[ACM]

Originally Posted by drmohitg

+10. Very valid point that most of us haven't considered yet in the hoopla going on around Duster vs the Ecosport. What is the role of the Ertiga in all this since its basically targeting the same segment. Infact I would not be too far from the truth in saying that the Ertiga might be more closely fighting with the Ecosport than the Duster since it also offers more of a multipurpose utility and aims at people planning to buy both the premium hatches and C segment sedans. The Duster on the other hand looks and feels more SUVish and would probably suit someone better who is looking for a comfortable 5 seater SUV kind of vehicle at around 10-12L.

This is one time I kind of disagree more or less to all the points. that is why TBHP Rocks - we get to see all kinds of diverse views with logic to back them.

The Duster is an SUV? with 200 mm less water wading capability than the EcoSport? - Not that this makes the EcoSport an SUV either. The Ertiga is nowhere in the competition compared to both the Duster and the EcoSport as it is purely a 7 seater MUV with no claims to being even remotely SUVish urban or not. The EcoSport and the Duster both have a flair and compared to both the Ertiga is a lot more practical (though surely not as exciting) somehow practicality does not seem to go with excitement.

The fun would have been checking out the trend and reaction to the EcoSport if the Duster had been priced a couple of lacs lower. Right now the EcoSport gets the Duster purely on pricing and features which make it a superb value but it would have been a better fight if the pricing did not cloud our views at all.

[drmohitg]

Originally Posted by ACM

This is one time I kind of disagree more or less to all the points. that is why TBHP Rocks - we get to see all kinds of diverse views with logic to back them.

Well thats true too. The Duster is no SUV either when it comes to the specifications as pointed by you. But then in India it is treated rather perceived by the customer as one. Or rather call it the Urban SUV since none of these cars are true SUVs like the Fortuner et al. Now how I view these vehicles is that all of them offer the customer something new and different from what they are used to owning, seeing and driving. I doubt that the 7 month long booking that the Ecosport has received means that all those customers have to negotiate such bad quality water filled roads which could not have been traveled by hatches and sedans. Rather it boils down to the feeling of owning something new, the flavour of the season kind of logic.
It is here that I feel that after the initial excitement dies down the Ecosport may face a more tough battle with the Ertiga since there prices are still kind of in the same bracket, atleast less far apart w.r.t. the Duster.

Only time will tell how the Ecosport fares in our market. To be honest I do not understand all the craze about it. Its just a hatch with a higher GC. The feature list is also nothing new. The same features were even present in the Fiesta I guess. And in real life the voice controls may not be too convenient to use since it won't work flawlessly due to our accent etc.

[ahmad.007]

Originally Posted by ACM

This is one time I kind of disagree more or less to all the points. that is why TBHP Rocks - we get to see all kinds of diverse views with logic to back them.

The Duster is an SUV? with 200 mm less water wading capability than the EcoSport? - Not that this makes the EcoSport an SUV either. The Ertiga is nowhere in the competition compared to both the Duster and the EcoSport as it is purely a 7 seater MUV with no claims to being even remotely SUVish urban or not. The EcoSport and the Duster both have a flair and compared to both the Ertiga is a lot more practical (though surely not as exciting) somehow practicality does not seem to go with excitement.

The fun would have been checking out the trend and reaction to the EcoSport if the Duster had been priced a couple of lacs lower. Right now the EcoSport gets the Duster purely on pricing and features which make it a superb value but it would have been a better fight if the pricing did not cloud our views at all.

+1 Exactly!
While the ES and Duster may pull some potential Ertiga customers, like those who dont need the extra seating capacity, but want to own a big car, but people who have zeroed down on buying a compact SUV may not consider Ertiga because of its utilitarian image. (Its my perception, there are always exceptions, and people with open minds) c

[eq24]

I am going to say Ecosport because at least Ford came out with a product which is modern and global in nature. They have priced it very well and it is fabulously kitted.
Ya sure the back can only seat 4 comfortably, but that is OK for me as I do not envisage large numbers getting in this car on a daily basis. I think being comfortable more times than being uncomfortable one or two times is a better place to be.

