[naveen.raju]

Just completed a round trip: Cochin - Bangalore - Cochin

Here are some observations:

Pros:
1) Good high speed stability
2) Adequate power on tap. On very few occasions I had to shift the gears while overtaking.
3) Amazing AC. Kept the temperature at 23 or 24 degrees
4) Adequate boot. A weeks luggage for two of us, the ecosport's boot was more than enough.

Cons:
1) MRF's . Less grip and road noise
2) Suspension. Didnt take the rough potholes well. Had this "thud" feel.
3) Wipers started to give way.

I could cover the distance in good time and the entire journey was comfortable (I'm posting this message right after my drive).

Current Odometer - 21600+ kms.
Trip meter - 1300+ kms
Average Mileage for the entire trip - 14.2kmpl

[ampere]

Originally Posted by naveen.raju

Average Mileage for the entire trip - 14.2kmpl

Does this include city drives as well? But still why is it so low?

[naveen.raju]

Originally Posted by ampere

Does this include city drives as well? But still why is it so low?

Yes, this includes city drive as well. Lack of 6th gear plays spoilsport here. Was able to maintain good speeds on the highways and the rpm was hovering between 2.5k/3k always. I could also see the instantaneous mileage indicator hovering at 15kmpl.

[Vid6639]

Originally Posted by ampere

Does this include city drives as well? But still why is it so low?

Many reasons. 14.2Kmpl is pretty normal for an Ecosport if you don't drive like a saint.

Lack of 6th gear and driving at speeds over 110kmph will reduce the FE significantly.

Then there's significant weight of the Ecosport coupled with the gaping mouth in the front which basically acts like a wall and kills any hope of aerodynamic efficiency.

If you're looking for fuel efficiency on the highway as a high priority don't look at Ecosport. I get more FE to electronics City daily than a trip on the highway.

On the other hand the new Fiesta with the same engine delivers much better FE. Thanks to lower weight and aerodynamic shape.

[naveen.raju]

Update - Projector Headlights

This was something I always wanted. I had installed projectors and HIDs in my swift soon after I got the car and fell in love with it the very first day.

The reason why I decided to stay away from projectors in the ecosport was:
1) It's expensive
2) I generally change cars after 4 years (but looks like ecosport is here to stay)

Coming back to the projectors. I had few options when it came to projectors.

1) Go for the retro fit. Checked with TRS and AVS tuning. Direct import from TRS was a good option and pretty reasonable but checked with customs and came to know that it would attract duties of some 7k-8k which would bring the entire cost (projectors and HIDs) to around 26k-27k. Add another 4k for painting and installation, it would come to 30k.





Two things that changed my decision:
(a) Since ecosport headlights are sleek, I seriously had a doubt whether 3" projectors would fit properly (the ones shown in the picture is 3"). Even if the projectors made a good fit, the shroud will be another problem. It can be installed but had to be cut to make a perfect fit. I wasnt confident on this cutting and installing thingy and moreover TRS people said it wont be a perfect fit and suggested the shroud which "might" fit while AVS guys said it would be perfect fit. This added a lot of confusion.

(b) This is the main reason for declining this - My wife didnt like this. Period.

2) Decided to check some after market options. Aliexpress had lot of options but were expensive. These are some of the options that I had.





Wifey loved the tear drop projectors and asked me to go ahead. But I wasnt too keen on double barrel headlights and also the options in alipexress wasnt too wallet friendly (40K for the projectors alone). I knew even if I get to buy from them, it would attract duties. Decided to check out other options.

Then remembered about a close source that I had and decided to contact him. Said he would help me source the headlights. The lights were confirmed and the total cost for the headlights were 28k.

The next confusion I had - HIDs. I had used Auto Gauge HIDs in my Swift for more than 3 years without any issues but I finalized on either Philips or Osram. Did some check and decided to go with Osram Xenarc 35w, 4300k HIDs. Price - 10k

Headlight package:





Headlight:



Connection:



Ford has a single multi pin connection that's connected to the headlight. No separate wiring for headlights, indicators etc. Luckily, the aftermarket unit had the same configuration. But the only only problem is I lost the beam level adjuster feature since that's another coupling unit which is not present in the aftermarket unit. I need to check options to install this without playing around with the stock wiring unit.

HID's:



Ballast:



Fitment Process:







It was a straight forward process but the locking mechanism at the bottom of the unit was a bit tricky. Once that's sorted out, it's a straight fit. Installing the ballast was also a straight forward process. Here's the location of the ballast.

