[royfernandez]

At the outset let me introduce myself as a Newbie to TBHP. Just joined last week.

Dealership Experience:

I would like to place on record my sincere gratitude for the wonderful service given to me by the MPL Ford team in Chennai.
I had booked my Ford Ecosport on 21-Jun-13 when I had met Mr. Sivaganesan. I paid the booking amount (Rs. 25K noit Rs. 50K) even before the prices were announced by Ford. I had initially booked Mars Red colour and then changed the model from Diesel to Automatic and Sea Grey color. Every time I called Sivganesan he was most courteous and he never over committed on the date of delivery. I could not get a test drive on the EcoSport AT model since none of the Ford dealers in Chennai & I guess everywhere else were provided a Test drive car. I however drove my neighbor’s Fiesta AT which shares the same 1.5P Engine and AT transmission with the EcoSport & made up my mind on the EcoSport 1.5P AT. Even though I kept on called Siva to inquire about the delivery date he used to patiently listen to me and assured me that I will be given priority when the AT cars were allotted to the dealers.

I was promised delivery only end Sep'13 and I was very pleasantly surprised when Siva called me on 1-Aug-13 to say that I can take delivery on 9-Aug-13.

The whole delivery process was handled very smoothly by Siva and his team. I would like to mention Venkatesh, Sultan & Venkat Raghavan who ensured every time I visited MPL Ford showroom I was treated like a King.

When D day for delivery finally arrived – 9-Aug-13 (RAMADAN DAY) I met Mr. Sanjay at the MPL Ford pick-up point who patiently explained the car features and did all the paper work all in a matter of 10 minutes. There was an Anglo Indian boy (whose name I cannot recollect) also at the Pick up point who was also very knowledgeable and took extra care and trouble to hand over the car in a pristine condition.

Finally the MPL Service Manager Mr. Senthil and his team examined the car in detail and did some fine tuning before finally handing over the car to me.

This is absolutely the very best customer experience I have had in my life and as a 1st time Ford owner I am amazed that the MPL Ford team is so customer centric especially when I hear horror stories of other Ford dealers behaving in an arrogant and unprofessional manner with customers since Ford has received over 30,000 bookings. It was a wonderful experience and clearly illustrates how a Car dealership should be run.

Thank you once again to all the MPL Ford team and rest assured and I am proud to belong the "Blue Oval Club"


I decided to go in for the 4 year / 1,00,000 km warranty right since day 1. MPL is yet to finalize the Total Maintenance Plan for 4 years which should be similar to the Figo around Rs. 14K where basically you only pay for the fuel and Tyres.

Ownership Experience:

I got the Ford Ecosport 1.5P AT in Sea Grey Color and she is an absolute stunner. The OTR in Chennai was Rs. 10.14 Lakhs which is an amazing value for money proposition considering the features that it packs in.
The overall size is just correct and Ford’s positioning it as an Urban SUV is just apt. It is not too big and not too small just perfect for city use and superb for long distance travel.
There were 74 kms when I took the keys. The minute I cranked her up (the AT doesn’t come with Push button start unfortunately) the feeling of belonging just took over. My previous Car was the original mighty muscular Scorpio DX 2006 model 2.6 CRDE which I had done 93K kms and was my companion, friend & buddy for 7 years !

It was the first time I was driving an AT car and the feeling was superb but my driving was a little tentative. The MPL pick-up point in Chennai is located in busting T’Nagar (Chennai TBHP members will know what I am talking about) and to wade through the massive traffic was 1 hell of a experience to say the least. I was more scared of scraping against the infamous Chennai Auto-rickshaws than actually enjoying the ride.

Driving Experience:

The driver’s seating is just perfect but I missed the Scorpio high seating, which allows me to see the Bonnet edge, which I am unable to do in the ES. The engine is very responsive in City traffic and I am able to revv away (which I normally don’t do) from other traffic at a signal with ease. The D mode is a little sluggish in the mid-range and you need to really floor the accelerator to get it to respond. But my driving style is pretty sedate. My friends call my driving as “Driving Miss Daisy”, cool calm and collected rather than the weaving maniacal drivers we encounter every day. There is very minimal NVH and yes Ford has done a superb job of sound insulation. The music system sounds even more superb with such good quality sound insulation; only when pedal meets metal do you really hear the Engine sound faintly.
I have completed only 660 kms out of which close to 350 km has been on NH 45 from Chennai to Villupuram & back yesterday. Absolutely no rattles or noises as yet!

