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Old 16th September 2013, 09:58   #1
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Ford EcoSport 1.5D Titanium - Owner's Log of the Beauty, or the Beast?

Here's the report on how it all started.

PS - This isn’t the usual ownership report with alternate car choices and buying decisions that closed in buying the Ecosport. I had only one car in mind and that's the Ecosport. The ownership report will cover the comparison of my other garage rides which includes Swift, Vento, Verna.

Ford EcoSport 1.5D Titanium - Owner's Log of the Beauty, or the Beast?-_dsc9994.jpg

Ford EcoSport 1.5D Titanium - Owner's Log of the Beauty, or the Beast?-_dsc9987.jpg

Well to start off, this decision happened all too quickly. Wasn’t satisfied with the ownership cost of maruti which made me think of an alternative. Really loved the Ecosport when I saw the concept design in the Auto Expo. As with all major auto manufacturers, I knew the end product will be completely different from the concept model. But when the test vehicles started appearing on teambhp, it looked like they have followed the same design as seen in the concept. Then when the vehicle was seen in full glory, I noticed that only the headlights were different. That day I decided that this will be in my garage shortly but never expected I would make the decision soon. Even though I never had plans of upgrading to a new vehicle, I laid my eyes on the Ecosport thread and was following it up daily. Once the Teambhp review was out, not me but my wife was completely blown off. She couldn’t take her eyes off the Beauty/Beast (whichever name suits well :-)) and she wanted to see the car in person. Luckily, Cochin was selected as one place where they would display the vehicle in a private mall but unfortunately couldn’t get to see the car as I was held up in office. But got to hear some good comments from my friends who got a chance to see the car in real. All this made me inch closer towards the car. And still I haven’t decided to buy Ecosport but was interested.

Since I wasn’t serious in buying one, I decided to drop a mail to the local dealer asking the details of the Ecosport (expected price, launch date etc etc). Immediately got a call from him asking me to pre-book the Ecosport. I immediately turned down the offer and mentioned that I just want to know the details and I wont be getting the car soon. Sometime during June, I received the call from the showroom executive(SE) telling me that the urban discovery vehicle is available in the showroom. Decided to check the vehicle that evening. This was the first time am seeing one in person and I was completely amazed. The car was just perfect for me and my wife and had all the necessary goodies that I wanted (missed all in my Swift). Spent around 1 hour going through the vehicle and I felt that this should be my next car soon. He asked me to pre-book the vehicle but I told him I still haven’t decided whether I will be buying a car now. Asked him to inform me when the launch date is finalized. This is when it all started. The first thing I did was check the Ecosport thread on Tbhp and see if anyone had information on the price and launch date. Finally one week before the Ecosport launch, I decided to sell my swift. Asked my wife and she agreed to it. All this happened so fast that I wasn’t completely prepared for the things to come. Called up couple of guys stating that my swift was up for sale. The next day, I did manage to sell the swift for the amount that I had in mind. This happened all too quickly that my wife didn’t know that I sold the Swift.

The next obvious question in all ownership threads would be "What Car Next"? Well, in this case (maybe something first on tbhp), I didn’t have any other alternative choices, no comparisons and no sorts of dilemma on choosing the next car. Ecosport, it is! Few questions still remained unanswered:

1) Realistic launch date (got tired of Ford saying "soon", "next week" etc etc)
2) Price - This was major factor as I made my mind clear that I wont buy it if it's 12L+ and I always try and choose the top variant. Even though they mentioned it wont cross 10L on road, I was bit doubtful considering the goodies that they provided.

Then came the launch date and I was completely glued to the net. As soon as they release the price, I was shocked and happy at the same time. Called my wife and told the news and we decided to book the vehicle. As I was busy in office, I couldnt book the vehicle on that day. This decision proved to be a mistake as the waiting period was too much for my liking. On 28th June, I went to showroom and saw the price list. I have attached one for reference.

Ford EcoSport 1.5D Titanium - Owner's Log of the Beauty, or the Beast?-20130628_201623.jpg

The first thing was to check the price of the top model. I decided that Titanium model is well within our budget and decided to book the car. Paid 50k in advance and the vehicle was booked. Didn’t have any confusion with the color - "White". The next big question from my end was "What's the waiting period"? Without any delay, the SE told 60-90 days (something like an automated reply). Well, as always with everyone I asked him to try and deliver it quickly. Collected the payment receipt and left the showroom with a huge grin on our faces. Test drove the diesel mill for couple of kms and I was satisfied with the car. Some initial points that I noted:

1) Visible turbo lag under 2k. Something I loved in the Swift.
2) Good visibility from the driver seat.
3) Very light steering (but my wife will love it as she is still in the early days and learning how to drive)
4) Very well insulated cabin. The noise inside is almost nil.
5) Excellent AC
6) Excellent audio quality especially for an OE music setup.
7) Feature list
8) Decent boot space
and many more..