Left:



Right:



The beam is a bit high but doesnt blind oncoming traffic. Here are some pictures:

Low beam without fog:



High beam without fog:



You may notice nil difference between the low and high beam. I decided to stick with the halogens bulbs that came with the aftermarket unit. Will upgrade it in the coming months.

Initial Impressions (from personal experience):
1) Much better than stock bulbs
2) Much better than Osram Nightbreakers
3) Went for a night ride yesterday (city) and did not use the fogs (I always use them as the stock bulbs were bad). Satisfactory performance.
4) High+low combo is brutal as all four lights are switched on.
5) This is a LHD configuration so the cutoff is a bit weird. (sorry, couldnt click the cutoff picture)
6) DRL's are sweet and definitively catches attention. And as the DRL's are lit when the car is unlocked, it does attract people's attention.

Final Summary:
Will update my findings when I take it for a long drive.

Projectors Headlights - 28k
Osram Xenarc 35w, 12V, 4300k (H7) HID's - 10k
Installation - Free
High Beam - H1

[highwaycruizer]

Originally Posted by Vid6639

Many reasons. 14.2Kmpl is pretty normal for an Ecosport if you don't drive like a saint.

Lack of 6th gear and driving at speeds over 110kmph will reduce the FE significantly.

Then there's significant weight of the Ecosport coupled with the gaping mouth in the front which basically acts like a wall and kills any hope of aerodynamic efficiency.

If you're looking for fuel efficiency on the highway as a high priority don't look at Ecosport. I get more FE to electronics City daily than a trip on the highway.

On the other hand the new Fiesta with the same engine delivers much better FE. Thanks to lower weight and aerodynamic shape.

Vidyut to that.
I get about 14-15 Kmpl while driving from Electronic City to Dairy Circle everyday, whereas on a highway trip i get 13kmpl. I miss the 6th gear

[naveen.raju]

Rear wiper - Frameless type

Had planned this long time back but couldnt get my hands on the right size. Finally saw fellow bhpian Arun's update and as soon as I saw it, I bought the wipers. But unfortunately, after two days they say it's a 2 year old pack and that too an unboxed pack. So decided to cancel it and try searching other online shops. Stumbled on a product - Universal frameless wiper for Ford Figo Rear 12". Although the Ecosport wiper size is 11", I decided to try this one out. I knew there's enough space to accommodate that extra inch. Bought the wiper for 299/-

Here are the pictures.





That extra inch now cleans the TBHP sticker .





Initial Impressions:
1) Covers a lot of area.
2) Clean swipe.
3) Looks better than the stock wiper.

[sandygordon]

Hi Naveen,

Me a Dzire owner. Looking to upgrade. Planning for an Ecosport, since i donot like sitting low on the driver seat. I am 6'1" and a bit heavy. Test drove the ecosport, loved the snug fitting seat and effortless acceleration. Missed the swift turbo kick though. City, vento and ciaz put me off because of the high set dash and low seating position. Looked at the duster but the driver seat hardly supported my upper back and the knee seemed to be at a higher position than the hip. Really missed the swift front seats on every car I test drove except in the jetta which is way out of my budjet. Something in the Dzire I didnt like was the pretty average ride and poor suspension.

What is your opinion on the the ecosport ride quality compared to the that in the swift / dzire

[naveen.raju]

Originally Posted by sandygordon

Hi Naveen,

Me a Dzire owner. Looking to upgrade. Planning for an Ecosport, since i donot like sitting low on the driver seat. I am 6'1" and a bit heavy. Test drove the ecosport, loved the snug fitting seat and effortless acceleration. Missed the swift turbo kick though. City, vento and ciaz put me off because of the high set dash and low seating position. Looked at the duster but the driver seat hardly supported my upper back and the knee seemed to be at a higher position than the hip. Really missed the swift front seats on every car I test drove except in the jetta which is way out of my budjet. Something in the Dzire I didnt like was the pretty average ride and poor suspension.

What is your opinion on the the ecosport ride quality compared to the that in the swift / dzire

High seating position and snug fit - the main reason why I went for the ecosport. As for the ride quality, Swift/Dzire is better in low speeds but for high speed quality it's the ecosport. As you had mentioned, the turbo kick is missed in the ecosport. Also, the ecosport stays planted in triple digit speeds. I have more details of the comparison in the first page of my ownership report (Ecosport vs Swift vs Vento vs Verna). That might help you better.

