23 August 2013, Friday - Ford EcoSport delivered without advance booking amount! The Mystery solved:
Let me get the mystery part out of the way first - on how we got our Ford EcoSport 1.5 litre Petrol AT (automatic transmission) Titanium variant without any booking amount. After all, it is August 2013 and Ford has so many bookings with advance payments for its EcoSport that they had closed the booking for many variants, including the automatic transmission, a few days ago.
After the launch and the announcement of the price, I heard that there were so many bookings and that the delivery schedule was so long and uncertain that I decided not to book the EcoSport. Less than a week from launch a cousin who had booked the Titanium Diesel variant pushed me to make a booking. So in the first week after the price was announced I made a booking and paid an advance of Rs.50,000 by cheque like many others including my cousin. My choice of colour was 'Moondust silver' or 'chill'.
Every other week I would make a casual call to, or query by sms, the Chennai Ford sales person interacting with me on the delivery schedule, even though we were not in any tearing hurry to get the EcoSport as the three other cars with us (Hyundai Santro, Honda Jazz and Toyota Corolla Altis - ownership reports on two of these elsewhere on this forum) were quite adequate. He would say that it would definitely be delivered in a few weeks and that he was earnestly tracking it; I did not pressurize him to commit a date.
Early this week the sales person called me and said he could deliver our EcoSport this weekend or latest by early next week and we were pleasantly surprised knowing that there is a huge demand and waiting period for the EcoSport. One other friend who was well connected to a city dealer was still on the waiting list. The sales person mentioned that we were lucky to get the second delivery of the automatic variant from their show room even though there were bookings for 30+ automatic transmissions, 300+ petrols and 800+ diesels. We traded in our 2004 Santro for rupees one lakh internal transfer from 'Ford Assured' Pre-owned cars division. The balance amount [on road cost - (advance 50k + trade in value 1 lakh)] was paid by RTGS to Chennai Ford. The delivery was scheduled for today, Friday the 23rd of August 2013.
Yesterday, Thursday, 22.August.2013 around 3 pm I got a call from the Chennai Ford sales person saying that another 50K rupees must be given to them by RTGS transfer, demand draft or cash since my advance payment cheque had bounced. That was a shocker to me as it had never happened before and there was enough money in my account to be debited. My bank was scheduled to close by 4 pm. I informed the bank about my needs and went there quickly. My bank informed me that no 50k cheque was debited from my account and they could not explain why as all prior and later cheques were cleared by them. The RTGS was erratic at that time due to some server issues (it was mentioned in today's newspapers too) and so they issued a demand draft for 50K which I deposited yesterday at Chennai Ford and our EcoSport was registered with the RTO and delivered to us today 23.August.2013.
I had checked with the sales person and told him to find out what had happened. He produced my cheque that had been returned along with a tag that mentioned "Alteration/ correction prohibited in CTS'.
This is what had happened - on the advance payment date the sales person wanted a small correction in the cheque and I had made the correction and signed alongside the correction as per his request, but current rules apparently prohibit all corrections, even if initialled/ signed, and hence it had been returned. The Chennai Ford accounts section had collected the cheque and failed to inform me that the cheque had been returned. Hence I essentially ended up paying no advance at the time of booking about 2 months earlier and our EcoSport was delivered to us with no advance payment; payment was made just 3 days before the delivery! With that mystery solved, let me present my views on the Ford EcoSport 1.5L AT.
Need for a new car:
Our 2004 Santro was getting old and for the last few years we had been looking to change it.
Our 2010 Toyota Corolla Altis was mainly used by us for out station trips or for chauffeuring one of us (mostly me) in the city. Unlike our elder son, I and my wife drove the Altis only when the chauffeur was not available; while we loved to drive it and also enjoyed the back seat comfort when chauffeured, the large size was an occasional irritant to drive and park in the city. The Altis travelled about 20 to 40 km/ day when the chauffeur was available; a few out station trips were also part of the usage pattern. It has done more than 35k kms.
The 2010 Honda Jazz is used by my wife for about 20 kms a day whenever she had to drive. When the chauffeur was not available, she would take the Santro and I would take the Jazz. Over 19k kms so far on the Jazz.
Our elder son uses the Santro or the other two cars on weekends for short intra city drives. Over 77k kms on the Santro so far.
