[arunphilip]

Context and Lead Up
I drive a 2006 Hyundai Getz GLE that was bought pre-owned in April 2011. While a great car, it was quite barren on the feature, safety and performance front, so I was keen to address those with a new car. My requirement was simple - I didn't need anything more than a hatchback, with good safety kit, performance and features. It will usually run with only 1-2 people, and didn't need much boot space.

The Ford stable held an attraction due to its handling. However, the Fiesta 1.6S was no longer manufactured, and the 2011 Fiesta's 1.5P engine didn't cut the mustard. This was a disappointment, because if they'd launched the international 1.6P engine, this ownership review would have been titled differently.

The EcoSport caught my attention from its reveal in early 2012, and the photos in magazines around that period. The technology in the EcoBoost engine appealed to the geek in me, along with all the goodness that turbocharged petrols bring (pull like a diesel, rev like a petrol).

Enough has been said about the long period from reveal to launch, so I won't dwell on that.

Booking & Delivery Timeline

• 20-Jun: Pre-booked at Lathangi Ford, Bangalore, and was given a waiting period of 4-6 months at that time by the dealer. I booked the 1.0P EcoBoost Titanium (O), in Kinetic Blue or Sea Gray.
• 22-Jun: Test drove the EcoBoost variant at Metro Ford.
• Intervening period of emotional highs: Fidget. Re-read the review. Ogle other EcoSports on the road. Fidget again.
• Intervening period of emotional lows: Despair. Relook other options in the market. Resign myself to the fact that none of them compare to a car I've salivated over for 1.5 years. Back to despair.
• Early August: Test drove the EcoBoost variant again, at Lathangi Ford. I took Samarth along for company and for an independent opinion.
• 08-Aug: Received the call from Ford Chennai, confirming engine, variant & colour.
• Mid-Aug: Various bits of receipts and stickers on my car indicate it was built around/by 16-Aug.
• 22-Aug: Informed by dealer that my vehicle was being dispatched for delivery in a week, asked to make the balance payment.
• 23-Aug: Balance payment made, accessories selected, documentation done for insurance and registration.
• 26-Aug: Vehicle registered at Jayanagar RTO by the dealer.
• 28-Aug: Policy cover note issued from Royal Sundaram, for a zero-depreciation policy. I went with the dealer-provided option for convenience.
• 29-Aug: Took delivery. Thanks to my friends Soumya (aqualeo2040), Samarth (sammyboy) & Liz for their help in their respective ways.
• 29-Aug: I was unfortunate to get the MRF tyres, so headed over to Madhu's place and exchanged 4 of them for Michelin Primacy 3ST in the stock 205/60R16 size. Thanks to Nikhil for his pragmatic advice, and keeping me away from wider tyres.
• 31-Aug: Headed over to 3M at HSR Layout for underbody coating, sealant, PPF and Nomad mats. Thanks to Sidhu, and it was a pleasure meeting several TBHPians & colleagues there.

Ignore the mid-waist signs of prosperity! Thanks to Soumya for this photo.

Accessories chosen

• Engine/sump guard. This comes stock only for the diesel, presumably due to its lower sump. I chose this for the added feeling of safety.
• Stainless steel scuff plates without LEDs. I didn't want any wiring changes, and felt the LED ones looked cheesy.
• 3D rubber trunk tray. I love this because I know any spill/dirt will be contained and stay away from the carpeting. I only wish Ford offered a similar design for all mats, not just the trunk.
• Sport pedals. These have not been fitted, due to unavailability of supplies.