What I love:

-Amazing Climate control. The cabin cools to 22degrees with a few minutes if when parked under the hot sun. Recommended to set the temperature to 22 degrees.
-SYNC, still not mastered it as yet.
-Seating position & comfort
-3 Aux options for Music (BT; Line in & USB) apart from FM & CD player gives a wide choices of devices that can be used for ICE
-Glove compartment chiller even though I am yet to use it.
-Crystal clear Clarity of Telephone calls through SYNC. Spoke to my sister in Australia for 45 minutes on Viber & Tango clarity was even better than using the handset.
-Boot space is more than adequate really cannot understand what the whole crib was about inadequate luggage space. I picked up my cousin from the Airport and was able to fit 2 International specification suitcases 1 on top of the other without a problem, without folding the seats.
-Great Lumbar support for the Drivers seat however the seats don’t encompass you as the Fiesta does but still great for Long distance driving.


What I detest:

-No Leather seats on the AT. Beige fabric seats. Cannot use Leather seat covers since the SRS Airbags are on the front seats. However the Ford SA informed me that Ford is coming out with special Leather seat covers for the SRS Airbags so all you Titanium owners take heart.
-No Push Button Start. Cannot forgive Ford for not providing this for the AT. MUST HAVE BEEN A PRICING DECISION.
-Thick A-pillar (Have to be very Cautious especially in heavy traffic of bikes and cyclists), Will probably get used to it in a couple of months
-Ride quality is very stiff and you can feel the bumps or speed breakers. My 7 year old Scorpio was much better in absorbing the bumps.

Space:

Adequate & comfortable Front & Rear leg room. I am 5’11 and the passenger behind me could stretch his legs. As I said the front seats have very good Lumbar support, which makes the back support ideal for extended driving periods. The rear seats have excellent thigh support & there are 2 Reclining angles. I could accommodate 3 Adults but it was not as comfortable as my Scorpio Rear seats. This isn’t a major issue for me because 99.99% of the time, I carry 2 or maximum 3 passengers.

Handling:

The EcoSport maneuvers great in the bumper-to-bumper chaotic Chennai city traffic, thanks to the super light electric power steering wheel. I find this a big big plus compared to my Scorpio hydraulic power Steering, which felt like driving a truck. I was skeptical of how it would handle at high speeds on the highway but was surprised to note there was an adequate weighted feel. The power steering by the way has a feature that balances the steering compensating the over steer in heavy cross winds on the highway or when a heavy vehicle passes you at high speed on the highway. Once again could not understand the earlier cribs about the super light steering, I guess it’s a matter of preferences really.
Suspension & ride quality:

The overall suspension is very stiff which I think Ford has done a wise thing considering the Indian roads but it still is very bouncy on bad roads but otherwise it remains completely stable on smooth & even surfaces.

Engine:

The 1.5P Engine is same as the Fiesta and I find it very smooth and powerful but is slightly underpowered compared to the 2.6 CRDE engine of my Scorpio. I used the Sport mode on the Highway and with the amazing Tiptronic shift was able to downshift to obtain extra torque for overtaking maneuvers. I kept the speed at a constant 90 kmph on the highway drive and got a decent 12 kmp/l. Ford guys assure me that the AT will surely give an FE up to 15 kmp/l after the 1st service since the Dual Clutch transmission is geared for high FE. It also depends on the way you drive. The AT Transmission comes with a 10 year warranty which however is not stated anywhere. It is a sealed unit.

ICE :

The stock audio system (Ford guys told me it was a Kenwood) and 6 speakers (2 tweeters only for the AT) is extremely good, compares to my 10 speaker Alpine system in my Scorpio. I have a dilemma since I disconnected my Alpine 150W Power Amp from my Scorpio before selling it, with an idea of fitting it on the ES, but the Ford guys tell me if I touch the system the warranty would be void. My IPhone 5 syncs beautifully with the MS SYNC system & music sounds superb on the BT Audio. As mentioned before I am yet to come across an ICE system with so many device options on the AUX (BT; Line In & USB). 1 small disadvantage playing a music device through the Line in is that the steering next track / previous track controls do not work but the volume buttons work. However you can use the SYNC voice controls to select the songs on the music device connected through Line In. I have more than 20,000 tracks on all my 3 devices combined (IPhone; IPod Touch & USB stick)

Multimedia Information Display:

The MID is a bright blue color and just blows your senses away. Had no problem with the feedback lag (mentioned in earlier blogs) when you press the 4 way direction key to select different options on the MID display.

Usage Pattern:

My daily commute to the Office is 5 kms so it would work out to 10 kms per day and probably around 75-100 kms on the week ends. With the Diesel/ Petrol price differential expected to come down to Rs. 5/- to Rs. 10/- before the next election next year the Petrol option should become a preferred choice for EcoSport buyers with a similar usage pattern. Petrol EcoSport I find is much smoother their Diesel siblings.

