[dhanushs]

Apart from the way "above" 5 stars part, I think the ad is well built.

There is nothing wrong in showing an actual accident video clip. After all, you are advertising and will need whatever content that appeals to your target audience.

[wilful]

Like most folk here I think Ford has done a 'below the belt' on this one. While I am a satisfied Ecosport (top end) owner for 6 years now, I was originally under the impression that it had scored a 4 star (only to realise that it was not the watered down Indian version but the Euro one that scored).
If they have the guts, they should get it tested asap, score well and then start crowing.
This is definitely not on IMO.

[aravind.anand]

Originally Posted by SoumenD

Indian ecosport is again a chopped version (to bring it within 4m) of the international model. Who knows what other things have been changed? We can’t be sure unless its tested.

No, the EcoSport is 'not' a chopped version of the International version. The Ecosport was developed to be a sub-4m SUV right from the start. In fact, the Mahindra XUV300 & Quanto were the ones that were chopped and modified to bring them under 4m. All other competitors in that segment were always conceived to be sub-4m.

Well, even if Ford sent the EcoSport for GNCAP, there is absolutely no way it would get above 5 stars. So this ad can never become true. Its like saying I have prepared really well for the examination, and so I will got more than 100 percent without even facing the test

[landcruiser123]

All manufacturers can use better sheet metal only on the doors which will improve the “feel good” factor of the car. However, it makes no difference in a serious accident. It is the underlying structure that matters.

Ford claiming “greater than 5*” is misleading and can be counted for outright fraud. If Ford is so confident, I’d say they should walk the talk and work with GNCAP to get the Ecosport tested.

[albertprince]

There is one thing that Ford has completely missed here - The Thud ! The owner is proud about the thud.
This is the easiest assurance you can get for safety, but can you judge with the thud? Then the Venue and Sonet twins manages to make the thud. This misconception will encourage manufacturers to mock the thud and create false safety assurance. Ford has helped competitors by making misleading statements.
Good intention, but bad execution. Come on Ford, you know cars more than many manufacturers that exist in India.

[mazda4life]

We own a TDCI and very happy with it , I understand the need for marketers to make a point when the issue is hot but the Ad seems to be have been pushed in haste. A company cannot and should not make an assertion of quality based on the perception of a owner about an issue which is related to safety.

[ABHI_1512]

Being a Ford Ecosport owner might have clouded my views but using a customer’s experience to promote a brand is the most smart thing to do in my view. The words spoken in the advertisement are of the customer and Ford played the passive marketing style to the hilt.

Ask any Renault Duster owner and they will tell you about the troubles regarding the injector failures but still they will have only good things to say about the car. Real genuine feedback from the members is what we expect, when we see any ownership review here in the forum. Such is the moderation here that ownership reviews are fairly genuine with all the strong points and negative points mentioned.

If one company chooses to use the feedback to promote a product, then I find it clever. Of course, ideally it would have been prudent of Ford to get the car NCAP certified first and I am certain of getting it good safety ratings as well. Ford was among the few manufacturers who started the safety features as standard across variants initially before other manufactures picked up the cue. The commercial actually is a customer testimonial more and less an advertisement.

Little against the flow here in this thread, my only grouse is Ford could have worded the commercial better so as to not put a question mark regarding the perception of above FIVE STAR ratings !!

[SoumenD]

Originally Posted by aravind.anand

No, the EcoSport is 'not' a chopped version of the International version. The Ecosport was developed to be a sub-4m SUV right from the start.

You are mistaken my friend.

Here's the American version dimensions for your reference. And mind you they don't get the tail-gate mounted tyre as well. 161.3 inches converts to ~4.1metres


Link

IIRC this was discussed in 2013 itself when the car was first released. Our stupid 4m rule forces manufacturers to chop off bumpers or boot itself(as is the case with Tivoli a.k.a XUV3OO)

[su1978]

I agree to the exaggeration of term "more than 5 stars" but when you ask someone-"how are you" and he replies back saying "All in well", does that mean that he has fallen down in a well? Probably we should understand the emotion he is going through. The views expressed here is of an owner. I am sure that all sensible humans of us can co-relate to it. And being members of this forum implies that we have an emotional connect to our machines.

Although i do not own an Ecosport, but i own a Freestyle Titanium+ petrol. Having driven different cars over a period of 20 years, i feel that ford is best amongst all. And going through many live accident videos, feel that Ford vehicles are definitely better than most other vehicles on road.

[CARDEEP]

I won't consider this advertisement as misleading. Actually I believe safety tests are not comprehensive enough to cover unpredictable nature of nuts on roads.

IIHS in US has kept upgrading tests parameters over period to ensure incidents of higher probability are covered but NCAP emphasizes more on tech IMO. But I feel the role of driver & tech are complimentary not mutually exclusive.

Moreover, these tests are becoming more or less a standard fare with automobiles which clear checklists will perform good.

Also, if a product is claimed to be weel engineered, IMO body structure weight is an important factor in well engineering & safety perception, unless the costs of lightweight materials is factored in.