The only thing the Ecosport needs to be careful about is delivery times and initial customer satisfaction. Humans are very fickle by nature and Progression of thoughts is a natural thing. If Ford keeps people waiting for too long, they will start to over analyse and doubts will lead to cancellations. They should prioritize on putting as many cars on the road as possible. Also if the vehicle is relatively niggle free, it will be quite a success.
The XUV faced a lot of damage to its reputation due to the initial niggles.


The Duster has never appealed to me personally, more so after seeing the product and the fit and finish it comes with and the price you pay for it, it is nothing short of being cheated.
Sure the drive is good and it does have a comfortable suspension but after paying so much money and sitting in those interiors it is a downgrade. Renault is banking too much on the Duster and I feel they are trying to make as much money as possible till they are exposed. Expect a lot of Maruti style upgrades on the Duster in the near future if the Ecosport succeeds in eating up its sales.

[drkritik]

Originally Posted by drmohitg

To be honest I do not understand all the craze about it. Its just a hatch with a higher GC. The feature list is also nothing new. The same features were even present in the Fiesta I guess. And in real life the voice controls may not be too convenient to use since it won't work flawlessly due to our accent etc.

+10 for this, This was my wife's first reaction .. Especially after seeing the side to side Pics with Figo, ( I was completely blown away by the looks features, most importantly the drivablity of Ford Vehicles : so couldn't notice this fact , Yes , My Heart says Ecosport for sure). She put it in better terms as Gorgeous Premium Hatch wearing a coat of SUV !

In India no matter what the company or critics brand them, People tend to compare similarly priced Vehicles without a reason, But I consider it fairly reasonable Esp. when the other Vehicle is from Maruti Suzuki and Diesel, with higher seating capacity .
I will consider all vehicles in that price range before taking a decision, as it is going to be the only vehicle for a family of 5 ! (My hatch is appearing bit congested now)

Thing of my concern is Blind spots ! for urban SUV how much it will affect the driving safety is of utmost importance, Might even be deal breaker too .. Can anyone elaborate on this ?

And how much this news is Reliable ?

http://www.motorbeam.com/cars/renaul...elift-in-2013/

[coolboy007]

Voted for the Ecosport , the Duster may be a good car in its own departments but both trump each other in various areas, Duster may offer more space and a little larger footprint but Ecosport has a much better design, interiors and features which are lightyears ahead.

The biggest advantage is price, variant to variant, diesel Ecosport is 2-2.5L cheaper than Duster 85 and it does offer a lot for that price, Duster is becoming a bit too expensive for the kind of build quality and interiors it offers.

And regarding road presence that i read in previous posts, if you want true road presence then one needs to get butch SUV's like Scorpio, Safari, Fortuner, the kind of respect these cars get on roads, both ecosport and duster can dream of. The Duster is not that big that a Ecosport standing next to it would look like a Santro, that feeling should come standing next to a Fortuner.

The Ecosport may be a hatch on heels but i find it to be a better package than Duster, we have a family of 4 and i can not spend 3L more for an occasional outsider, 3L is big money to be spent on the space criteria. To those it matters, get the Duster. July-Aug sales figures should clear some air

[ahmad.007]

Ok the other day I went to the Ford showroom just to have a look at the car and sit around in it. I own a Beat D LT(O) , so but natural, will be comparing it to it
Initial expressions-
Sitting in the front seats the car feels premium, dash seems upmarket and space adequate, though I feel its hard to see the hood from inside while driving.(No I did not drive it, just saying).
The door thud seem so much better and quiter than in my car. My car does not rattle, but still I could feel the solid build. ES is not just a raised hatch, its a much much better build vehicle, I may say in the league of Vento.

Sitting at the back, the first thing I notice is the height of the car, you get a different feeling at this height. A real SUV sets you too high, like sitting on an unbalanced elephant , sedans and hatchbacks are low slung, but this feels just about the right height. You simply walk into the car, do try this yourself.
I occassionally fit 5 in my Beat (for short distances its ok, because they are all 5 footers), and seating 5 in this one would be easier.
The ES will be a tight fit for 5 only if the rear passengers are 6 footers and healthy. Not all indian families have 6 footers.

