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Old 20th August 2018, 12:00   #586
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Re: 2018 Ford EcoSport Facelift 1.5L Petrol : Official Review

Another long trip with Shadowfax (Trend Plus AT)! Visited the Padma Sambhava Maha Vihara monastery in Jirang and the Chilika lake at Rambha, Odisha. Sharing some snaps here.

Detailed write-up is in the travelogues section at below link -
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/travel...ml#post4446817


2018 Ford EcoSport Facelift 1.5L Petrol : Official Review-dsc01528.jpg

2018 Ford EcoSport Facelift 1.5L Petrol : Official Review-photo_20180818_112244.jpg

2018 Ford EcoSport Facelift 1.5L Petrol : Official Review-photo_20180818_105102.jpg


Quote:
Originally Posted by FrodoOfTheShire View Post
The only niggle was with finding a comfortable seating position, which needs some more trials.
I had this complaint during my last trip. Recently bought this back support from Ali Express and it works great. Bye bye back pain!

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1PCS...ceBeautifyAB=0
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Old 21st August 2018, 09:42   #587
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Re: 2018 Ford EcoSport Facelift 1.5L Petrol : Official Review

2 months, 2550km on the odo and first service done since the Reincarnator (our new ES) came home.

In the intervening time, the Reincarnator has seen Lepakshi, Puttaparthi, Coorg, Krishnagiri, Tiruvannamalai and the two faced Bangalore traffic. As this is the first car I am owning, my observations and judgements could be slightly myopic.

Initial impressions
Firstly city drives are still stressful and frustrating but the smooth and reliable AT box alleviates it. I haven't subjected the Reincarnator to Bangalore traffic torture much (have been commuting on my bike to office) so he thanks me. But the few times we were caught in smallish pile-ups (by Bangalore standards), he did the job with no questions asked. The creep function is a godsend in these situations. I rarely use the A-pedal anymore in traffic. On open roads, he just loves cruising his way to glory. Although I have limited his abilities a little to ease the break-in period. Haven't tried the sports mode yet as I intend to keep his heart rate under 2500rpm until another 500km. He loves the expanses of freeways and that is his real home I feel from what I have seen so far.

Driveability
Unlock the car. Open the door. Warm up the drivers seat. Push the start/stop button. Immediately you will feel a slight vibration. Not much to be perturbed about though.
In city: Press the brake, pull the gear stick to D and release the brake, the car starts moving forward. It is not a sudden surge nor is it slow to react. Just optimal in heavy traffic. Like I mentioned before, there is no need to alternate between brake and accelarator during slow vehicular movement. Its a relief for your right leg as well.

On highway: Once on an open road, you'll enjoy the ease with which the car pulls from early 20's to 60's. Before you know, you are in the 5th gear with the rpm needle hovering around 2200. Have to say, the Reincarnator responds differently to even a slight change in throttle input. Until now I have been parsimonious by using feather lite triggers. Very rarely have I pushed it beyond and even those demands were catered with ease. Simply put, highway rides are a joy. The steering feels just about perfect at both low and high speeds. The brake lacks the bite I felt and I am being careful at higher speeds.

Features
Some of the features I really found useful, in order of importance;
- Hill launch assist: A great-to-have on elevations. Eliminates the need to switch quickly to accelarator. It is generally categorised as a convenience feature but it is increasingly becoming a necessity, even in manuals. Why burn the clutch or master the handbrake technique? Keep it simple.
- Paddle shifters: I have been using this extensively in D mode (it works in D mode). The quick shifting nature of the gearbox makes it incredibly useful while overtaking or in need to upshift/downshift before the computer does it. I have seen quite a bit of variance in FE once I started playing with those steering mounted controls.
- Rear view camera: In a car with behind views obstructed by tree thick pillars, having another eye is of significance. Kudos to Ford for providing it in lower variants too. The quality is amazing even in the dark.
- Touchscreen and SYNC3: This is a marriage made in heaven. Those two work in tandem so beautifully. The system was thoughtfully designed keeping naive users like me in mind. It is so simple to use and works fluidly. Absolutely no lag. Hands down the best infotainment system beating even cars costing north of 10 lakhs. The audio output is acceptable to me.