Well my wife checked only one feature - Passenger seat vanity mirror. Was even more excited when she saw the dedicated light for it. Then the SE took us to their yard for us to see the different colors. Some pics taken.

Ford EcoSport 1.5D Titanium - Owner's Log of the Beauty, or the Beast?-20130625_180732.jpg

Ford EcoSport 1.5D Titanium - Owner's Log of the Beauty, or the Beast?-20130625_180740.jpg

Ford EcoSport 1.5D Titanium - Owner's Log of the Beauty, or the Beast?-20130625_180812.jpg

Ford EcoSport 1.5D Titanium - Owner's Log of the Beauty, or the Beast?-20130625_180821.jpg

Ford EcoSport 1.5D Titanium - Owner's Log of the Beauty, or the Beast?-20130625_180838.jpg

Ford EcoSport 1.5D Titanium - Owner's Log of the Beauty, or the Beast?-20130625_180846.jpg

Waiting period:
This is one of the worst period of my life (yes, you read it right). Me and wife started missing our old car and was completely glued to the net watching Ecosport reviews (the only time I have seen my wife watching something that's related to automobiles). I used to message my SE every week asking for the updates and he would reply promptly stating that he would update me soon. By July mid, I got the news from him stating that I should be getting by 2nd or 3rd week of Aug. I decided to get the loan process started since that shouldn’t be a hindrance when the vehicle is ready. I also got the news that second allotment will start on Aug 5th. The good thing was that I started seeing many Ecosports being delivered daily. I used to spot atleast 2-3 new cars daily on my way to office. So deliveries were happening at a good pace and this was encouraging. Got a call on 14th Aug and he said no white Titanium available in this slot and Sea Gray is available. The expected delivery would be around the last week of Aug. Although we liked the gray, white was something that we will miss and my wife was devastated. Receives a call from him on 28th Aug saying that we will be getting the White Ecosport. That was indeed one good news and we were back to our spirits. Visited the showroom on 30th Aug to get the real picture. Expecting the vehicle to be billed in 2 days. Sept 6th - Goes to the showroom waiting to hear the same old saying "Car will dispatch in two day". Gets the answer and when I was about to leave, he calls the person who checks the dispatches. Goes inside and comes back with one huge grin, seeing that I too gave a grin expecting to hear some good news. Vehicle will reach tomo (Sept 7th) and I can take delivery on 9th or 10th. Gets the VIN number and confirms that it's Aug manufactured. He brings out a form to fill the list of accessories that I plan to take. Decided to hold the accessories as of now and he politely said that these accessories will be here always, feel free to drop in anytime to purchase them, let's focus on delivering the vehicle quickly. Delivery can happen on Monday itself after permanent reg but he insisted that I take delivery on Tues so that the PDI process goes well before delivering. That's one very well behaved SE I should say. Sept 9th - Receives a call from the SE and says that vehicle can be collected in the evening. So finally, D-day is here!

Delivery:
SE called me on 10th morning and confirmed that the car can be delivered in the evening after the permanent registration. Decided to take the day off as I couldn’t hide my excitement. We reached the showroom at 5pm, met the SE and finished all the formalities. Kairali Ford manager handed over the keys along with the gifts and we were escorted to the car. Before this, the SE explained/stated the features of the car and later on he took us to the car and showed a demo of these. The first thing I checked when the car arrived was the tyre. Sadly it was MRF. But that didn’t kill our excitement and we checked the car to see if it's perfect condition. Checked the odo and it showed 33kms and the car was in mint condition. They topped 25% of the fuel tank and we were good to go. The overall showroom experience was excellent and I wish to thank my SE Mr Alby and the showroom manager Mr Shinto. These guys know what a customer wants and always provided timely updates.