[ampere]

Originally Posted by drkritik

I will consider all vehicles in that price range before taking a decision, as it is going to be the only vehicle for a family of 5 ! (My hatch is appearing bit congested now)

This is exactly what I was saying in an earlier time. If some one is looking at a second car, he would buy the Ecosport hands down. But if its the first car, there are other priorities. Since you clearly know you need space, then in spite of the fact that you like the Ecosport, you just cant buy it. And its true; priorities would get qualified with pricing as well. And this is the right way of doing it. The fact that you are looking at the Ertiga clearly shows that you give due importance to what you need.

Many also do the other way. viz: I have a budget of X rupees. Whats the best out there to buy? I can modulate my priorities.

Now for that kind of an approach I dont have an answer.

Also, most who opt for the Ecosport as their first car would be the prospective premium hatch seekers. Now going by absolute numbers, that portion of the pie is much higher than the C-segment market. That also adds up to the Ecosport advantage against the Duster. Not to mention the price part altogether. Thats another total let down for Duster.

[Sheel]

This thread gives enough hints about Renault's customer care approach (and not just a/one dealer) On that count, Ford wins. A mail to the customer care & some one from Ford is on phone with some one high up @ the dealer level till your problem gets resolved and you reply in positive.

Had the pleasure of experiencing this once.

[julupani]

Over the past few days, the Duster seems to have gained considerable ground on the Ecosport in the poll at least. Its gone from 92:8 in favour of the Ecosport down to 83:17. Lets see how it progresses.

I suggest Ford better make hay while the sun shines, and their limited production capacities will probably mean they cant make much of it anyway.

[ahmad.007]

This may seem a little OT, but I think the i20 will be the worst hit by the ES. i20 sits as the most premium hatch under 10 lakh, and with several thousand features to back that price up. Imagine if the Ecosport was only a hatch, things would have been different, and i20 would have still triumphed over it by a small margin. But its not, it has the SUV tag (SUV>MUV>Sedan>Hatch the great indian mentality) its big, almost 4 mts, a big hatch on steroids. Its feature packed too. The pricing of ES I feel is not just aggressive, its dirty. Premium hatches will be badly hit. Even sedans like dzire, amaze, etc. And we will see a fall in the price of hatches as a result. They have become just too expensive. Indians, lately have started accepting premium hatches, I think that will go away soon. Things will only get better with other urban SUVs coming.
Its party time for car enthusiasts

Correct me if I am wrong. I am no expert.

[sindabad.sailor]

If we have to compare Auto Transmission alone, in SUV segment is Scorpio Automatic the only contender to ES? What is the difference in price of both cars' AT version? Except being diesel and short of 4 airbags, anything in favour of Scorpio AT again ES AT?

[engrohit]

On the point of excellent pricing for Ecosport, a 4 seater at 10.15 Lakhs OTR for Titanium (D) in Mumbai, how does that sound VFM?

Everyone seems to be comparing the Ecosport prices with Duster and saying, Wow that's cheaper by 2 lakhs or whatever.
But essentially a hatch on steroids, seating compulsorily 4 people for more than a million bucks??

Give that a thought while I go and check Dictionary for VFM

[hiren959]

Originally Posted by engrohit

On the point of excellent pricing for Ecosport, a 4 seater at 10.15 Lakhs OTR for Titanium (D) in Mumbai, how does that sound VFM?

Everyone seems to be comparing the Ecosport prices with Duster and saying, Wow that's cheaper by 2 lakhs or whatever.
But essentially a hatch on steroids, seating compulsorily 4 people for more than a million bucks??

Give that a thought while I go and check Dictionary for VFM

I agree with this.
Though Duster is surely a let down in the interior part but it is bigger than ES

[drkritik]

Originally Posted by ahmad.007

This may seem a little OT, but I think the i20 will be the worst hit by the ES.

+10 for this, exactly this will be the case with new Polo too . Honda should price it's Diesel Jazz intelligently,
Ford has shown us what all we can get at 9L OTR..
Imagine not bothering about bad roads, water logging, Intimidating Auto Rickshaws, two wheelers etc.. Issues which bother routine premium hatch owners.