Re: Urban Discoveries - I WON a Ford EcoSport Firstly sorry for taking so long to post here again everyone, I've just been so tied up with life and other things I didn't really get the time to come and post here. I will try and share my insight on some of the questions everybody asked and then get on to some of my own thoughts and feelings.
Replied to most answers in-line in BOLD Quote:
Originally Posted by saisrujan Thanks for the report. Dispelled several fears I had about the ecoboost engine with your 'POWERRRRR' description. Here are some questions: - How does the ecoboost engine do under full-load on a slope? Do we need to slip clutch in first gear?
I don't ever remember it stalling under load, the acceleration does die down while accelerating in lower RPM's but it has a nice diesel like feel to it. I've pulled it up in 3rd gear which I should have been in 2nd or 1st. It did take a long time to pick up pace but did not die.
- Which are the situations, if any, when the engine feels 'out of breath'?
Only when accelerating, shift down or it will take a long time to pick up pace. - How comfortable is this engine with stop-and-go traffic? Will it pick up from zero in second gear (heard the second gear is quite tall and didn't have a chance to test this well in my TD)
Like I mentioned earlier, it wont stall but it wont pick up the pace. I think there have been occasions when I tried to get things going at almost 0 speeds in 2nd gear.
- Can I use voice-commands to request for a song to be played from my bluetooth connected smart-phone? Ford's facebook page says I can, but it didn't work when I tried.
You can! It doesn't work well with Hindi names obviously
- Did you ever face issues with the thick A-Pillar?
Yep, but I don't like SUV visibility in general, I got pretty used to driving it around and was comfortable with it. There is a little peek-hole glass over there which you can see though but have to just bend forward a little.
- After the 15 days of rough driving, did you notice any squeaks, loose contacts - from the boot, dashboard, anywhere?
Glad to see you know we did some rough driving . Nope nothing at all. This thing is solidly built. There were other issues which I've mentioned elsewhere, but nothing 'fell apart'. And am really glad about that.
- The mat-finished cladding all around the car - will it get scratched quickly? Is that easy to maintain?
I did not notice any scratches actually. But I was not looking. If there were scratches I doubt they were visible at all, I usually would notice things like that since I am quite peculiar about dings/scratches. So actually the answer to your question would be 'its easy to maintain'.
- Are there any bothersome reflections of the dash / chrome AC vents on the windshield / windows?
No it doesn't reflect in the windshield (thankfully, I had the same thought when I first saw them). I've driven the car on the highway for long distance, and it settles down pretty nice. Its nice in the night too. The illumination is quite subtle, I liked it quite a lot. Even though I wish there was a dimmer for it.
- Last but not the least - real world mileage?
I never actually calculated it, but if I remember correctly we got about 450-500km out of a tankfull. Depending on where we were driving. Thats about Rs 4k of fuel. I don't remember the tank capacity of the Eco Boost. I was happy with the mileage.
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Originally Posted by ghodlur Congatulations Quickdraw . You have made the T-BHP family proud by winning the contest. Must be a nice feeling to have won the car in which you were driving. BTW can you share which variant of the Ecosport you drove for the contest. Can you also share the 3 weeks travails - where did you travel to?
"We drifted it in a closed parking lot and dirt" - Now this is something we are keenly interested in knowing more. |
Thank you! I would urge you to take a look at this video
You would also ask you to go to http://ecosportdiscoveries.co.in/team/mumbai-boyz/ for a log of what we did. Quote:
Originally Posted by gr8guzzler Congrats Quickdraw. Good to see a tbhpian win this, I always thought these company sponsored events were always rigged. Nice to know that a normal person has a fair chance to participate and win.
Cheers!!! |
Ah yes indeed, lot of people had conspiracy theories on us winning. Imagine that. Guess its a mindset thing. This whole contest was an absolute blast. We had a chance to meet the people at Ford Motor Company and JWT. They have worked so hard and for so long to get this thing into the market, they absolutely deserve the success and respect. A bunch of truly, genuinely amazing people. They are very proud of the EcoSport and love it to bits! Quote:
Originally Posted by Mohan Mathew A I hope these 2 are just random incidents caused by over enthusiastic drivers. but the news seems to be spreading in the market.Yesterday a friend (he is not a car person and doesn't follow the automobile scene)called me to take my opinion on which car he should buy and the first thing he asked me about the ecosport was about the toppling. I only knew about the goa incident and said it shouldn't bother him and he should book it (his other options were Honda city and Vento). I hope there is no inherent stability issues a.la the original A class |
I think its a psychology thing, I feel. Loads of people were quite concerned about the glow plug issue recall thing. Even though they had no intention of buying the car. I think its the same thing when people like to talk about film stars hugging each other. I will chalk it down to people wanting to discuss whats popular in the news. This is my analysis of why this is so talked about. As far as the car's stability is concerned I will like to mention that I've driven it quite hard in a wide variety of settings (check our team page link and contents) and have to strictly mention that it didn't feel like it was going to topple anytime soon, the people who did manage to flip it must possess extraordinary talkent. Quote:
Originally Posted by ACM Did you get an opportunity to drive the DSG AT1.5P - if so how does the power differ from the 1L EcoBoost in the real world usage? |
Unfortunately no. :( Quote:
Originally Posted by binz I was going to say you're one lucky guy; till i saw the video. Fantastic conceptualization and editing, you definitely deserved to win it .. Congratulations!
I still think you're lucky for getting that Mondeo though |
Thank you, I learnt how to make videos from YouTube
Interesting that you know of the Mondeo, my other Ford, it was indeed a very special car and I do think about it from time to time. I am hoping this new Ford can fill the void that old one left behind.
I have taken delivery of my car since I started this thread.
Happily pottering around in the Diesel, I do miss the petrol though. Boy that thing was quick. Also I will be handing this car over to Dad as my gift to him, it was a no brainer really. I am a bike person, I love the car. But I don't really need it that much. In my day to day life its just office and home. But would definitely be taking it for long drives and keeping this thread updated with my findings and would love to keep answering any questions people have about the car. Some of the things I've noticed since I got the new EcoSport are - Wipers are nice, I didn't get to drive the EcoBoost in the rain.
- The car only came with a single carpet for the driver. : /
- I feel the accessories for the EcoSport are expensive.
- The diesel can be left in a gear without worrying too much, it potters on.
- The diesel noise in cabin is a little bit more than I'd like.
- I LOVE THE REVERSE SENSORS (the eco boost that I had didn't have them.)
- Black color with the chrome all around looks great!
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