Car Delivered
Ford EcoSport 1.5D Titanium - Owner's Log of the Beauty, or the Beast?-del.jpg

My SE, Mr Alby - Nice chap
Ford EcoSport 1.5D Titanium - Owner's Log of the Beauty, or the Beast?-alby.jpg

Dealer experience:
It all started with my "least interested/excited" mail to Kairali Ford sometime during the last week of May. I never expected a reply from them as I had learned that in my previous interactions with other car dealers and also they would be busy with the Ecosport launch. But to my surprise, their team leader, Mr Alby replied back in couple of mins asking for my contact number. Soon enough, I got a call from him. I asked him all the relevant questions but I also stated that I haven’t decided on buying the car soon. Sometime in June, he called me and invited me to check the urban discovery vehicle which was hidden behind the showroom. He explained all the features and wasn’t in any hurry at all. He was pretty professional and responded well whenever I contacted him.

Alternate Choices:
Other choices that I had but wasn’t considered: (didn’t TD or check out the vehicles - All decisions made from reading the Teambhp reviews)

1) i20 - Strictly no hatch for us again and moreover I didn’t like the new gen i20. Upgrading to another hatch from Swift wasn’t in my list so didn’t consider this.
2) Verna - My wife is against sedans for some reasons that only she can explain (big grin). Even though i liked the looks and the goodies that they offered, I didn’t want to have another Verna in my garage. The other Verna is solely my dad's ride and it's an AT version. It didn’t provide any comfort on highway runs and so it was not considered.

Since my wife didn’t want hatch and sedans, the only option left within our budget was to look at for entry level SUV's or proper SUV's.
1) Duster - Loved the boot space and the rear seats but definitely I felt it's not worth 13-15L. Also, feature list is bare minimum. No test drive taken.
2) XUV - Too big and expensive. Also, the niggles thread on tbhp kept me away from this vehicle although I loved the goodies offered and the space inside.

A small Comparo: Ecosport vs Swift vs Vento

Pickup/Turbo surge:
This is one thing that disappointed me the most. Ecosport got visible turbo kick and will be solely missed. The Swift had the perfect turbo surge and that kick is easily visible. The Vento had even more kick but always felt that was too much for comfort. Swift wins here.

Equipment list:
Well, there's nothing much to say when it comes to the Swift and but the other way round for the Ecosport. Vento also didn’t have much to showcase so the ecosport is the one that's beats all here.

Interior quality and build:
Swift's plastics looked decent and it easily lasted for 4 years but the occasional rattles kept peeping in which showed it's age. Vento build quality is something to be noted here and this will certainly last a decade. The plastics were top notch and felt premium. Although Ecosport has lot of hard plastics, they looked decent and should last many years without any rattles and problems. But the Vento is the one that stands out.

Rear seat comfort:
The back seat of the Swift is quite famous for it's claustrophobic feel and that's true. The rear seat passengers never felt comfortable specially when I set the driver seat to my height (5'11"). Vento provided a good rear seat comfort but on highways the rear tends to be a bit bumpy thanks to it's soft suspension setup. But ample rear leg room. As for the Ecosport (too early to comment) the rear seats felt comfortable and when the driver seat is adjusted to my liking, the rear passengers had enough leg room. But strictly for 2 adults. 3 adults in the rear for long trips - not recommended. For my requirement, I would say ecosport takes this as well.

Boot Space:
Swift was a disaster when it comes to the boot space. Thanks to the Sub woofer and the amp, the boot was free only for a small bag. Vento had a good boot space when compared to the Ecosport.

Driving Position:
Two cars came close in this one - Ecosport and Swift. Vento didn’t do well as it's seated really low and the driving position isn’t to my liking.

Maintenance:
This is the reason why I sold my car and decided to take a new one. Yes, it's because of maintenance. I know you guys might be wondering - Swift and high maintenance? Yes, I did feel the service costs were high considering the different cars that we had in my garage (Ford, Hyundai, VW, Maruti, Tata etc). I always felt that Swift wasn’t worth all that cash I pay during the service. The average cost for every 5k kms would touch around 4k and occasional 20k interval service going well past 10k. This is my third car from the Ford stable and was completely satisfied with the costs and ownership of the previous 2 cars. So feeling confident that Ecosport wont disappoint me.

A week's usage:
It's been almost a week now with the Ecosport and the car is now at 320kms. Did paint sealant and underbody at 3M. Total bill came to 7k.