I recall an accident near South Delhi (Sri Fort crossing) where a Honda City rear passenger died when the car was rear ended by a Dzire. Compared to this, my Aspire had accidental at Nizamuddin crossing where an Esteem rear ended my car. My parents, wife & daughter were traveling with me, & none had any sort of sprain, or other issue due to the accident, But, the condition of Esteem was a scene in itself. I wish i had snapped few pics that day, bit we settled the issue amicably & never intended to make a scene of it. Now my car is not heavyweight by Ford standards, but it's heavier than Jap cars (Japs have penchant of weight reduction in cars IMO). So I believe despite it's 3 stars & just adequately stable body structure (read - nothing to boast about) me & family are better off in my Aspire than anything from Japs, except Brezza & 15+ lakhs vehicles.

Just my 2 cents

[Sujoy76]

Tomorrow Maruti will say their cars are 10 Star rated. Why can't they face GNCAP before commenting on other cars. Let them face GNAP first. Anyone can say anything on paper but authenticity depends on certification. No doubt FORD Ecosport is a well built CSUV but there are couple of other playes in the market which are better than it. Ford Ecosports recent marketshare shows it's acceptibility amongst the buyers. You just can't fool your customers with deceptive ads.

[airbus]

Above 5 star is definitely misleading specifically when Indian version is not tested by GNCAP. While I appreciate importance of safety in advertisement, but Ford could have done a better job here.

Tata Nexon is 5 star rated and there are also number of videos on build quality. How about Tata coming up with an advertisement - "We are 5 star rated by GNCAP and also proven in real life situation" with the video of advertisement pole falling down on a Tata Nexon

[ZenMaster]

Originally Posted by GTO

But way "above" 5 stars? What the heck? That's just blatant lying & misleading. Cheap one, Ford. You're better than that. I actually like the ad besides that part though. You can see some terms (thud, tin car) that are frequently used on Team-BHP.

It almost seems like someone in the marketing department scoured throught online forums and especially Team-BHP and said :" Boss, look at all these buzzwords and phrases that I found online that people use for making fun of our competitors. Lets make and ad throwing it all in and make it look like an Owner's take!. We can show how bad the competition is compared to us and call it better than 5 stars so that they won't know we haven't sent our Indian model for crash testing"

They really went over the board here. The ad felt like one of those paid articles we see in magazines.

They should have toned it down and rather released a series of ads with maybe different owners, focussing on a different aspect in each one.

[JithinR]

Like others have expressed its seems like a cheap attempt by Ford to cash in on the public sentiment right now and hide behind a simple disclaimer of 'as-is' customer feedback.

Though I agree with some of the points like lowest service bills, others like handling are no longer a defining Ford only trait (at least with the latest gen EcoSport).

Tata Nexon is not exactly that far behind and Maruti brezza seems to good too ( I have never driven this one but most reviews mention it's steering feedback to be good). Not to forget that neither does it have the slickest gearbox and the clutch of old EcoSport remains the only car to date that messed up my knee for day.

Moreover, Tata basically took away the tag of 'most safe vehicle' in this segment when they gave ESC, HLA, BA etc right from the base variant. That is the right way to approach variant distribution. The only grouses I have are are the lack of adjustable rear headrest and to a lesser degree the rear wash and wipe.

Contrast that with the Ecosport and neither does it have these safety aids in the lower variants and still they don't give us basic stuff like android auto/apple carplay.

Ford just get the damn thing crash tested. It's the oldest compact SUV which sold in decent numbers. Can't belive we are still supposed to get a feel of the crash test rating with a damn door thud.

[Aish_4761]

Indeed it is..!

Just a bit of research and I found that ecosport was never ever a 5 star rated product, forget 5+star rating. The thud sound as explained by one of the fellows is most likely considered as the build as most buyers, I assume, don't know can be done by Damping as well, which does nothing in terms of safety.

I came across the latest crash-test video from 2018:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wc6kGQ1RxzE&t=100s

Additionally, I also found this:
https://www.autoblog.com/buy/2019-Ford-EcoSport/
which clearly mentions the Ecosport, that too US spec to be 4-star rated which definitely has better safety features than the India Spec models.

The Ecosport was launched in the Indian market way back in 2012 and was EuroNCAP test in 2013 with a satisfactory 4-star rating back then, when the Indian market for safer cars was, basically non-existent, and yet again, it was the Euro-Spec model.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ld_l8FHf8r0

Also, the change in parameters changes the ratings of a vehicle with time. For instance, the Euro-Spec Punto which was 5-star rated in 2005, was a 0-star rated car in 2017.

https://www.financialexpress.com/aut...ointed/973547/

Yes, I understand it was because the older model lacked curtain airbags and pedestrian-friendly bonnet and bumpers. However, the article clearly states that the driver's chest protection was in-adequate (weak) and more, could be the case wherein this parameter was not considered earlier. However, around the globe, with the increasing number of cars and the introduction of higher speed limits, Indian models also suffer the same fate, more of less..!

To conclude, I myself would recommend a Ford over a majority of cars sold in the country under the current-day scenario, heck I myself almost bought the EcoBoost back in 2015, but if it is wrong, it is wrong to advertise a 5+star rating.

On a side note, it is quite pleasing to see the Indian buyers getting aware of safety but, funny at the same time that more than 50% end up buying unsafe ones.

No offense to Ford owners or lovers though...!!

Peace!