All of us loved the high driving position of tall cars - I had driven a few MUVs and SUVs belonging to friends and relatives during out station trips - and so we decided to go for a mini SUV or SUV. We preferred petrol - none of us liked the vibrations and noise associated with diesels; just a personal preference with no intention to hurt others. We decided to go for a car with automatic transmission, for the convenience factor in heavy city traffic, that I or my wife could use when the chauffeur was not available.
Options looked at:
The Ford Fusion was almost in our garage a few years back for its tough build, high ground clearance, amazing handling etc but the poor off take by the market made us give it a miss. A friend who had it enjoyed it to the hilt.
The price of the Skoda Yeti at the time of launch put us off. Diesel and lack of automatic transmission were other deterrents even though we otherwise loved the car for its build quality and fit and finish. A brief test drive and strong recommendations from three friends who own the Yeti could not change our minds. A close relative having some major trouble with a one month old diesel Laura was also a put off.
The Renault Duster looked interesting but the hard clutch was dissuading. Some friends also complained about the hard clutch.
The Hyundai i20 was an also ran for us since it had been in the market for some time and there was nothing fresh about it. It was initially a serious contender due to the availability of petrol automatic version.
The Toyota Fortuner had us bowled over and we almost booked it but the practical issues of parking it due to its large size made us change our mind. I had driven a manual variant on the highways where it was to our liking, but most of our driving would be in the city.
The Volkswagen Polo 1.2 TSI was the closest second in line because of the buzzy petrol engine, super swift DSG gear box, and build quality that oozed longevity. A test drive almost had us paying the advance in spite of the two month waiting period. Some questions raised about the reliability of the DSG on various forums, a not too long two year warranty on the expensive gear box, the need to idle the petrol turbo engine for 30 seconds to 1 minute every time before switching off the engine, a very bad experience of a close relative with a Vento that has stopped dead on its tracks several times with umpteen visits to the work shop not out sorting the problem made us give up on the Polo TSI with a heavy heart. Cramped interiors and low seating position were other deterrents.
Have used Premier Padmini, Maruti 800, Maruti Zen (the original), Maruti Versa and Maruti DZire also earlier - all sold.
The EcoSport ticked all the boxes and we were watching it from the time of the original announcement more than a year ago. We had tracked several of them on multiple trips on the Chennai - Ulundurpet highway and absolutely fell in love with the profile. Several delays in the launch did not deter us from waiting. We had a look at the car at MPL Ford close to my work place before the launch and were sold on it. Test drive of the Petrol 1 litre Ecoboost and the 1.5 litre diesel at Chennai Ford convinced us to book the automatic transmission variant even without a test drive (of the AT variant) available anywhere on the horizon. My cousin and another professional colleague were both happy with the EcoSport diesels they had purchased.
Booking and Delivery:
Decided to book at Chennai Ford because 1. The sales and service centre are closer to home. 2. My cousin had booked a Diesel Titanium there - he took delivery of it a month ago, even though we booked it at the same time.
The sales person was very polite, made me sign a few forms for the booking process and took the cheque for 50k (details mentioned earlier). He gave a written promise of full refund without any deductions if I were to cancel my booking after test driving the automatic transmission or for whatever reason including delays in the delivery schedule.
The diesel EcoSport recall during the waiting period was a cause for concern considering that we had seen so many test mules, so many times on the road. Still we did not cancel our booking - hope we don't burn our fingers.
Cut to the delivery process - The sales person told me they would show our EcoSport to us yesterday, the day before the registration process, but that did not happen. A few documents were signed. He told me that if I leave my passport with him as identity proof I could take delivery the next evening after registration. Since I was not too happy about that for fear of my passport getting lost, I was told to come to Chennai Ford at 11 am to accompany the car to the RTO office.
11 am today I reach Chennai Ford and was told that the computer servers are very slow and there is a big delay in uploading Form 20 or something similar. Our EcoSport arrived from the yard and a wash was pending. Otherwise the inspection was satisfactory. For some reason I did not ask for a test drive - beats me. I told the sales person to go ahead and register the EcoSport in my name.
Finally at 12.15 pm they tell me that Form 20 is done but e-payment is getting delayed due to the same server problem - both server problems not at their company end. Around 1 pm I am told that the registration will have to be postponed to Monday 26.Aug.2013 since the RTO inspection ends at 1 pm and the inspectors would go for lunch after which they would inspect only heavy vehicles.
