[HappyRoadie]

Hello all, I am very please to inform you all that I have taken delivery of my Ford Ecosport. This is my second Ford car, the first being Ford Figo. I had considered many cars before choosing the Ecosport but the main competition or confusion was between three cars- Tata Zest, Ford Ecosport and Ford Fiesta. So in this thread I will be discussing the following points-:

1. Background
2. Need for upgrade
3. Cars Shortlisted and final decision
4. Booking Process
5. Experience with Ecosport

Background

I have 2 cars in my garage. One is Tata Safari for highway trips and second was Ford Figo (now sold). I was using Figo for my city drives as driving Safari in crowded streets of Lucknow is a pain. The biggest grudge with Safari is its massive turning radius. So Safari was strictly for highway trips. Figo was serving me very well. I had opted for diesel engine for Figo. Driving it was a breeze. It had nearly zero turbo lag and was perfect for city driving. I even did many highway trips with Figo and just loved everything about it, the road manners, peppy engine, nice ride etc. So I was a happy man enjoying both the rides that I had. So why I planned to buy a new car? Below is the answer.

Need for upgrade

Lately I started noticing that the suspension had become stiff. This was more evident when going over speed breakers. Apart from this the car had started making faint squeaking noises from the rear. I was in no mood to sell the car but one day a friend of mine visited my house and saw the Figo. He had a look at the car and after seeing how well maintained the car was asked me if I was interested in selling the car to him. I immediately said yes as he was known to me and really cares for his cars. Apart from this he offered a good price. So deal was finalised. But I had to choose a car. So I asked him to wait for weeks till I decide my next car. He was ready to wait. So now the hunt for new car begins.

Cars shortlisted and Final decision

My budget was 9 Lacs. So we started seeing the cars that fitted the budget. Here are the cars that were shortlisted-:

Tata Zest-:

I was really interested in Tata Zest since the time it was launched. Infact I had done a test drive of it as soon as it was available with the dealer. I loved everything about it. But that test drive was just for my curiosity to see how Zest performs and its interior quality.

So the first car that came to my mind was Zest. This time I was actually looking for a new car. There are many dealers here but the one that is very near to my house is Goldrush. I called them and asked if a test drive for Zest is possible. They said yes. We quickly reached the showroom and a nice and knowledgeable SA greeted us. He had good knowledge about Zest. First he explained me all the features and the differences in the variants and then took us for a test drive. The Zest I drove was Revotron XT. I loved the way the car handled. The suspension was very good and I hardly felt any jerks inside the cabin. And those 3 modes that are given are not gimmick. You can actually feel the difference between the 3 modes. I was really impressed. I wanted to test drive the diesel also but it was not available. The SA promised me that he will bring the car to my house the next day. Next day he came with the car. There it was guys. Tata Zest XT diesel. This time I took a longer ride and I loved it even more. The cabin was so silent that it felt that I am driving a petrol car. By the time I finished my test drive I had decided that I will go with diesel engine only. Revotron engine is also very good but I liked the diesel a bit more.

Next day I went to the showroom and booked the Zest XMS variant by paying Rs. 25000. We decided XMS variant as only thing that was being offered in XT over XMS was music system with touchscreen and few other features. The colour we had shortlisted was Dune beige. Our second preference was Silver. The SA at the time of booking promised me that I will get the car in 2 weeks. Now the wait began. 2 weeks passed by and no information from my SA. I called him and gave some excuses and promised me that I will get the car shortly. I kept on waiting but no information about my car. Then he tried to persuade me to go for XM varaint for which I refused. After waiting for about a month I cancelled my booking. Trust me guys this was the only reason for the cancellation of my booking. In short here are the things that I liked in Zest-:

1. Extremely silent cabin,
2. Peppy and nice engine with minimum turbo lag.
3. Great features even in lower variants.
4. Nice and well padded seats and very good leg room.
5. Nice visibility all around.
6. Excellent ride quality. No jerks were felt when going over speed breakers.
6. I was getting 2 airbags, ABS with EBD in XMS variant. This variant according to me is real VFM.

Now the things that were not so pleasant.

1. Very few storage space in such a nice and spacious car.
2. No covering on the inside of the boot. Its not a problem but does not looks very pleasing either.
3. Long waiting period.

These were the only things that I did not like. Thats it.

Ford Fiesta-:

Now we started looking for cars from Ford's stable. I liked the looks of the Fiesta and those Aston Martin grill looks just awesome. So planned to test drive this as well. Visited the Ford dealer and had a look at the car. Drove the car for a short distance since it had become dark. I loved the way the car handled. The engine was nice and peppy. The interiors were very stylish. The leg room was decent I would say. I liked the Fiesta a lot. After the test drive the SA told me all the features and differences etc. I asked him about offer and he said that there are no offers on Fiesta. I shook hands and went back home. We finalised the base variant as that was the only variant that was fitting our budget. We called the dealer next day to ask that when will we get the delivery if we book the base variant. The SA told that they have only the top end Titanium variant available with them. He said that Fiesta comes in very limited numbers so they have only one variant. I called the another dealer and he also said the same thing. After 2 days the SA called me and informed me that he has the middle variant i.e Trend variant and offered me a discount of Rs. 40,000. It was a very nice offer. Earlier I was not getting a discount of even a single penny and now Rs. 40,000. I told him to wait for sometime as I have to discuss with family. The Trend variant was way over my budget even after the discount. After reading Teambhp I came to know that Ford is planning to launch all new Fiesta in 2015. So buying a Fiesta now does not makes sense as after the launch of the new Fiesta the resale value of current Fiesta will go down drastically and its possible that the spare parts may be difficult to source. So Fiesta was out of the competition. The things that I liked in Fiesta are-:

