0 titanium+ manual transmission petrol,
2)Dragon 1.5 titanium+ manual transmission petrol,
3)Signature pack petrol,
4)Sports pack diesel,
5)Signature pack diesel

These are the models which will be added in February/March to the existing line up according to a little birdie

[suku_patel_22]

Originally Posted by Dramitn

1)Ecoboost 1.0 titanium+ manual transmission petrol,
2)Dragon 1.5 titanium+ manual transmission petrol,
3)Signature pack petrol,
4)Sports pack diesel,
5)Signature pack diesel

These are the models which will be added in February/March to the existing line up according to a little birdie

February/March sound too early for a model refresh. Diwali timeframe looks more plausible.

[strawhat]

Originally Posted by Dramitn

1)Ecoboost 1.0 titanium+ manual transmission petrol,
2)Dragon 1.5 titanium+ manual transmission petrol,
3)Signature pack petrol,
4)Sports pack diesel,
5)Signature pack diesel

These are the models which will be added in February/March to the existing line up according to a little birdie

Awesome. That is quite a lineup! A Titanium Petrol AT and a Diesel AT would have rounded off a perfect party.

After Freestyle this is another laudable move by Ford. With such a varied fleet, the EcoSport is going to appeal to a wider audience. I hope this translates into increased sales. The biggest takeaway from all of this is Ford is not looking to pack their bags; on the contrary, they are consolidating. I hope this would provide the shot in the arm that they so badly need.

[DasJager]

Originally Posted by Dramitn

1)Ecoboost 1.0 titanium+ manual transmission petrol,
2)Dragon 1.5 titanium+ manual transmission petrol,
3)Signature pack petrol,
4)Sports pack diesel,
5)Signature pack diesel

These are the models which will be added in February/March to the existing line up according to a little birdie

Woah! Did you just say Sports pack Diesel?

I have booked the Titanium + Diesel and have been promised delivery sometime in the later half of this month. If this news is true, I would definitely like to go for the Titanium S (I hope that's what the Sports pack is). Can someone get a confirmation on this? I will check this with my SA tomorrow, let's see if I can get an update.

[vvijay]

Originally Posted by DasJager

Can someone get a confirmation on this? I will check this with my SA tomorrow, let's see if I can get an update.

Yep ! S aka Sports Pack for EcoSport is on the cards for India in next few months. This much info comes from a reliable birdie but just can’t say when exactly !

[Dramitn]

Originally Posted by DasJager

Woah! Did you just say Sports pack Diesel?
I will check this with my SA tomorrow, let's see if I can get an update.

Yup, I would suggest wait for a month, I have booked a titanium petrol varient, but has been kept on hold till the 2nd week of March, that will be the approximate time for the newer models

[rudrah]

Originally Posted by Dramitn

1)Ecoboost 1.0 titanium+ manual transmission petrol,
2)Dragon 1.5 titanium+ manual transmission petrol,
3)Signature pack petrol,
4)Sports pack diesel,
5)Signature pack diesel

These are the models which will be added in February/March to the existing line up according to a little birdie

Somehow its too early to release new models within 6 months of launch. I suppose it would happen in next festive season until then continue to fulfil whats in their hand

[Syed Monis]

I had made a comment few days ago and had requested for some suggestions here but nobody could help so i am in a fix still. I am copying that comment once more and i hope people will try to help this time around.

Looking at the comments so far i feel the main issue with Ecosport is its stiff suspension.It has been the bane since its launch and it still is though they have corrected it to some extent in the facelift.

I am a bit confused between Ecosport and Tata Nexon. I was waiting for the facelift to make a choice between Nexon and Ecosport and i have test driven both the cars so far. The ride quality of both was exceptional but i somewhat felt Nexon was slightly ahead in ride and handling though some might differ. Plus the turning radius of Nexon seems to be the smallest in the segment so far so its better in smaller bi lanes and heavy traffic.

I was really impressed with the new engine of Ecosport though,which was way more powerful than Nexon and slightly refined too. The low RPM ride is way better in Ecosport thanks to naturally aspirated petrol engine compared to turbo engine of Nexon. The biggest bummer for me however was its updated interiors. The quality of plastic does look good and improved ergonomics are a welcome sign but the all black dash was a turn off. No dual tone or use of chrome on the interior doesn't give me the feeling of premiumness. That oomph factor is missing to be honest and it would had been a huge plus if Ford would had given some shades of lighter tones to the interiors to give it a more premium feel. Plus the black color makes the cabin look way too small and cramped. You feel suffocated due to the boring all black interiors. To make it worse the rear bench is way too cramped already and the black interiors made it look more cramped thus the long distance drive at the rear seat will be a challenge though the seats have better thigh support compared to that of Nexon. On the other hand Nexon has one of the best suspensions in the segment i feel and the premiumness does look evident in its interiors due to use of multi tone shades of black and grey. It looks roomier because of that and it actually is roomier too due to width being more than that of Ecosport. 3rd occupant fits much more comfortably in Nexon compared to that of Ecosport.

Overall the price difference for petrol is way too much and the value for money proposition point of view is forcing me to go for Nexon. Any takers for my opinion so far here? Would really like some suggestions.