The small but funny stuff on delivery day

• Soumya being adamant about driving me from the office to Lathangi, to enable him to skip a very boring meeting.
• After taking delivery, the first thing I do is drive out of the dealership and park in their visitor's parking, and we cross the road for pizzas. So my first drive covered all of 20 feet.
• Stalling my car, and wheelspinning it while parking. Not to mention hitting my door on an adjacent car while getting down. As Soumya put it, in just the first 5 minutes, I'd achieved the Holy Trinity of new car ownership - first stall, first wheelspin and first ding.
• Samarth reaching the office, and then leaving 5 minutes later, to accompany me to Madhu's.
• Driving to the Shell petrol bunk and getting down with a new-car swagger, only to be totally outclassed by a Beetle and an R1 that were there. (Pro-tip: Don't swagger with just a 10-lakh car on Vittal Mallya road)

[arunphilip]

Initial Driving Impressions - First 500 kms

My driving style
I think it'll be useful to describe my driving style first, since these impressions are heavily based on how they tie in to my driving style. Likewise, if your driving style is significantly different, then you're probably better off ignoring some of my observations.

• I have 2 styles of driving - sedate and sporty.
• When sedate, its because I'm stuck in traffic, and there's no point trying to hustle the car, so I'll chill out, turn up the volume and try to maximize mileage.
• When sporty, I don't look for top speed, instead I see how I can "flow" the car through with a high average speed, but with reasonable comfort (i.e. no sharp/jerky lane changes and definitely no hard braking).
• Don't think this pretentious, but in F1 terms, I'd prefer driving more like Jenson Button than Lewis Hamilton.
• I love carrying speed through corners, this excites me far more than acceleration and top speeds. This is probably a hangover from my biking days.
• I practice defensive driving; it keeps me safe, stress-free and helps my 'flowing' driving style.
• On the highway, I don't cross 120 km/h. I do value fast acceleration, as its of importance for overtaking on dual carriageways.

Throttle response, gearing & turbo lag in the city

• From a standstill at idle, the engine pulls surprisingly well in first. I've tried this in Bangalore's stop-and-go traffic and at crawling speeds in the upward-sloping ramps of underpasses and flyovers. Due to the ratio of the first gear, you'll be in the turbo zone when moving, giving you adequate power.
• At slow speeds in traffic, you'll find second gear a bit weak, as pointed out in the official review. I wish Ford had set the second gear ratio differently, because where my Getz can cleanly pull away after a reasonably-sized speed breaker in second, I find myself having to downshift to first for a quick getaway, or wait for a second until the turbo spools up. This is one place where a diesel-powered car or a larger petrol has the edge.
• In other gears, you'll be in the turbo zone after upshifting, so you'll experience the strong pull.
• Since I'm still running in my car, I'm limiting myself to around 4000 rpm at the most. What I notice is that once the turbo is going, you always feel the car giving you the power your right foot asks for, in a way that reassures you that there's more on tap. This is the nice difference from a diesel, where you start losing power at/around 4000 rpm.
• I like the fact that once you feel the turbo spool up, it stays very linear and progressive thereafter - there's no sudden point with a whoosh. While a turbo kick feels good, I personally feel its another variable to anticipate and manage while driving, one that I'd rather avoid.
• I've noticed that actuating the clutch requires quite a long push, this is a difference from my Getz where the clutch works with lesser travel.

Ride comfort and noise

• The ride is firm, but not uncomfortably so. It has the right amount of softness to take the jarring edge out of road imperfections, but will definitely not be described as plush. If you travel on broken roads with your grandma, or anyone with aches and pains, this is probably not the car for you. Otherwise, you'll love the taut feeling.
• As expected, its poise around corners and to steering inputs is impeccable. I did feel a bit of body roll, but that was in a very controlled and reassuring way, I never felt the need to back off. It was more like the car's telling me "Buddy, I've got a bit of weight on top, so I'm just going to lean a bit on this side, right here. Don't you worry, keep pushing."
• The change from MRF to Michelin Primacy 3 ST brought with it a noticeable drop in tyre noise.
• The Michelins grip well and make no fuss or noise while taking curving flyover on/off ramps at speed.
• The 3M under body coating has made a small improvement to reducing road noise when cruising on good roads.
• At non-highway speeds, you feel nicely cocooned in the car, with minimal noise intruding. Music at even low volumes completes the effect. I've not tried higher speeds yet, however.
• For a petrol, the engine noise is quite pronounced. While pleasant to hear, it is not a quiet purr like a Honda or Hyundai. At idle and on a cold start, it has almost a diesel note to it. This is not a problem, its just an observation. It makes me wonder whether Ford should have given the plastic cover on top of the engine (not sure if that would have helped, given they've given padding beneath the hood anyway).
• Ford has done a great job damping the vibes from the engine, but they're there.