Fuel efficiency
This is the single biggest sore point of the Ecosport breed. The extra kerb weight on Tit+ could be the reason or may be even owners of lower variants are experiencing it. As of yet, I haven't figured the most efficient driving pattern. I enabled instant fuel efficiency display in MID and I keep looking at it every now and then. The numbers swing wildly if the throttle is even slightly pushed. At low 20 speeds, the FE varies between 4 and 8kmpl. Everything depends on the pressure your right foot is putting on the A pedal. The figures are inconsistent in the city. With ultra light foot under not-so-heavy traffic conditions, it returned 10 to 11kmpl. If you are in the mood, just don't look at the average FE after finishing the ride, you'll be left red faced. Highway figures are far easier to predict. Like every other car, the sweetspot is somewhere between 70 and 80kmph. The best mileage I could achieve so far is 16kmpl on Hassan-Nelamangala NH with cruise control set at 75kmph mostly. All this is with service advisor recommended 33psi air pressure in all tyres.

Summary
This is a very practical car for in city driving. It is an excellent allrounder. Does the job in city with minimum fuss. On highways like I said, its at home. The Reincarnator has loved every minute of its run there. I still haven't seen the other facet of the Reincarnator, the S mode. I would like to see him transformed to a wilder self.

What I like:
- A butter smooth and versatile 6 speed torque converter AT gearbox.
- Safety equipment on offer.
- Tractability on open roads.
- Impeccable touchscreen.
- Ground clearance (potholes, craters, give it anything the Reincarnator will gobble it up).
- Looks (muscular, yet small enough to fit those limited parking spaces available in Bangalore).
- Auto headlamps, rain sensing wipers and cruise control (all nice to have).

What I do not like:
- FE (potential buyers: if that is your priority, look elsewhere).
- Space inside (5th passenger? Damn!).
- Limited view of the bumper edges making it tricky to judge spacing on the left (I am 5'11').
- Thick pillars both on front and back causing blind spots.

Finally some parting shots:
2018 Ford EcoSport Facelift 1.5L Petrol : Official Review-img_2088.jpg
2018 Ford EcoSport Facelift 1.5L Petrol : Official Review-img_2097.jpg
2018 Ford EcoSport Facelift 1.5L Petrol : Official Review-img_2201.jpg
2018 Ford EcoSport Facelift 1.5L Petrol : Official Review-img_2324.jpg

Thanks for reading.

Last edited by aah78 : 21st August 2018 at 23:49. Reason: Typos.
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Old 23rd August 2018, 16:10   #588
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Re: 2018 Ford EcoSport Facelift 1.5L Petrol : Official Review

Quote:
Originally Posted by strawhat View Post
2 months, 2550km on the odo and first service done since the Reincarnator (our new ES) came home.
Nice write-up. And cool car name!!

Quote:
The brake lacks the bite I felt and I am being careful at higher speeds.
I too felt the same initially while applying brakes gradually but on few occasions when I had to brake hard, it responded really well

Quote:
Fuel efficiency
With ultra light foot under not-so-heavy traffic conditions, it returned 10 to 11kmpl. Like every other car, the sweetspot is somewhere between 70 and 80kmph. The best mileage I could achieve so far is 16kmpl on Hassan-Nelamangala NH with cruise control set at 75kmph mostly. All this is with service advisor recommended 33psi air pressure in all tyres.
Agreed. I get ~8 in heavy city traffic and ~10 in light traffic. In my 2 long trips I have got 18 and 17.4 average FE by keeping the speeds between 60-80kph. I maintain 32psi in all tyres. I don't look at the intant FE in the MID; too distracting for me! I reset the numbers before every long trip and see the average FE at the end.
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Old 24th August 2018, 12:08   #589
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Re: 2018 Ford EcoSport Facelift 1.5L Petrol : Official Review

Quote:
Originally Posted by FrodoOfTheShire View Post
Nice write-up. And cool car name!!
Thanks mate.