Exterior Design & Build quality:

The design is just awesome and I find it just right without overdoing it like the way the XUV500 is designed especially in the front. Compact SUV. 4 meters, 200 mm ground clearance & 10 lakhs on the road is going to blow away the competition…Seen some previous threads describing the EcoSport as a hatch on stilts !!!! Feel that is very unfair for a wonderful Automobile. Have not yet experienced any wind noise at 90 kmph since the NVH insulation is superb. The AT doesn’t come with an Engine protector but could not fit 1 since the dealer didn’t have any stock. With the Engine Protector the NVH levels should further reduce is my estimation!

The EcoSport build quality is absolutely mind blowing. You need to use Sylvester Stallone force to pull the doors shut. The doors are extremely solid and close with loud thud just like my German Opel Corsa. The rear door opens with a small electric button cleverly designed in the Tail Light & needs to be opened just a few cms and the rest of the door opens hydraulically. I just love the rear design and yet to get the Front & Rear Bumper Appliques which was out of stock. I read a review stating that because of the high view line at the rear the back is claustrophobic, The passengers I carried didn’t complain at all, so I guess once again it’s a matter of opinion.
One thing to note is the visibility when reversing is extremely challenging but the rear parking sensors work like a dream and I am slowly getting used to parking it depending totally on the sensors which is very accurate and even mutes the music when the parking sensors activate, a nice touch from Ford.

Interior Design & Quality:

The AT Interiors are unique 2 tone, it comes with dark grey on the upper panels and beige lower panels which matches beautifully with beige fabric for the seats. A point to note is that there are no grab rails because of the curtain air bags and this is sometimes a problem especially for the passengers.
There are lots of cubby holes all around and there is an independent boot light as well. There is chiller in the glove box which can be turned off when not in use.
The dash board display is just awesome especially in night and the speedometer & Tach needles glow with a fluorescent blue which is awesome & gives the feel of upper end luxury car interiors.

Seat comfort:
A point to note is the lumbar support for the drivers seat which goes with Blue Oval Club philosophy that Ford truly produces Driver’s Cars.

Climate Control:

The best ever A/c comparable to the luxury car segment. 1 thread had mentioned that every time you start the car you need to press the re-circulation button. Ford has designed this specifically to allow fresh air to enter the cabin and remove Cabin odor, which is to be appreciated.

Gear Shift:

The AT Gear shift is just perfect and the Tiptronic works like a charm in the Sports Mode. 1 feature to note for all future AT buyers is that you cannot remove the key until you shift the Gear to the P mode which once again is a safety feature that takes getting used to if you haven’t driven an AT before.

Fuel efficiency:

The MID displays the Avg FE and also guides you how to drive more smoothly to extract better FE. I currently get 10kmp/l in city and 12 kmp/l on the highway which is what I expected but I am sure it will start to deliver 12-15 kmp/l after the 1st service.
Tyres:
The AT came fitted with the MRF to my dismay. Fortunately I exchanged it with an Aftermarket dealer for a set of 5 GoodYears with a total cost of Rs. 8K. The drive quality was very hard with the MRF and there was a screeching sound also which does not happen with the Good Years. Further I have used a new product called PFZ (Puncture Free Tires) which is a liquid poured into the tyres which acts as a sealant in case of a puncture and also prevents valve and side wall leaks. I will post a separate thread on this and there is a warranty for the life of the Tyre. It costs Rs. 3K for all 5 Tyres which is an amazing deal for a little peace of mind.

Spotting :
I guess the EcoSport are a novelty but in the last 10 days I have been stopped by total strangers sometimes in traffic who wanted to know how the car performed and what were its features Till date the count is 10.

Accessories:

MPL Ford provided the following items in the Essential pack which includes the following 6 items:

a. Floor Carpets
b. Boot Carpet
c. Mud Flaps (Front & Rear)
d. Metallic Keychain
e. Document Holder
f. Perfume Kit
g. Waxpol Paint treatment with a 6 month warranty.

I also ordered the following accessories :
1) Front & Rear Bumper appliques in silver (Out of stock).
2) LED Scratch plates (Out of stock).
3) Sporty Pedals for the AT
I do not intend to put a spare wheel cover since it spoils the SUV look.
Am in the process of doing the Photos which will be done tommorrow

[arunphilip]

Congratulations, and thank you for your ownership experience. I think a lot of people who shied away from the AT based on the Fiesta review (like me!) will be having second thoughts about it.