Steering and switchgear

• The steering is very light at slow speeds, as has been discussed extensively. While this might be sacrilege to the purists here, it does allow you to focus on other stuff, which usually means your parking manoeuvers.
• It weighs up with speed in a nice way, however, so that's reassuring.
• For a guy coming from a Getz, I cannot comment on steering feel and feedback. However, I'd say I have no problems here, and am happy with its performance.
• I've noticed that at times, when I'm intentionally steering with input in a particular direction (e.g. moving across lanes in a very gradual manner), what I presume to be the pull drift compensation kicks in, giving a bit of weight to the steering. This is not a problem, but just makes me wish the same pressure was there on the steering all the time, it feels more 'solid' that way.
• Coming to the steering wheel itself, I'd have preferred thicker leather that would have a little more 'give' or softness to it when held.
• The size of the steering wheel is spot on. Steering mounted controls are in a tight cluster and stay out of the way, which is a great thing.
• The switchgear for the headlights and wipers feels good.
• Its my first time owning and driving a car with the inverted stalks (i.e. wipers on the right), it didn't take much brainpower to adapt to this.
• The knob for headlights is another first for me. Given that it doesn't support any function that requires it to be pulled, I wonder why Ford didn't integrate this on the stalk itself.
• The headlight knob is ergonomically perfectly placed - every time I put my hand down there I always find it (no naughty humour at the way I've phrased it, please!).
• I do feel the rubber covering the knob will not last long, based on its feel.
  

Visibility for driving and reversing

• Visibility is good due to the higher ride height. You don't feel too high, but you will feel a noticeable difference in viewpoint if you come from a sedan or a non-tallboy hatch.
• The much-maligned A-pillar does not trouble me. Maybe its my driving style, or maybe its my Getz, but I'm usually aware of what's around me by looking through the side windows too, and I've barely had to change this practice (I probably peek a little more now).
• The ORVMs are stunning and awesome. I realized just how good they are only when I switched back to my Getz and found its mirrors lacking in coverage (which was never a complaint I had before the EcoSport). The wide-angle part on the outsides of the ORVM work well.
• The IRVM is good enough, in that it shows everything that it can (i.e. the D-pillars are rather thick, so a larger/wider-angle IRVM will not help). However, the tactile feel of the flip switch to move between day/night mode is not good - it doesn't have a feeling of snapping/locking into place even though it is locked.
• I'm 5'7", and with my seating position (not high), I cannot see the kerbs as easily as a hatch. I've had to adapt to this by memorizing the position/height/shape of kerbs a little more in advance compared to the other Hyundai hatchbacks I've driven. I think this is to do with the higher fender, and higher overall height.
• I'm comfortable reversing with just the mirrors so the EcoSport is very natural to manage. It does not feel like you're manoeuvring a huge SUV while reversing (which is expected, since its footprint is nearly identical to the i20!).
• To note here is the height of the ORVMs, which allow them to be adjusted to a single position such that they can be used both for checking lanes in regular forward driving, and be able to see the ground while reversing, without needing to reposition them.
• I don't use the parking sensors, since the moment it switches to a continuous whine (i.e. stop, that's far enough), that's when I will have planned to stop anyway.
• I need to practice a bit in reversing against a flat wall to improve my judgement of the spare wheel's width.
• However, this entire experience validates my original decision to not go for a reversing camera; the EcoSport is not big enough to warrant one.
• Driving at night and in the rain is not a problem - the headlights & wipers perform well.
• I might consider changing to brighter 55/60 bulbs (NB/XV), and upgrade to 90/100 after some months.