Your steed looks beautiful. I wonder if Gandalf presented it to you. So only you will be allowed to ride it

Quote:
Originally Posted by FrodoOfTheShire View Post
Agreed. I get ~8 in heavy city traffic and ~10 in light traffic. In my 2 long trips I have got 18 and 17.4 average FE by keeping the speeds between 60-80kph. I maintain 32psi in all tyres. I don't look at the intant FE in the MID; too distracting for me! I reset the numbers before every long trip and see the average FE at the end.
That sort of FE will be a distant dream if city travails are considered. I will have to reset the trip meter once I hit the highway. Only then realistic highway readings will be returned. Also Tit+ is heavier than Trend+ by 24kgs, that has an impact too.

Last edited by strawhat : 24th August 2018 at 12:11.
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Old 27th August 2018, 20:41   #590
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Re: 2018 Ford EcoSport Facelift 1.5L Petrol : Official Review

How harsh is the ride for Ecosport with 17" wheels compared to Nexon? Is there a lot of difference? I did test drive of both cars, but not on same kind of roads, so I am not able to make a comparison.
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Old 2nd September 2018, 20:56   #591
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Re: 2018 Ford EcoSport Facelift 1.5L Petrol : Official Review

Need a help on one of the awkward this I started facing:

One of my stock tyre got punctured on last thursday. Post that I got that replaced with the spare wheel on the same day. But right after that "Tyre Pressure Control Malfunction" warning started blinking on the dashboard. At first it was not showing any reading, however after sometime it read 43 psi. Next morning I went to the same mechanic and asked him to reduce the air. He did that till the TPMS reading was 31 psi. But visibly the tyre was under inflated. So I asked him to check the pressure gauge and fill till 32 only. But doing that has not solved my problem. Not sure what to do. Looking forward to any expert advice to get rid of this problem.


Is there any kind of reset is required ? Read somewhere that Ford ES come with indirect tyre pressure sensor and such a sensor does not read the pressure but the tread of the tyre and revolution.


Need help !

Thanks in advance.
Anupam
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Old 4th September 2018, 12:05   #592
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Re: 2018 Ford EcoSport Facelift 1.5L Petrol : Official Review

Resolved it myself after a bit of internet search and Team-bhp forum.

Exploration:
Facing the driver side road and under the driver seat there are instructions given for the optimum inflation if tyres. On the same plate it's mentioned that in case of TPMS malfunction please refer user manual (thick one).

2018 Ford EcoSport Facelift 1.5L Petrol : Official Review-20180904_120310.jpg

Refered Page 175 and 62 and understood the below facts:

Fact Findings:
1. Spare wheel does not come with TPMS installed

2. After replacing the tyre (along with the allow rim), TPMS was reading the spare wheel psi. This was a bit confusing as I was not aware of the system

3. The malfunction warming was probably for the 4th tyre (replaced) on the ground, which dod not have the TPMS sensor

4. Got to know that though the service station (Metro Ford, Lingarajapuram, Bangalore) charged me for N2 filling, it still had air

5. The replaced stock tyre (now spare) has developed a bulge
I need to take this up with Ford. Need any positive pointer on this.

Will refer the specifics from below in-house forum:
https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/tyre-...17-size-5.html (Ford EcoSport Facelift: Tyre bulging issue (R17 size))

6. Need to go to ford service station to get the alloy rim with TPMS swaped with the one currently without TPMS and was replaced for puncture repair. Don't want to take risk of getting the TPMS damaged by visiting the local mechanics.

References:
The below Ford ES 2017 video (ford video starts after 1:42 minute time) regarding TPMS was informative.