1. Stylish looks. It is a head turner. No doubt about that.
2. Steering feedback was excellent and was nice to hold.
3. The car leaps forward on slightly pressing the accelerator.
4. Leg room was decent though not the best.
5. Great features. I was getting driver side airbags along with ABS even in the base variant.
6. Nice seats.

the things that were not so pleasing.

1. The exposed hinges in the center arm rest. It looks bad in such a nice and feature packed car.
2. I noticed that the driver side power window switches were placed quite behind.
3. The ride was stiff.
4. Also noticed that brake feel was not good. I do not know if it was only with the Test drive vehicle or is present in all the Fiesta's.

So this was also out of the competition.

Ford Ecosport-:

Not being able to select a car I decided to have a look at the Ecosport. Went to the showroom to have a look at the Ecosport. I was already in love with the looks of Ecosport. Discussed all the things with the SA and asked for a test drive. Since it was late at night so he promised me a test drive the next day. Next day he was outside my house with the car for test drive. The one that he had got was Titanium O variant diesel. I sat inside and was looking for key slot when he pointed out that this variant comes with push start button. He also informed me that the car wont start unless and until I press the clutch. So finally I switched on the car. The first thing that I noticed was how silent the cabin was. I asked him if it was petrol to which he replied that Sir its a diesel. I was amazed how silent the engine was. I drove it for a long distance. After completing the test drive I was mighty impressed with the Ecosport. The engine was excellent and had a great pickup. The legroom was sufficient and my family gave a thumbs up for the rear seat comfort. So this was it guys. I decided that our next ride would be Ecosport. I will mention all the details of finalising the color, pros and cons a little later.

The other cars that I had shortlisted were Honda City, Volkswagen Vento.

Honda City-:

I had made up my mind that our next car would be Ecosport. Still wanted to checkout the City. Called the dealer to ask about the price and discounts etc. After giving me the required details he informed me that there is a 2 months waiting period for Honda City. As soon as he told me the City was out. I did not even bothered to test drive it as I was in no mood to wait for 2 months.

Volkswagen Vento-:

I even had a look at Vento also. Took a test drive of it as well. Here the things that I liked.

1. Solid tank like construction.
2. Nice and powerful diesel engine.
3. Spacious rear with great leg room.
4. Nice ride quality.

The things which I did not like-:

1. Although it looks great but I find that it is too plain looking.
2. Expensive to maintain.
3. The workshop is very far from my house. So taking it for servicing would be a problem for me.

So it was also out from the list.

Booking Process

Now coming to the booking process. After returning from the test drive the discussion started as to which variant should we go for. The base variant i.e. Ambiente was too basic. Here are the things that I was not getting in Ambiente variant.

1. Driver height adjustment was absent.
2. Only 2 front power windows.
3. No steering mounted controls
4. No rear reclining seats
4. Black ORVM's and door handles.
5. No ABS
6. No Load compartment light

So after seeing all this I decided to go with Trend Variant. Now the color was to chosen. I was wanting to go with white color. Everyone at home strictly refused it saying that white is a very common color for Ecosport and the other reason was that if we opt for white color then there will be 2 white cars in the garage- Safari and Ecosport. I was against black as it is really a pain to maintain it. After long discussion we decided smoke grey color. Next day I went to the showroom to give the booking amount. I asked the SA about the smoke grey color and he showed me one. It was not Ecosport. It was Ford Classic (formerly Fiesta) in that shade. I was amazed to see how beautiful it looked. He said that it is a new color and is slightly lighter in shade compared to the earlier Sea grey color. So I kept the smoke grey color only. I paid Rs. 1 Lacs as booking amount. The SA said I will get my car in 1 week. In the meantime I sold my Figo to my friend who waited very patiently. For the remaining amount I took a loan from SBI. The Trend variant's Ex showroom price was Rs. 8,38,000. The total On Road price came around Rs. 9,20,000 I guess. I dont remember the exact amount.

Delivery Day

It was Thursday when my SA called me to inform that my car has arrived and I can take the delivery. I was really excited. I went to the showroom straight away and did a brief PDI. After the PDI gave them a thumbs up. After coming back home from work we went to take the delivery of our new ride. As we entered the showroom we saw the color for the first time on Ecosport. It looked beautiful. After completing all the formalities I was informed not to drive it over 80 Km/hr as it is in run in period. Finally I was given the keys. They gave us a box of chocolate which was sweet on their part and a photo was clicked. Finally I sat in the car and drove it back home. Next day took it for puja to a nearby temple.