After the work at 3M
Ford EcoSport 1.5D Titanium - Owner's Log of the Beauty, or the Beast?-20130912_132533.jpg

1. The average FE shown in the MID is around 13-14kmpl. Went our for a short drive with 4 on-board and the passengers didn’t complain of anything. The NVH level is something everyone liked. Adequate power while overtaking although I felt the second gear didn’t have that power. But not all that bad.
2. Sync does work well
3. Arm rest not very useful. But my wife did found it very useful.
4. Door is very heavy and many found it difficult to close it.
5. I found the headlights to be pretty reasonable for city use.
6. Mist type wiper washer very useful but can blind you for a sec. It covers the entire windshield.
7. Sun glass holder – Not very convenient. The glass tends to rattle and can only stay in one position.
8. Scuff plates recommended.
9. Rear visibility pretty good but I recommend parking sensors.
10. One touch up/down driver side window is very convenient.
11. Dead pedal not really a dead pedal.
12. Storage – Very convenient but small items not recommended on the front doors since it's very difficult to access them.
13. Road noise pretty visible when using MRF.

Now let the pics do the talking.

Night shots
Ford EcoSport 1.5D Titanium - Owner's Log of the Beauty, or the Beast?-20130914_195529.jpg

Ford EcoSport 1.5D Titanium - Owner's Log of the Beauty, or the Beast?-20130914_195610.jpg

Rear leg room. Driver seat adjusted to my comfort (5'11")
Ford EcoSport 1.5D Titanium - Owner's Log of the Beauty, or the Beast?-20130911_073457.jpg

More detailed pics coming soon. These were taken to get the thread started.
Pic Courtesy - vaisakhr

Ford EcoSport 1.5D Titanium - Owner's Log of the Beauty, or the Beast?-_dsc0004.jpg

Ford EcoSport 1.5D Titanium - Owner's Log of the Beauty, or the Beast?-_dsc0007.jpg

Ford EcoSport 1.5D Titanium - Owner's Log of the Beauty, or the Beast?-_dsc0009.jpg

Ford EcoSport 1.5D Titanium - Owner's Log of the Beauty, or the Beast?-_dsc0012.jpg

Ford EcoSport 1.5D Titanium - Owner's Log of the Beauty, or the Beast?-_dsc9954.jpg

Ford EcoSport 1.5D Titanium - Owner's Log of the Beauty, or the Beast?-_dsc9962.jpg

Ford EcoSport 1.5D Titanium - Owner's Log of the Beauty, or the Beast?-_dsc9968.jpg

Ford EcoSport 1.5D Titanium - Owner's Log of the Beauty, or the Beast?-_dsc9976.jpg

Ford EcoSport 1.5D Titanium - Owner's Log of the Beauty, or the Beast?-_dsc9982.jpg

Ford EcoSport 1.5D Titanium - Owner's Log of the Beauty, or the Beast?-_dsc9993.jpg

Ford EcoSport 1.5D Titanium - Owner's Log of the Beauty, or the Beast?-_dsc9999.jpg

Joins the TEAMBHP family!
Ford EcoSport 1.5D Titanium - Owner's Log of the Beauty, or the Beast?-20130916_104609.jpg

More updates coming soon!

Last edited by naveen.raju : 16th September 2013 at 10:52.
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Old 16th September 2013, 14:30   #2
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re: Ford EcoSport 1.5D Titanium - Owner's Log of the Beauty, or the Beast?

Let me be the first one to congratulate you buddy. We all loved the car very much. Great choice.

Wish you many many happy miles ahead brother
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Old 16th September 2013, 14:47   #3
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re: Ford EcoSport 1.5D Titanium - Owner's Log of the Beauty, or the Beast?

Congrats on your New Ecosport .
Wishing you a joyful ownership throughout.
Kudos to Vaisakhr for snapping those drool worthy photos of the beast
Happy Onam !
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Old 16th September 2013, 14:53   #4
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re: Ford EcoSport 1.5D Titanium - Owner's Log of the Beauty, or the Beast?

Congratulations on the purchase! Nicely detailed review if i may add.... !
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Old 16th September 2013, 14:59   #5
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re: Ford EcoSport 1.5D Titanium - Owner's Log of the Beauty, or the Beast?

Congrats buddy! We are all very happy and deeply impressed with the car.

As usual, breathtaking shots from vaisakh. Simply beautiful in white,that car.

Wish you many years of happy motoring!!
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Old 16th September 2013, 15:08   #6
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re: Ford EcoSport 1.5D Titanium - Owner's Log of the Beauty, or the Beast?