Hope it helps other Ford ES 2017 Owners.

Best Regards,

Last edited by Anupam1024 : 4th September 2018 at 12:29.
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Old 8th September 2018, 05:08   #593
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Re: 2018 Ford EcoSport Facelift 1.5L Petrol : Official Review

Another recall of Ford ES:

Affected ones are the Petrol Engines, and Ford will send them email/letter to get the PCM Software check of the vehicle checked.


https://auto.ndtv.com/news/over-7-20...&category=News
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Old 8th September 2018, 12:54   #594
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Re: 2018 Ford EcoSport Facelift 1.5L Petrol : Official Review

I have got the recall email and also have it in the Ford Owners app.
I have had a word with Rudra Ford, Mira Road and will be visiting them tomorrow.

Quote:
Ford India is proactively contacting you to update the Powertrain Control Module (PCM) software on your Ford EcoSport Petrol, which will eliminate any remote chance of sudden deceleration or battery drainage.
2018 Ford EcoSport Facelift 1.5L Petrol : Official Review-screenshot_20180907175243.png
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Old 8th September 2018, 18:45   #595
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Re: 2018 Ford EcoSport Facelift 1.5L Petrol : Official Review

Got the car home (T+ AT) last week. Delivery experience at Talera Ford was at par. Received all receipts during the delivery - on adding them found that the receipts total is less by Rs. 1000 than what I had paid - need to ask this to the sales guy. The car showed only 20 km to empty at delivery - we were frantically searching for a petrol pump in heavy evening traffic - kind of negated the joy of the new car - why can't they give 5L more fuel in the beginning? Find it hard to understand.

Things that I like:
  • Rock solid stability on the highway - it is even more noticeable to me since my previous cars were WagonR and Jazz.
  • Gear change times of the 6F15 torque converter gearbox are reasonable - much better the the AMT of Nexon (I'd driven a AMT Diesel Nexon before booking).
  • Loads of low end torque from the Dragon engine. This coupled with the automatic gearbox make driving a breeze. I find that I am significantly less fatigued after long highway or stop-go traffic drives.
  • The ground clearance helps a lot - just experienced it today when we were stuck at the toll and we were able to go into the service lane by crossing a foot deep ditch - the car crossed it without breaking a sweat. We couldn't have imagined doing that in a sedan or normal hatch.

Things that I don't like:
  • Slightly wider turning radius. Its wider than the Nexon and Brezza - and much wider than the WagonR.
  • Rear leg room and seat width is less compared to Jazz.
  • The center armrest could have been longer. My elbow just about rests at its corner - if it was longer I could have steered with my left hand while resting it on the armrest - just like I do with my right while resting it on the window armrest.
  • No under body protection whatsoever.

Fuel economy for the first 700 km:
* Getting 8 kmpl in city
* Just did a ~300 km highway run today and got about 15 kmpl.

Attaching a few photos - haven't seen photos of the `race red` color elsewhere on the forum - so here they are.

2018 Ford EcoSport Facelift 1.5L Petrol : Official Review-inkedimg_20180908_123751_li.jpg

2018 Ford EcoSport Facelift 1.5L Petrol : Official Review-img_20180908_123856.jpg

2018 Ford EcoSport Facelift 1.5L Petrol : Official Review-inkedimg_20180908_123736_li.jpg

2018 Ford EcoSport Facelift 1.5L Petrol : Official Review-inkedimg_20180908_123830_li.jpg

No under body protection at all.
2018 Ford EcoSport Facelift 1.5L Petrol : Official Review-img_20180901_115212.jpg

Lots of room in the engine bay - behind the engine.
2018 Ford EcoSport Facelift 1.5L Petrol : Official Review-img_20180901_115338.jpg

Lots of room in the engine bay - in front of the engine.
2018 Ford EcoSport Facelift 1.5L Petrol : Official Review-img_20180901_115429.jpg
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Old 11th September 2018, 13:46   #596
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Re: 2018 Ford EcoSport Facelift 1.5L Petrol : Official Review