Around 1.30 pm the e-payment is finally done but I am told the registration can be done only on Monday. On pushing every one accessible at the Chennai Ford office, frantic calls are made to the Chennai Ford liaison person outside the RTO office who says it is impossible to register today. I coax them to take the car and give it a try and they agree even though they are not convinced it is possible. We drive there, the liaison person gets the papers ready and we wait for the inspector who was inspecting other vehicles elsewhere. Finally the inspector comes where our car is parked and without any fuss does the needful and signs the documents. He spoke to me very politely when I introduced myself to him and we even exchanged our mobile numbers in case I needed any help from him or vice versa. He returned my passport and went on to inspect the next car, a Honda Amaze. The EcoSport went back to the show room and I went to work in our Corolla Altis with advice to return to the showroom at 6 pm today to take delivery of our EcoSport.
The delivery process at 6 pm was very smooth. All documents of the car were explained. The debit note will be issued tomorrow. The RTO documents will take 20 to 30 days. The standard 2 year warranty is 2 years or 1 lakh kms and the extended 4 year warranty is for 4 years or 1 lakh kms - hmmm, have to check on that again.
24 hour Ford help line number and mobile number of service personnel were provided. Every 2nd and 4th Saturday of the month there will be a meeting in the first floor of the Chennai Ford showroom at Arumbakkam, Chennai where service and maintenance details will be discussed - must attend one and see what is discussed.
Most of the features except the blue tooth sync were explained. Another inspection of the EcoSport revealed nothing obviously amiss. A copy of the team-bhp advice on pre-delivery inspection and check list on my phone served as a useful guide. There was a pooja, a group photo, and a drive around nearby roads and lanes with a showroom staff to acquaint us with the features before we drove home.
The fuel empty light came on as we reached home and the odometer was at 88 kms when we reached home; it was at 73 kms when I first inspected the EcoSport in the morning.
The number plates will be delivered at 5.30 pm on Saturday and we are planning to use the car after that on Sunday since the chauffeur will be having his weekly day off.
Cost:
The on-road price is Rs.1008927. No discounts were offered or asked. Ex-showroom - 860012, Insurance from Royal Sundaram - 34329, Regn & Life tax, Extended 3rd and 4th year warranty and RSA - 106886, Essential pack and Waxoyl - 7700.
The Ford EcoSport 1.5L Petrol Titanium AT (Automatic transmission):
Many of us love SUVs but the large size is a deterrent for some of us. Had always considered the Safari, Scorpio, Fortuner etc but had been put off by their humongous size. The mini-SUV looks of the EcoSport and its killer price make it a best seller, at least till the competition catches up. In spite of two months having passed since the deliveries begun and many EcoSports on Chennai roads, it is still a head turner with many on the road giving it more than a passing glance. Ford has hit the sweet part and hit it really hard.
It definitely seems more solidly built than the Japanese Altis, Jazz and the South Korean Santro but looks a wee bit off mark in the fit and finish department when compared to the European Laura and Polo. The doors are heavy and close with the much sought after thud. Our younger son had difficulty moving the door. Wish the tail gate had opened upwards, but with the tire mounted there it might have been difficult to implement. The black cladding all around adds to the tough look. Body graphics above the cladding may break the touch of monotony there. Does anyone else feel that the ORVMs are protruding more than some other cars or am I mistaken? The ORVMs have a dotted line and the view seems to be different in the two segments - not used to it and find it a bit confusing. The fuel tank lid appears more delicate than the one in Jazz.
The dash board is huge and awareness of the front boundaries of the EcoSport is limited; guess one might get used to it in course of time. Height adjust on the driver's seat, tilt and telescoping function of the steering wheel help to get the optimum driving position. Find the driver side left arm rest a bit uncomfortable; have to figure out why. We are unlikely to seat more than four at a time and hence the interior space is not an issue for us. Getting in and out is a breeze and no way convoluted as in some low slung cars. Leg room is adequate. Rear seat recline and mobile charger is very thoughtful. Wonder if the reverse sensors account for the tail gate mounted tire. Was told the doors will open if the lever is yanked even if the central locking is on - yes, it does; very strange. Grab handles will be missed if the passengers are concerned about the driving pattern.
Always find that the climate control is better than a regular car aircon. The one on the EcoSports chills very fast as experienced in mine and my cousins, even in hot and humid Chennai and even without sun film etc.
Was not too enthused with the gearing on the diesel and petrol manual transmission variants after the slick shifts on our Jazz. Plan to drive our automatic only in the 'D' mode and not in the 'S' mode during the break in period. Not sure if we will ever use the minuscule and clumsy tiptronic. Limited driving impression is that the gear box is close if not equal to the DSG on the Laura and Polo and definitely better than the torque converter units on the i10 and i20. The shifts were super smooth and I could not feel any jerks; the change in the engine note and the rpm counter were the only giveaways. Guess the feet and hands are going to get the much needed rest. The vibration and noise levels from the engine were significantly less than in the diesel variant.