Originally Posted by royfernandez

1 small disadvantage playing a music device through the Line in is that the steering next track / previous track controls do not work but the volume buttons work. However you can use the SYNC voice controls to select the songs on the music device connected through Line In.

I'm surprised at this. Line in is a one-way connection (device to car), so there's no way you can change tracks through sync or the steering. Volume is applied in the head unit so its understandable you're able to control the volume. Are you sure you've not connected your iPod through the USB connector, which would enable track control?

Originally Posted by royfernandez

A point to note is that there are no grab rails because of the curtain air bags and this is sometimes a problem especially for the passengers.

Tell them to buckle up! Seriously, I think the absence of grab handles is a very good way of getting people in the rear seats to use their seatbelts.

[Vid6639]

Mod's note: Thanks for the detailed review. This post is worthy of a dedicated thread.

[nipcarlover]

Congrats on the EcoSport AT!

I think this is the first AT EcoSport on TBHP!

Very nice review so far, but do post some pics!

Hope you have an awesome time with the EcoSport!

[penpavan]

Congratulations! Do post some pictures.
I feel not having start/stop button is a good thing because it has a big disadvantage that it discourages you to switch the car off at signals (because it will turn off the music system)

[deetjohn]

Nice review there. To the point and quite insightful. Thanks for sharing this with us.

A couple of pictures, especially the interiors will do no harm. Have a nice ride with the EcoSport.

Originally Posted by royfernandez

Gear Shift:1 feature to note for all future AT buyers is that you cannot remove the key until you shift the Gear to the P mode which once again is a safety feature that takes getting used to if you haven’t driven an AT before.

This thoughtful feature is there in the A-star AT as well.

[sawnilrules]

Originally Posted by royfernandez

Gear Shift:

[The AT Gear shift is just perfect and the Tiptronic works like a charm in the Sports Mode. 1 feature to note for all future AT buyers is that you cannot remove the key until you shift the Gear to the P mode which once again is a safety feature that takes getting used to if you haven’t driven an AT before.

Congratulations on your car mate!!! Its good to see EcoSport raining on Team-Bhp, it is no doubt becoming current hearth robe of the nation. You will be surprised, I am on a look out for a compact hatchback for city runs, as moving in sedan out in Mumbai is becoming painful day by day, Out of 5 different owners i met in relation to selling their old cars, 4 of them are upgrading to ES, in fact one of them is a team-bhpian.

Coming to the point of removing the key after slotting the gear in P mode. It is an inherent function of all automatic cars, not specific to any brand as such. I drive a City AT, it also has a similar feature, I cannot remove the key unless the car is slotted in P mode. In fact, if you pay close attention, you will realize, that the car will not start also, unless the gear is slotted in P mode if you happen to crank off the car at signals. If you try to start the car by slotting in any other modes, it will give you a blank crank.

The reason for this function is that, there is no manual clutch in our cars, so when the car is slotted in any other mode, except Neutral, the car is already in a gear. So if you happen to start the car in D, R or S mode, it will damage the gear-box. If you were to drive a manual car, while in gear you would depress the clutch to start the engine and move forward... So this is a thoughtful safety feature inherently present in all Automatics.

[urajkumar]

Originally Posted by royfernandez

I would like to place on record my sincere gratitude for the wonderful service given to me by the MPL Ford team in Chennai.

I decided to go in for the 4 year / 1,00,000 km warranty right since day 1. MPL is yet to finalize the Total Maintenance Plan for 4 years

The ES build quality is absolutely mind blowing. You need to use Sylvester Stallone force to pull the doors shut.

One thing to note is the visibility when reversing is extremely challenging but the rear parking sensors work like a dream

Congratulations on owning the first AT in Team BHP! I had booked the AT with MPL ford on 13 June but reconsidered it later due to many reasons. It is absolutely worth every rupee considering the goodies you get @ just 10 lakhs!

The MPL ford team has been superb. I am glad it was not isolated to my SA alone and the entire team is like that! Kudos to MPL!

I didnt understand the 4 year maintenance plan! Do they have something like that? Can you please share more details once you get more clarity?

Closing the doors do take a little time but you will soon get the hang of it! Gives confidence on the car build quality!

The reverse parking sensors do help i am sure but also consider installing a rear camera! I have installed one and its absolutely worth it considering the rear area is totally blind!

Congrats again on a nice crisp review & wishing you many happy miles on the AT! Welcome to the Chennai family of Ecosports!

[royfernandez]

Yes You are right Arun Philip. I just realised that I had swapped the IPod Touch from the Line In to the USB. Voice commands DO NOT work with any Music Device connected to Line IN You can only control the Volume from the steering controls.,Sorry my error

Originally Posted by arunphilip

Congratulations, and thank you for your ownership experience. I think a lot of people who shied away from the AT based on the Fiesta review (like me!) will be having second thoughts about it.



