Team-BHP - My First Car - Ford EcoSport 1.5 TDCi Titanium (O)

How it all started-

So, it was my 18th birthday last year when buying a new car for me was being discussed at home. My dad told me to practice on the Vento for 6 months, after which he would buy me a new car, mostly a hatchback. Since then I would have spent countless, literally countless hours on the net looking up all possible cars that have launched or due to be launched. I was told that I would get a hatchback which I was pretty happy with. In july last year, instead of getting a new car, I got my sisters five year old Ritz. So, the new decision was to use the Ritz for a year and buy a new car after that. But the advantage now was that the segment was a bit flexible now. So, as you would expect, I kept looking at cars but never decided on anything for the past year. Suddenly one day, out of nowhere, my dad called me to his office to test-drive the Ecosport. I loved the car - The way it looked, its amazing interiors, the engine, everything and the decision was finally made. My Chill Metallic Ecosport was booked. Monday the 4th of August was the LEGENDARY day when I finally got it - My first car. My exams were going on but I didn't care stupid:

The Alternatives-

As I said before, during the time of booking I test drove just the Ecosport. No, I'm not that stupid. I didn't test drive any other car because i had already test-driven all other possible options. Multiple times. But when I drove the Ecosport, it just felt PERFECT.
Note: All the below cars were test-driven randomly over the course of one whole year. Yes, we were very confused about whether to buy a car or not.

1) The i20

Now, initially I was supposed to get a hatchback, so the i20 is the first car dad's look at because it's a Hyundai but I was pretty sure i didn't want one. Don't get me wrong here, the i20 is a brilliant car. Its just not something I wanted. It was very smooth, was packed with features but the steering let it down. It just didn't feel right. So it was out.

2) The Swift

I didn't go for a test-drive but I drove my cousins Swift and loved the handling of the car. However, the interior and features felt a bit boring, Plus, it felt similar to my Ritz, so this was also out.

3) The Punto

This was a car that I loved and absolutely wanted to buy. Its handling, well words cannot describe. I really wanted it but my parents didn't like it at all. The engine was noisy and Fiats reputation. I loved it but I got a firm NO from dad so unfortunately, it was out.

4) The new Honda City

This was a very, very good car. It was powerful(the petrol), had awesome interiors and features and was a very good package. But what let it down in my case were the looks. It looks more like an executive car. I wanted something more young. This however, wasn't out and was kept as a standby option while we waited for other cars to be launched or test-driven. My dad was in no hurry, so yeah- Kept on hold.

5) The Duster/Terrano

Okay, my dad loves these cars. Many of his friends have the Duster and we have driven them many times. They drive very well and are really nice overall packages. However, the top-end variants were a little above what my dad wanted to spend and the cars aren't very good looking( in my personal opinion). So mainly because of the price, the Duster was also out.

Note:I didn't test-drive the Polo because we already have a Vento, so no point.

And finally, The Ecosport

As soon as i sat in this car, I fell for it. The test-drive car was a brand new titanium(opt). I loved the looks, the crazy features, the awesome interiors and the engine&gearbox. The steering was one of the only things i didn't like that much but we cannot get everything right? Overall I loved it and whats better is that my dad loved it more. Immediately, it was decided and the top end Ecosport diesel was booked

Now, lets get to My Ecosport-

Delivery day-

I got my first car- The Ford Ecosport, on the 4th of August, 2014 at around 7pm. The car was properly cleaned and polished and looked amazing. All the formalities and paperwork was completed and I was out of the showroom driving my brand new car. I had an exam the next day but that was something I didn't care about. My parents were surprised as i am generally very stressed out during exams but i was completely different that day. All I could think of was the new car.

The first drive-

Initially, when i drove it, i drove it in peak Bangalore traffic. I was driving the car slowly and carefully and it felt great. I was checking out SYNC and other features on my way. The steering was very light in the traffic and felt great. Due to the running it period I didn't even think about crossing 2000 rpm, so I can't say much about the power, but I can say this. It felt extremely smooth with minimal turbo lag. To be very honest, I was scared. Generally, I am very used to driving in such traffic and it doesn't worry me about but I am very possessive about the Ecosport. Anyways, i drove for ten kilometres and then handed it over to my dad.