Although did not feeling like chucking any of the EcoSport variants like the Polo TSI in view of the high centre of gravity it was quite comfortable to drive in the city when compared to the Fortuner; after all the EcoSport is a few sizes smaller. Guess no one should expect the foot to metal fun of a low slung hatch back or sedan on an urban/ mini SUV. The engine is smooth and NVH levels are quite low at sedate city speeds. High speed and high way experience to be seen after the engine break in period. Am not too bothered about the lack of push button start. The suspension took the bad roads quite smoothly with no thuds as felt in the Polo TSI; not as soft as the Altis but neither as jarring as our Jazz. Rolls more than the Jazz but I get the feel it does not roll much more than the Altis over the city potholes and bumps.
Although some complain that the steering is too soft I personally like it this way. Braking seemed adequate at city speeds. Good Year tires on our automatic variant - apparently better than the other brand that EcoSport also comes with.
The left side turn indicator stalk may take some time getting used to but it might be easier since the left hand will mostly be free in our automatic transmission variant. Everybody's pet peeve - why can't they shift this stalk to the right side when they can shift the whole steering wheel?
Loaded with safety features - ABS, six airbags, Emergency brake assist, Electronic stability control, Traction control system, Hill launch assist, Emergency assist phone call - some of these found only in the automatic variant.
Have to check out the music system, blue tooth functions etc in more detail. Initial impression is that the sound quality is definitely better than on the Polo TSI. Audio controls on the steering wheel is a great convenience especially considering that the EcoSport has a myriad of buttons.
Fuel efficiency will take some time to find out. Have to go through the owner's manual too.
Accessories planned:
The car is so equipped to the gills with features that not many may need to be added. A few are in my wish list though.
Engine guard: Am told an engine guard that comes in some variants is not part of the package for the automatic variant. The accessory which should be available in a couple of days is apparently of better quality than what comes as a factory fitment. Guess I will buy it as soon as it is available to prevent damage to the engine.
Spare remote key: One key comes with a remote and the other does not. Have been told that they have to find out how to get a spare - another must buy for me.
Seat covers: Apparently not possible at present due to the airbags in the seat but am told something is on the way.
Spare wheel cover: Many reports say that the spare wheel will get dirty soon if left exposed to the elements but my cousin says that the other four wheels are more exposed and so what if the fifth one is also exposed and gets dirty. The sales person from the accessories section points out the provision for locking the wheel cover which would be a deterrent against theft of the spare wheel. This locking mechanism however looks quite flimsy and we have to wait to find out the incidence of spare wheel thefts among those with and without this accessory. Yet to make up my mind on this one.
Reverse camera: Looks essential with the poor rear visibility. Looking for one with front proximity sensors; the car comes with reverse assist sensors. Find the reverse assist sensors very useful on our Altis and the reverse assist and front proximity sensors on our Jazz very useful.
Front and rear guards: Not recommended by many, but considering them to protect from damage to the car. Wife not too keen at present and so may give it a miss.
Side running board and roof rack: May or may not go for them.
Some of the accessories are packaged with others and strangely the total cost of the package is lower than the cost of the highest costing unit of the package. Have to decide on these before they change their mind and hike the cost or discontinue the package.
In conclusion:
Love the shape and stance. Loaded with safety features. The high driving position will give a better view of the road. The high ground clearance and wading depth should prevent bottoming out on our cities pot holed roads and give more courage to drive in post rain water logged roads. The automatic transmission is going to increase the driving pleasure.
Am told spares, service and maintenance cost will be higher compared to Japanese car makers; hope it is not too bad. If the turn indicator stalk had been on the right side it might have been second nature to use. Wish Ford provided test drives of the EcoSport automatic transmissions too - many will be bowled over.
More after further drives. As the Ford team wished us, "Happy Motoring!"
Congratulations on being a proud owner! I am one among many who are in the long queue waiting for the mythical Ecosport AT to become a reality!
Have fun driving (safe)!
Congratulations Murugan.
The SUV looks absolutely smashing. Wish you many great miles on it.
Take care.
Day 2 update:
Had to go straight to the petrol bunk since the low fuel warning lamp was on. The delivery note said 10 liters of petrol was available. Our home is hardly 3 kms from the Chennai Ford show room and the lamp lit up on our way from the showroom.