I'm surprised at this. Line in is a one-way connection (device to car), so there's no way you can change tracks through sync or the steering. Volume is applied in the head unit so its understandable you're able to control the volume. Are you sure you've not connected your iPod through the USB connector, which would enable track control?



Tell them to buckle up! Seriously, I think the absence of grab handles is a very good way of getting people in the rear seats to use their seatbelts.

Originally Posted by urajkumar

Congratulations on owning the first AT in Team BHP! I had booked the AT with MPL ford on 13 June but reconsidered it later due to many reasons. It is absolutely worth every rupee considering the goodies you get @ just 10 lakhs!

The MPL ford team has been superb. I am glad it was not isolated to my SA alone and the entire team is like that! Kudos to MPL!

I didnt understand the 4 year maintenance plan! Do they have something like that? Can you please share more details once you get more clarity?

Closing the doors do take a little time but you will soon get the hang of it! Gives confidence on the car build quality!

The reverse parking sensors do help i am sure but also consider installing a rear camera! I have installed one and its absolutely worth it considering the rear area is totally blind!

Congrats again on a nice crisp review & wishing you many happy miles on the AT! Welcome to the Chennai family of Ecosports!

Dear Urajkumar,

The Total Maintainence Plan is yet to be released by Ford for the Eco Sport but is expected to be the same as the Fiesta which is Rs. 14,900/- for 4 years Bumper to Bumper all consumables except Tyres & Fuel.

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[Reinhard]

Hey, welcome to TBHP & hearty congratulations on the new car. Wishing you unlimited safe & happy miles with the urban SUV.

Pictures please!!

Could you explain the factors that contributed to you switching from the TDCI to petrol AT? A friend of mine has finalized the EcoSport as his next car & booking is imminent. He is on the fence between diesel & petrol+AT. Your advise would be of help. Thanks!

[royfernandez]

Originally Posted by Reinhard

Hey, welcome to TBHP & hearty congratulations on the new car. Wishing you unlimited safe & happy miles with the urban SUV.

Pictures please!!

Could you explain the factors that contributed to you switching from the TDCI to petrol AT? A friend of mine has finalized the EcoSport as his next car & booking is imminent. He is on the fence between diesel & petrol+AT. Your advise would be of help. Thanks!

Dear Reinhard, I switched from the TDCI to AT only because I seriously believe that the price differential between Diesel & Petrol would be about Rs. 5-7/- by mid 2014 before the Elections. I also believe that Diesle vehicles are more expensive to maintain being the owner of a Scorpio for 7 years but the real clincher was that I wanted an AT because 95% of the time I would use the car to negotiate city traffic.

[MetalBuff]

Congratulations! The first Ecosport AT on Team-BHP!

Pictures are a must alongwith with this concise writeup of yours. Wishing you an awesome combination of many years and miles with your new acquisition.

Closely glued to this thread to gain insight into how the AT performs, FE figures and the upkeep costs & numbers.

One question - Is the AT variant offered only in the top Titanium(O) trim?

Also, could you please share a picture of the rear legroom after the driver's seat has been adjusted as per your preference? Thank you.

-Shivang Gandotra

[naveen.raju]

Congrats on your ride. Looks like yours will be the first AT Ecosport here on Tbhp. Now for some pics and loads of them. Enjoy your ride and keep us updated.

[anandpadhye]

Originally Posted by royfernandez

I used the Sport mode on the Highway and with the amazing Tiptronic shift was able to downshift to obtain extra torque for overtaking maneuvers.

So Sports mode is same as tiptronic? And how do you manually change gears? Via paddle shifters? Skoda/VW DSGs offer two modes - sports, which allows the engine to redline before upshifting and tiptronic, which allows the driver to manually change the gears. I thought Ford did not offer tiptronic mode on the Fiesta, just the sports mode. On EcoSport AT, they have offered both?

[Reinhard]

Originally Posted by anandpadhye

So Sports mode is same as tiptronic? And how do you manually change gears? Via paddle shifters? Skoda/VW DSGs offer two modes - sports, which allows the engine to redline before upshifting and tiptronic, which allows the driver to manually change the gears. I thought Ford did not offer tiptronic mode on the Fiesta, just the sports mode. On EcoSport AT, they have offered both?

IIRC, the EcoSport has tiptronic but no paddle shifters. The shift is using the floor gear stick, in the tiptronic position that is on the side of the normal R-P-D-S travel line.