Ergonomics

• Fords usually have stellar ergonomics, and the EcoSport is no different.
• One minor gripe is the gear lever. Even though I'm not tall, the longer throws means that I've initially had to stretch a bit to slot into third gear, and necessitated me to move my seat forward. This is one area where I felt my Getz is more natural. I think Ford erred by not placing the gear shifter about an inch behind its current position.
• Apart from that, I have no complaints, since the wealth of adjustment options for the driver will allow one to find a good position.
• Pro-tip: If your gear shifts feel notchy/stiff, check if you've not pressing the clutch fully.
• If you've pressed the clutch while idling, and your tacho runs a little over 1000 rpm, you've probably not pressed the clutch fully.
  
• Pressing it correctly and fully (or shifting to neutral) will get you idling at a steady 1000 rpm.
  
• I've not faced the problem that some experienced, where their left toe touches the steering rod.

[arunphilip]

My Getz is the lowest end variant from 2006 - so its as barren as it gets in terms of gadgets and fiddly things. That's probably why I ponied up for all the bells & whistles in my EcoSport.

Seating

• The seating is comfortable and firm. I've spent nearly 3 hours one evening stuck in traffic, but never felt tired.
• The front seats' headrests slope forward a lot, so this feels a little strange and different.
• The back seat remains unused, so no comments about that.
• Sidhu at 3M HSR Layout wasn't sure if this was true leather or not, so he did not offer any maintenance tips. I need to see how this holds up to general use.
• From where I sit, I can see the rails of the passenger's seat. While its not a problem, it looks odd being exposed. I'm not sure if this occurred since Ford wanted a higher seating position.
  
• No grab rails for passengers, due to the curtain airbags. I hope this makes it easier to get back seaters to buckle up!

AC & Climate Control

• The EcoSport has a stunningly powerful AC, it brings the temperature down sharply.
• I drive around with the temperature set to 22°C or 22.5°C. Anything lower gets unbearably chilly.
• I don't like the fact that the outside air mode is activated by default, I'd prefer the system remember the previous setting. I'd read a comment stating that this was by design to inject fresh air into the system. While logical, I'd prefer doing that manually by myself, when I know I'm in a clear spot.
• When the climate control is switched to auto mode, the blower kicks into high speed initially. This is quite loud and can disturb conversations. Trying to turn down the blower speed results in the automatic control being switched off (i.e. the AC remains on, but goes into manual mode).

Stereo & Sync

• The quality of the HU and speakers is excellent - this personally makes me glad as it means I don't have to do any aftermarket changes (and I'm averse to tinkering with the wiring/beading in a new car). It helps that while I like good quality ICE, I'm not an audiophile.
• Sync is made by Microsoft. My Lumia 720 runs on Microsoft's latest mobile OS, Windows Phone 8. You'd think that they have the best compatibility. I was stunned to find that the 'SMS to Bluetooth' feature isn't supported for this combination. You can view the entire compatibility list here.
• When playing music from a USB drive, the songs are ordered alphabetically, with no respect given to their parent folders' ordering. Given that my using is categorized as Artist (parent folder) > Album (child folder) > 01 Song.mp3 (file), this means that the ordering of songs goes for a toss. Internationally, this is one of the complaints about Sync. What's more galling is that my Rs. 5,000 Kenwood HU in the Getz gets it right. I read a comment on an international forum that this feature was designed by an engineer, not a music lover - truer words were never spoken!
• The performance of the Sync system is slightly sluggish, for someone used to the responsiveness of modern smart phones. Its not slow, but there's a slight hesitancy. I've applied the latest update, and it feels like its made a marginal difference, though I'd have preferred a little more.
• Taking phone calls over Bluetooth works right. Feedback from the other party indicates that I sound distant and quiet. The soft-spoken among us might have to speak up louder and clearer!
• The volume levels for phone calls and music are separate, which is a good thing. They're controlled by the same knob, but you can have music set to volume 5 and calls to volume 8.
• Its the little stuff that helps - I love physical volume knobs...
  
• ... and the button closest to me plays/pauses the music (circled above).
• However, the 4-way selection key feels hard while used...
  