Congratulations Naveen

Any plans on getting Angel eyes for your beast similar? What about tyre and alloy upgrade?
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Old 16th September 2013, 15:16   #7
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re: Ford EcoSport 1.5D Titanium - Owner's Log of the Beauty, or the Beast?

Congrats Naveen on your new EcoSport! Looks stunning especially in the last couple of pics on the empty road!

My colleague has booked this same titanium diesel model. Already down 3 months and yet another month at the minimum before he can expect delivery. Really good car, but delivery period is the biggest dampener.. Anyways.. Have fun clocking up miles on your beauty/beast!
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Old 16th September 2013, 15:19   #8
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re: Ford EcoSport 1.5D Titanium - Owner's Log of the Beauty, or the Beast?

Congrats Naveen.

Wish you many many happy miles with her. Expecting a proper photoshoot of the car soon.
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Old 16th September 2013, 16:02   #9
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Re: Ford EcoSport 1.5D Titanium - Owner's Log of the Beauty, or the Beast?

Congrats on the Ecosport! Wish you a happy ownership period with your new car. I think you paid the old price ? Do post more detailed impressions on the engine, I also found the engine good past 2k rpm till then it felt a little sluggish.
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Old 16th September 2013, 16:19   #10
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Re: Ford EcoSport 1.5D Titanium - Owner's Log of the Beauty, or the Beast?

Congratz on the new car and thank you for sharing this thread. Finally i got to drive friends Eco Sport Tdci yesterday, its a sweet car. Seating is nice & tall, pretty comfy ride and very good NVH. The engine clatter that was audible from outside is barely audible from inside and even the surrounding noise is filtered out well. A very good choice for city drives i feel.
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Old 16th September 2013, 16:33   #11
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Re: Ford EcoSport 1.5D Titanium - Owner's Log of the Beauty, or the Beast?

congratulations naveen
are you considering swapping the tires ?
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Old 16th September 2013, 17:10   #12
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Re: Ford EcoSport 1.5D Titanium - Owner's Log of the Beauty, or the Beast?

Congrats Naveen for your new EcoSport, hope to catch up with you during the t-bhp meets to check it out . Have never driven one, so not sure how good it is on curvy roads.
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Old 16th September 2013, 18:26   #13
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Re: Ford EcoSport 1.5D Titanium - Owner's Log of the Beauty, or the Beast?

Congrats on the ride. I am sure you meant it when you said it, but its new feeling to hear some one changing from a Maruti to a Ford on account of maintenance cost... Is this a trend on the making?

BTW - Those are some super duper pics on the post. Hats off to Vaishak for them
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Old 16th September 2013, 18:40   #14
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Re: Ford EcoSport 1.5D Titanium - Owner's Log of the Beauty, or the Beast?

Thanks guys for the wishes.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Prodigy07 View Post
Congratulations Naveen

Any plans on getting Angel eyes for your beast similar? What about tyre and alloy upgrade?
No mods planned as of now exceot for few small accessories. Will change the tyre during the next tyre change. Completely satisfied with OE alloy design so will keep it.

Quote:
Originally Posted by shashank.nk View Post
Congrats on the Ecosport! Wish you a happy ownership period with your new car. I think you paid the old price ? Do post more detailed impressions on the engine, I also found the engine good past 2k rpm till then it felt a little sluggish.
Yes, I paid the old price. I havent taken it beyond the 2k rpm. Yes, the initial surge is a bit low.

Quote:
Originally Posted by anilkumar View Post
congratulations naveen
are you considering swapping the tires ?
Thanks a lot. During the next tyre change.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Jeash.vk View Post
Congrats on the ride. I am sure you meant it when you said it, but its new feeling to hear some one changing from a Maruti to a Ford on account of maintenance cost... Is this a trend on the making?
Yes, Maruti is expensive now thanks to the revised labor rates. A normal service would come to 3k and major service 7k+. So decided to sell it off just before it clocked 60k kms.
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Old 16th September 2013, 19:04   #15
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Re: Ford EcoSport 1.5D Titanium - Owner's Log of the Beauty, or the Beast?

Quote:
Originally Posted by naveen.raju View Post
Thanks guys for the wishes.
Congrats buddy for the EcoSport. Congratulations once again.

The last picture with the LTD on the hatch door is fantastic. The Yellow colour of the sticker + while body contrast and gel beautifully.

PS: Can you update your signature please. The EcoSport has come to you so please change it from 'Coming Soon" to 'Came"

Anurag.
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