[sandygordon]

Dear Naveen,
Please opine about the service at Ford kochi. Which is better the Kairali one or the Malayalam Ford. I work near cheranallore, so default service will be at Cheranallor facility. How is it? Is it bad ? Many of my colleagues with ecosport have had bad experiences.

[naveen.raju]

Originally Posted by sandygordon

Dear Naveen,
Please opine about the service at Ford kochi. Which is better the Kairali one or the Malayalam Ford. I work near cheranallore, so default service will be at Cheranallor facility. How is it? Is it bad ? Many of my colleagues with ecosport have had bad experiences.

Sandy, have PM'd my suggestions.

[peterjim13]

Originally Posted by naveen.raju

Rear wiper - Frameless type
Had planned this long time back but couldnt get my hands on the right size. Finally saw fellow bhpian Arun's update and as soon as I saw it, I bought the wipers. But unfortunately, after two days they say it's a 2 year old pack and that too an unboxed pack. So decided to cancel it and try searching other online shops. Stumbled on a product - Universal frameless wiper for Ford Figo Rear 12". Although the Ecosport wiper size is 11", I decided to try this one out. I knew there's enough space to accommodate that extra inch. Bought the wiper for 299/-

Hi Naveen,
Congrats on your new Wipers. And very happy to know of the effect of 12" wipers. Arun had also mentioned on the same on his thread.

Did you buy this from "Automotive Soul". From what I understand Arun is a hardcore fan of Hella Wipers, curious to know about the ones you have bought (obviously because of the price you got them for)

Originally Posted by sandygordon

Dear Naveen,
Please opine about the service at Ford kochi. Which is better the Kairali one or the Malayalam Ford. I work near cheranallore, so default service will be at Cheranallor facility. How is it? Is it bad ? Many of my colleagues with ecosport have had bad experiences.

For me Ford Cheranellore is comparitively better than others run by Kairali Ford. Lucky that it is closer to your house, I drive almost 10-5 Kms to get there.

[naveen.raju]

Originally Posted by peterjim13

Hi Naveen,
Congrats on your new Wipers. And very happy to know of the effect of 12" wipers. Arun had also mentioned on the same on his thread.

Did you buy this from "Automotive Soul". From what I understand Arun is a hardcore fan of Hella Wipers, curious to know about the ones you have bought (obviously because of the price you got them for)

I got it from Amazon. I had to cancel my order at Automotive soul as they ran out of stock. The ones I have is some cheap stuff (299 bucks) but doing a great job so far. That extra inch clearly does leave a wide area and a clean sweep. Totally satisfied and much much better than the stock ones. And I think this wiper is currently unavailable on amazon. How lucky can I get? (evil grin)

[arunphilip]

Originally Posted by peterjim13

Did you buy this from "Automotive Soul". From what I understand Arun is a hardcore fan of Hella Wipers

Ha ha - I think its the other way around - I view Hella and Bosch as equals. However, I am quite a fan of Automotive Soul*, and they only stock Hella, so I don't get a chance to experiment with Bosch.

* No affiliation to Automotive Soul. I just like their service and offerings. And I'm lazy to go shopping in physical stores!

Originally Posted by naveen.raju

I got it from Amazon. I had to cancel my order at Automotive soul as they ran out of stock. And I think this wiper is currently unavailable on amazon. How lucky can I get? (evil grin)

So between you and me, we seem to be wiping out the stock of 12" blades

[peterjim13]

Originally Posted by naveen.raju

I got it from Amazon. I Totally satisfied and much much better than the stock ones. And I think this wiper is currently unavailable on amazon. How lucky can I get? (evil grin)

Great. Can you tell me the brand of the wipers, I could read GM on the pic and I read that you referred to it as Universal.

Originally Posted by arunphilip

Ha ha - I think its the other way around - I view Hella and Bosch as equals. However, I am quite a fan of Automotive Soul*, and they only stock Hella, so I don't get a chance to experiment with Bosch.

* No affiliation to Automotive Soul. I just like their service and offerings. And I'm lazy to go shopping in physical stores!

I hardly see these sort of Wipers, at this price at stores around. With my experience whatever i've received from online for cars, have been top class.

BTW Hella Dyna Edge 12" wipers are there on Automotive soul. Dont they have Curvo 12" ?