• ...and the 4-inch screen picks up reflections very easily from light entering the front passenger's window. I'm tempted to try a matte screen guard for mobile phones on this screen.
• At night, I long for a way of reducing this screen's brightness.

[arunphilip]

What am I yet to report on, over the coming days?

• Mileage. My first week of ownership coincided with heavy rains and traffic snarls in Bangalore, resulting in a lot of idling, and crawling traffic - far more than normal. I've anyway not intended to check on mileage for the first month, as the car and I need to get used to one another. I'll personally be happy with 10 km/L or more, since that will mean I get better mileage than my Getz in a more fun-to-drive car.
• Highway behaviour. I expect this to be great, however.

Minor things I've changed

• I removed the plastic seat wraps and ribbons on day 1!
• I've removed all stickers from the car - this includes a few dealer stickers on the windshield, a 'Lathangi Ford' sticker on the hatch door, the 'Ford RSA' sticker on the rear windshield.
• I've moved the 'Petrol' sticker from the outside of the fuel lid to the inside, for a cleaner exterior.
• Silica-based rubber covers for both keys.
• Added a SanDisk Cruzer Fit pen drive to hold my music unobtrusively. (One of the pictures above shows another SanDisk drive, that was only for upgrading Sync).

Changes planned for the future

• I'm thinking of debadging the 'Titanium' lettering from the rear, to give a cleaner appearance.
• I'm more concerned about the fact that the 'EcoBoost' badge on the rear is a flat badge stuck on a curved surface. I'm pretty sure its going to get pulled out during a car wipe.
• IND-style license plates.
• Maybe a leather cover for the steering wheel, for better comfort.
• Maybe purchase the spare wheel cover - I'm still undecided on its cost vs. benefit/appearance.

[Eddy]

Thread moved from the Assembly Line. Thanks for sharing.

[ecosport]

You still couldn't click some pics? No ownership report is complete without some nice pics.

[shashank.nk]

Congratulations on the Ecosport! Wish you an enjoyable ownership period with your car. You were lucky to have escaped the price hike. How good is the Sync voice recognition ? Especially with Indian names and when traffic noise creeps into the cabin.

[arunphilip]

Originally Posted by shashank.nk

How good is the Sync voice recognition ? Especially with Indian names and when traffic noise creeps into the cabin.

Sync voice recognition is pretty unimpressive, at least in my case. I tend to prefer using the voice recognition on my mobile to make calls - that is an order of magnitude better.

@ecosport - I'll add a few pics in the coming days, once I've got the car cleaned up. Right now, its showing all signs of our lovely Bangalore weather.

[shashank.nk]

Originally Posted by arunphilip

Sync voice recognition is pretty unimpressive, at least in my case. I tend to prefer using the voice recognition on my mobile to make calls - that is an order of magnitude better.

Thanks for the clarification. I thought of it to be a "gimmick" more than a usable feature since the voice recg on my android struggles with what i've mentioned above. Sure it recognizes dad,mom,Metallica et al but fails miserably with background noise and some Indian names.

[KarthikK]

Fantastic ownership thread! Hearty congratulations and wish you all the very best with your Ecosport Ecoboost. I liked the tons of detailed write-ups on most aspects of the car. Beautiful stuff ArunPhilip! We do want to see more pictures of the car, since this color is beautiful and quite a rarity (comparatively)

Originally Posted by shashank.nk

Thanks for the clarification. I thought of it to be a "gimmick" more than a usable feature since the voice recg on my android struggles with what i've mentioned above. Sure it recognizes dad,mom,Metallica et al but fails miserably with background noise and some Indian names.

I find the same issue of Indian names going unrecognized with Blue&Me. It is more pronounced with long Indian names. Something like "Ajay" is picked up easily, but a name like "Subramaniam" goes undetected and the lady goes blank. I guess it has more to do with the bluetooth voice recognition just being made for English US settings. Other countries' accents are bound to face issues.

Hey, wait a minute. You have Metallica on your contacts list?? Whoa!