What I liked -

1. Amazing looks
2. Loaded with features
3. SYNC and its voice command works very well
4. Rear parking sensors with display
5. SUV looks with the rear tyre
6. Very supportive leather seats
7. Six airbags
8. Smooth engine
9. Nice alloys
10. Great gearbox and light clutch
11. Excellent high speed stability
12. Convex OVRM edges
13. Push-button start

What i didn't like-

1. Steering feedback
2. Stiff ride quality at low speed
3. No GPS
4. No power folding mirrors
5. Front and rear visibility
6. Jerks sometimes at low speeds

The overall experience-

On the whole, the Ecosport is an amazing car. I am fully convinced that there is no better car that I could have got. Thanks dad! Its super smooth, has all the cool features I could ask for and has a brilliant gearbox. I cannot say much about the engine power as I am currently in my break-in period and have never crossed 2200 revs. But it feels very linear and it has a very minimal turbo-lag unlike the Vento. The car makes me feel really good with the leather seats, futuristic interiors and great driving dynamics. I got the Goodyear tyres which, I felt are very good.

3M services used-

This was actually the first time we took a new car to 3M. The services used were-
1. Paint sealant protection
2. PPF for side mirrors and door edges
Didn't want to spend too much, so just got these two done for now.

Accessories purchased-

1. Mud Flaps
2. Floor mats
3. Car perfume
4. Silicon cover for the key from eBay
5. F1 shaped USB for the car
6. Red AUX that goes very well with the red stitching on the seatslol:
7. IND number plates

Accessory wish list-

There is no way I'm asking my dad for anything, he's already bought me the fully loaded top variant but still this is what I want to get in the future.

1. DRL's with projector headlamps
2. Side scuff plates
3. 3D mats (Will get them in a few days. Any suggestions?)
4. Ambient lighting
5. Team-Bhp stickers (On its way)
6. Sport pedals

Since everyone takes pictures in the day, the forum is full of them.
So, I decided to take snaps at night. Hope you like them.
(Excuse the quality, I'm not a very good photographer)

Price-

I don't know about the exact break-up of the price as my dad handled all that but I do know the final on-road price that was paid for my Ford Ecosport Titanium (Opt) TDCi.
On road price = Rs.12,20,875

This included the following-

- Ex-showroom price
- Insurance
- Life time tax in Bangalore
- 3rd and 4th year warranty
- Essential accessories which included mud flaps, carpet mats, perfume and god's idol.

Exteriors-

The more I look at my smart Chill Metallic Ecosport, the more I feel like staring at it. It's been exactly 1 week since I have got the car and I just can't get enough of it. I have a 2007 E-Class and a Vento at home but the Ecosport is clearly the winner among the three in the looks department. The amazing front grill, side profile of the car, the spare wheel at the back, the high ground clearance and the overall muscle of the car gives it a true SUV look. In-spite of all these things, it's still a sub 4 metre car that is very easy to use in the city. So, its an overall package in the looks department.

Interiors & Features-

When you step inside the Ecosport, the exterior feels like an understatement. The interiors feel "WOW". I couldn't think of a better word to describe them. The leather seats are very supportive with a good red stitching though the quality of leather could have been a bit better. The SYNC system works like a breeze and recognises most of what I say very well. However, for some reason it doesn't recognise me when I try to call my dad. Plus, its a bit slow to use. I use it just for the fun of it. It's useful but you can do the same thing on the screen also. Being a tech freak, I enjoy it but some might not want to use it much as when you are in a hurry it can irritate you a little. The rear seat space is also very good. Much more than the Vento and everyone who saw the mentioned this. The under thigh support could have been better but overall, a very comfortable back seat. The entire layout of the dashboard feels very upmarket and premium. The driving position and OVRM's( one thing I would like to point out is that the convex edges are much more useful than I thought) are great but the front visibility isn't all that great. There are huge blind spots created when you turn. All this took a bit getting used to but within 1 week and 300 Km, I thing Ive got the hang of it. The parktronics display on the SYNC screen is very helpful while reversing. One more very useful thing about the car is the number of storage spaces- for bottles, sunglasses, phone etc. And the cooled glovebox is a boon to a Coke lover like me. The only problem I felt was that at some places the quality of plastics is not up to the mark. At some places its very good and at others is quite bad. For example, the power window buttons feel pretty cheap. But apart from this, its hard to find fault with the interiors. The most useful feature that I forgot to mention earlier is keyless entry and push-button start. I never take out the key from my pocket. Its just ultra convenient to just press a button to unlock the car, press another button to start the car and just start driving. The instrument cluster too looks great, especially at night. The build quality is right up there with the germans. The doors are nice and heavy and everything looks well built. No rattles or issues experienced yet. So overall, I think this is one of the best interior+feature package that you can find in this price range. Its not perfect but its still very very very good.