Quote:
Originally Posted by Anupam1024 View Post

5. The replaced stock tyre (now spare) has developed a bulge

I need to take this up with Ford. Need any positive pointer on this.
Moving forward with R17 tyre bulge

Called the ford toll free customer care number and lodged a formal.compalint about the tyre bulge on 8th Se 2018. Tej representative was a bit reli tant to commit anything over the call initially. However I quoted the similar issues which ford had resolved in the past w.r.t. to All New Ford Ecosoport.

Received call from ford to collect more details of the problem. They asked me for my preferred service station for inspection. I mentioned that since I work in hyderabad so would prefer the service station in hyderabad provided there is really a good / genuine service station. I was directed to the Fortune Ford Toillichowki. An appointment was fixed for Monday morning too. The ford representative was really proactive to do a conference call and enabled a three way conversation between service station, ford & me. Fortune Ford Towllihowki person Mrs Tehmina Naaz was equally proactive to address the issue and had committees that the problem will be resolved.

Reached Fortune Ford Towllichowki by 10:15 AM today and called the concerned person. She was on a different location but she appointed someone else to look after the issue. Another guy named Bari addressed my tyre issue. They marked the bulge area and decided to repalce the tyre under warranty. It was quick. Bari was good to check everything else in the car and within 1.5 hours I was done.

I was impressed with the service Ford had lined up which felt a bit ahead of Maruti on this instance.It was an ence indeed.

Thanks Fortune Ford Towllichowki & thank you Ford India for swiftly addressing the tyre issue and resolving the same to the customer's satisfaction.

Old Tyre With Bulge
2018 Ford EcoSport Facelift 1.5L Petrol : Official Review-20180911_134214.jpg

Newly Replaced Tyre
2018 Ford EcoSport Facelift 1.5L Petrol : Official Review-20180911_134238.jpg
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Old 11th September 2018, 15:20   #597
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Re: 2018 Ford EcoSport Facelift 1.5L Petrol : Official Review

After the PCM update at Rudra Ford, I can confirm that the throttle response has improved substantially in D mode.
The car is also faster off the line now. Most of it can be attributed to the fact that
  1. The shift from 1st to 2nd is quicker now, resulting in a quick of fthe block acceleration
  2. Post this, the car holds on to a gear for longer time
This has brought about a significant change in driving experience on my car.
The above facts have been confirmed by my friend who drives my car as well.
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Old 12th September 2018, 12:52   #598
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Re: 2018 Ford EcoSport Facelift 1.5L Petrol : Official Review

Quote:
Originally Posted by heinrici View Post
Attaching a few photos - haven't seen photos of the `race red` color elsewhere on the forum - so here they are.
Really love the colour of your car. Fantastic pictures with the backdrop. The alloy design is also one of the best ones around.

While buying a new car last month, my dad was leaning towards Ecosport. We finally bought something else. Seeing pictures of your red car makes me really reconsider.
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Old 12th September 2018, 16:45   #599
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Re: 2018 Ford EcoSport Facelift 1.5L Petrol : Official Review

A small doubt thrown towards the existing owners of the Ecosport petrol. I have booked the Ecosport T+ AT, and am doing some research for the upcoming vehicle. This car will replace my Fiat Punto and in fact, the first petrol car in our household since 1992.

- should I use normal petrol or speed etc?
- if I am supposed to use the normal variant should I follow a method suggested by my friends which is: 10 tankful of normal 91 octane followed by 2 tankful of super grade petrol? As per the insight I received the above-said practice can help cleaning the fuel delivery/injection very much.

Please advise.
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Old 14th September 2018, 09:26   #600
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Re: 2018 Ford EcoSport Facelift 1.5L Petrol : Official Review

What is the city mileage I can expect from ecosport diesel? Any discounts available?
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