[shashank.nk]

Originally Posted by KarthikK

I find the same issue of Indian names going unrecognized with Blue&Me. It is more pronounced with long Indian names. Something like "Ajay" is picked up easily, but a name like "Subramaniam" goes undetected and the lady goes blank. I guess it has more to do with the bluetooth voice recognition just being made for English US settings. Other countries' accents are bound to face issues.

Hey, wait a minute. You have Metallica on your contacts list?? Whoa!

I wanted to type "Abhishek Subramanian" but didn't want to offend any one. Metallica is not on my contacts list but is in my iPod sync lady will hopefully recognize it when I get my car (which is in jeopardy with Polo 1.6TDI launch )

[mohitk1993]

Excellent review of an excellent car. You really seem to have an eye for detail. Regarding the colour, I do not find it appealing in the new Fiesta or the Figo for that matter, but somehow like it in the Ecosport. Seems to suit its character, IMO.

Heartiest congratulations. And yes, we all are waiting for more pics.

[vaisakhr]

First of all hearty congrats Arun. The car looks cool in that shade. Nice write up, loved reading all those tiny details. Waiting for more pics

Please upload some photos of the following

Originally Posted by arunphilip

• 3D rubber trunk tray. I love this because I know any spill/dirt will be contained and stay away from the carpeting. I only wish Ford offered a similar design for all mats, not just the trunk.
• Sport pedals. These have not been fitted, due to unavailability of supplies.

I would highly recommend this. It will help to reduce the blare and it will also prevent the screen from scratches. As you know these plastics are no gorilla glass, a good wipe is enough for scratches. Matte film would decrease the clarity btw.

Originally Posted by arunphilip

• the 4-inch screen picks up reflections very easily from light entering the front passenger's window. I'm tempted to try a matte screen guard for mobile phones on this screen.

Wish you many happy miles ahead

[ACM]

ArunPhilip

This is a really nice report. The Spare wheel cover makes the car look a bit bigger from the rear. The Reverse camera is still useful in my view. You need to use it to know the difference though.

Don't know if you noticed but the steering wheel is part leather and part rubber. Only the two sides where one typically places ones hands are in leather and the top and bottom section are rubber coated and even thinner. Yes you could add more leather and make the steering grip thick but get it done by the stitching method not the ready made stuff.

Congrats.

[saisrujan]

Excellent review. Enjoyed reading it and agree with every bit of it. I hope you enjoy this car for many years to come.

Originally Posted by arunphilip

When playing music from a USB drive, the songs are ordered alphabetically, with no respect given to their parent folders' ordering. Given that my using is categorized as Artist (parent folder) > Album (child folder) > 01 Song.mp3 (file), this means that the ordering of songs goes for a toss. Internationally, this is one of the complaints about Sync. What's more galling is that my Rs. 5,000 Kenwood HU in the Getz gets it right. I read a comment on an international forum that this feature was designed by an engineer, not a music lover - truer words were never spoken![/list]

Ford doesn't go by the folder structure by default. If you want to navigate through your folders to find music, there's a "browse folders" option somewhere.

What it does is this - it builds an index of ID3 tags (a meta-data of album, artist, track, genre etc) and uses them to organize your music. So, when you say "play artist Michael Jackson", it will work only if the ID3 tag on the songs is updated correctly. It will not work with the assumption that all songs under the "Michael Jackson" folder have Michael Jackson as an artist. iTunes works in the same way, and if your ID3 tags on your mp3s aren't correctly entered, it will just mess up your whole library.

Most of my collection is bought from iTunes / Amazon mp3 store / flyte or ripped from CDs by iTunes. If you used any of these sources, you should have the correct ID3 tags. I dumped it all on my flash drive and I can call up any song using my voice as long as the ID3 tag is correct. I had very few cases where Sync couldn't play the song I asked for (except for those song where the ID3 tags were incorrect / did not exist).

Directory browsing is cumbersome. I suggest you update your mp3s using an ID3 tag editor (at least album / artist) so that you can quickly call up any song with voice. Listening to music while driving is way more enjoyable with this working.