Handling-

In the beginning, i didn't like the handling too much. I felt like the steering was too light and that it would not weigh up properly. I was wrong. Though there are much better steerings out there, this is not like a Hyundai as many people generally say. Its actually very good. At low speeds and while parking, you can turn it literally with one finger. But, even a higher speeds, its not that bad. Its a bit too sensitive but apart from that, it gives you good feedback and you feel like you have a lot of grip. The feel of the steering wheel is also very nice and premium. So overall, it is okay in this department and is not as bad as it is made out to be.

Ride & Ground Clearance-

At very low speeds, the ride is not nice at all. It gets a bit uncomfortable over small speed breakers and bad roads. But all this is just at very low speeds. Go a little faster and it feels like a different car. As the speed increases, the ride gets better and better. You can't feel uneven road and the car sails over bad roads like they were brand new. So at low speeds, its bad but from medium to higher speeds, its very good. Its actually a little weird I think. My dad touched 140 in the car unintentionally because of the ride. The car is extremely stable and felt like the Mercedes. We were at 140 and it felt like we were doing like 100. This is exactly what happens in the E-Class. We were all very impressed by its stability at high speeds. The ground clearance, as we all know, is very good to and there is not much to really say about this.

Braking-

I think that mechanically, the best thing about this car is how it brakes. The brakes are just very powerful and give the right feedback to the pedals. The nose doesn't dip too much so that is good too. At one time, I saw a speed breaker very late and still managed to slow down soon enough. i was very impressed as when I saw the speed breaker, I thought I was going to jump and get a scolding fro my dad who was sitting behind. So, no complaints here.

Refinement-

The first thing my Mom, who doesn't usually notice anything apart from interiors said when she sat in the car was how smooth the engine was. She actually thought it was a petrol. There is almost no clatter at idle and even while driving at about 2000 revs, you cannot hear the engine very much. if you have light music playing, then you won't hear anything at all. Only once did the car touch high revs till now(which was also a mistake due to running in) and that time also it felt very refined. So, no complaints here either.

Engine & Gearbox-

The first thing I would like to say here is that it doesn't feel like a diesel at all. This is because of the turbo lag. There is minimal turbo lag and the engine pulls cleanly from the start. Its only when you don't downshift when requires that you get a slight hint of turbo lag. Also, there is no sudden spike of power that pushes you back into your seat like the Vento. Acceleration is very refined and smooth. No, I am not saying that it is not strong. The car shoots, especially in 3rd gear but the acceleration is very linear. Some of us may like this while others may like the sudden surge. The Ecosport has linear acceleration and one can barely hear the turbo. One issue is that sometimes when you are in a higher gear, the engine jerks which is actually a shame considering how good an engine it is. Overall, a nice engine. The gearbox has a very nice feel to it when you shift gears but sometimes it feels a little hard. But once you get used to it, you realise that its a very mechanical kind of gearbox which is a good thing. The clutch is also very light and easy to use. Nobody has stalled the car till date and thats pretty good I think. One small issue with the car is that the steering column can be felt while pressing the clutch. You can actually feel it rotating at times which is annoying. But you can avoid touching it by adjusting the way you press your clutch. Some people might not have even noticed this. But I think this is something that should not have been this way as it is pretty odd and i haven't seen such a thing in any other car. So to sum up, the engine is reasonably punchy, has a slick gearbox but doesn't have that sudden surge of power that some of us enjoy. So all in all, a pretty decent motor.

That's it guys for my initial ownership review.
Thanks a lot for reading.
Suggestions, tips, feedback, criticism, anything, please comment below
I shall keep updating this thread as I clock more and more kilometres on the odo.
Cheers!!