The petrol pump attendant checked twice before delivering the petrol and warned us to be careful that attendants at other stations do not pump in diesel since most of them equate large vehicles with diesel - very thoughtful of him to mention that.
After fuelling up went straight to Chennai Ford where the number plates were fixed without any delay.
The gentleman from the accessories department came with the accessories price list. Marginal difference in prices between Chennai Ford and MPL Ford. Wonder why.
As I mentioned earlier - Some of the accessories are packaged with others and strangely the total cost of the package is lower than the cost of the highest costing unit of the package in the Chennai Ford price list. For example: The side running board is Rs.25,650, but when combined with door weather shield, the combined cost comes down to Rs.22,500 - on questioning was specifically told that the running board is the same.
Another example: Reverse camera IRVM is Rs.27,000, but when combined with illuminated scuff plates and rear wing spoiler, the total cost comes down to Rs.25,200! Have to decide on these before they change their mind and hike the cost or discontinue the package. MPL Ford does not mention about any packages.
The price list of the EcoSport at Chennai Ford and MPL Ford do not show any significant difference.
They are yet to figure out how to get an additional remote to go with the spare key.
Body graphics are readily available.
The wheel covers are readily available but only with the primer coat. On placing an order they will paint it and deliver it. Have to see how many Ecosports on the road have them.
The locking mechanism in the bottom of the wheel cover appears flimsy but I wonder if this is the norm.
The extended warranty card for the 3rd and 4th years will reach by mail in 3 months. They are very sure about the details - The standard 2 year warranty is 2 years or 1 lakh kms and the extended 4 year warranty is for 4 years or 1 lakh kms.
A debit note was given but it is still not comprehensive. Hoping to get a better one on Monday.
The photo below was taken by the staff at Chennai Ford on the day of delivery of our EcoSport and e-mailed to me today on my request.
A very BIG Thanks to the polite Mr.Dilli Babu, sales person at Chennai Ford for the very smooth booking, allotment, billing, documentation, registration and delivery process. The photo below was taken on the day of booking - I have permission from him and his immediate superior staff to post this. The show room had a carnival atmosphere and people were packed like sardines a few days after the launch, but this gentleman was not harried and made the booking process very easy. He did not get flustered with the occasional follow up phone calls regarding allotment which was to our surprise done very early considering the very heavy demand for the EcoSport. He conducted the billing and documentation in a way that all of us felt relaxed. In spite of delays attributed to computer server on the day of registration he spoke to several people to ensure the registration is done on the same day and he accompanied us to the RTO office (I don't think his job profile includes that) to smoothen the delayed registration. The delivery of the vehicle was also done very efficiently. Thanks to him and his team once again.
PS: Mods, I have read road tests, reviews and ownership reports of the Ford EcoSport 1.5L petrol AT automatic transmission elsewhere, but I still look forward to the official team-bhp review of the AT version of the EcoSport. Thanks in advance.
Wonderful first impressions and review. How much was the OTR for you? Did you go for the dealer recommended insurance? How much was it?
I recently test drove Ecosport and am planning to book an AT once the waiting period comes down. Moreover, if I wait for another 4 to 5 months, I will get a Ford vendor partner discount as well as my employer is a vendor to Ford.
I am a bit confused about these keys. The metal key can open the door. You can open the door with the key in your pocket. To start, you don't need it as it is a push button. The key needs to be inside the car for the push button start to work. As soon as the key moves a certain feet away from the door, the doors get locked.
So why is there is 'remote' button on the key?
Hearty Congrats and wishing you the very best. hope you enjoy this new car. Have a great moments and happy driving. :)
And Thank you very much for sharing your review.
Congrats!! I thought Ecosport comes two remote keys. I remember seeing this on a Ecoboost at Elite Ford Bangalore. The car was being brought down from logistic truck and i saw two remote keys.
Regarding your concern w.r.to spares, i dunno about Ecosport but based on my experience with Figo, i can safely say it is cheaper than a Maruti to maintain. Based on this i dont expect Ecosport to be a costly car to own.
Murugan, wishing you many many miles of safe, pleasurable and memorable drives in your new steed, will look forward to a feed back on the highway drives as well as the FE in the real world
Many congratulations Murugan for the Ecosport and thanks for sharing your views.
Wish you many happy mile munching with the car and an absolutely niggle free performance.
Enjoy your ride and drive safe.