Experience with Ecosport-:

Now coming to my experience with Ecosport. First of all here are the pros and cons of the car.

Pros-:

1. Extremely stylish.
2. Very silent engine with awesome pickup and nearly zero turbo lag.
3. Cabin is very well insulated. You can hardly hear the engine noise inside.
4. Road visibility from driver's seat is great aided by height adjustment.
5. Rear seats are reclining and they can be folded forward to increase the boot space.
6. Nice feedback from steering.
7. Lots of storage space to keep things.
8. Storage trey under the co driver seat.
9. ABS is also there.
10. High ground clearance.
11. Tilt and telescopic steering wheel.
12. Nice and comfortable seats.

Cons-:

1. The plastic quality is not that great. it could have been much better.
2. Rear leg room is on lesser side. Little more leg room would have been appreciated.
3. The thick A pillar causes blind spot. So you have to be really careful when making turns.
4. The side opening tailgate needs lot of space to open fully which can be problematic in tight parking spots.
5. Huge gap is present between rear seats and parcel trey. Even if the seats are reclined to extreme position still the gap is quite huge.
6. The bottle holder in the rear door is useless. A deep pocket would have been better.
7. No boot release button on the key fob or inside. It can only be opened from the outside.
8. The screen of the head unit is small. Bigger screen would have been better.

Here is the summary of the pros and cons. Now coming to the car. Here is my review.

Looks-:

The looks of Ecosport are great. The styling is very stylish but not overdone. It is proportionate. The sleek headlamps look great and offer great throw. The rear also looks awesome. The spare wheel at the back adds to its SUV character. Without the spare wheel the back looks pretty boring. The reversing lights are located on the bumper. I dont like this position. If they were present on the tailgate it would have been better. All in all its got great looks that appeals to majority of the people. The huge success are the evidence of this fact that it has appealed to majority of people here.

Engine-:

The diesel engine produces 91 HP and 204 Nm of torque. The engine is very peppy and does not have any lag. Driving it in city or highway is effortless. Just a slight tap on accelerator and car moves forward. It is really difficult for me to keep the car under 80 Km/hr. And inspite revving it hard the engine noise does not enters the cabin. This proves how silent the engine is. I have noticed that at low RPM's and higher gear the Ecosport jerks a bit. This was not present in Figo. On highways the engine performs as expected. Its very refined and you wont feel that engine is getting strained. Overtaking is also a breeze. So all in all I am really happy with the engine performance.

Interior and Build Quality-:

The outer build quality is excellent. The paint finish is top notch and the panel gaps are very tight and consistent. The doors feel pretty solid and close with a nice thunk.

The interior just like the outside looks very stylish. The center console looks very smart. The steering is meaty and nice to hold. Steering has volume controls as well. Though the quality of plastics could have been better. The driver as well as passenger seats are rally comfortable and have nice padding and cushioning. The driver side is height adjustable so finding a nice view of the road is not a problem. The rear seats can be reclined. This feature is really very helpful. And the seats have a good reclining range. The leg room is decent. My family members have not complained about lack of leg room so far. The sound quality from factory fitted music system is excellent. It also has bluetooth connectivity. The buttons of music system are of very nice quality. They feel good to use. Seating three adults abreast is not a problem at all. You wont feel cramped at all. So overall I am happy with the interior space and comfort that it provides. Apart from this 12V charging port is also given to charge our smartphones.

Storage Space-:

There is no dearth of storage space. I wont say that it has lots of storage space. No thats not so. But whatever space they have provided is very good. For instance all 4 doors have door pockets. The front 2 doors have nice and big door pockets. This can be used to keep cleaning cloth, bottle can also be placed in this space provided. Whereas the rear 2 doors have small bottle holders. You cannot fit big bottles in these. There is storage space along with bottle and cup holder next to the handbrake. You can place your smartphone, coins etc over here. 12V power point is also located in this area. So overall I would say that I am quite happy with the amount of storage space they have provided.

Ride Quality and Handling-:

The ride quality is most important for me. When I had purchased Figo its handling and ride quality was among the best. But lately the suspension of it had become stiff. So handling and ride quality was also a very important criteria. The handling of Ecosport is very good. Taking turns at moderate speeds is not a problem. There is no body roll in the car. The ride quality is good though not the best. This is because the suspension is little stiff. Its either because the car is new or due to high tyre pressure. If you go over speed breaker at high speed the passengers get tossed around. So make sure that you go slow over rough roads or speed breakers.

The turning radius is very good. Making U turns is not a problem at all. Infact because of the excellent steering making U turns becomes even more better. The steering has very nice feedback.

Gearing-:

The gear knob is very good. It looks very stylish in black and a silver line running all around it. The gear throw is short and precise. Press the clutch and gear slots very easily. It is not rubbery in feel compared to the gear throw of Safari. Slotting Safari's gear gives you a rubbery feel. This is not the case in Ecosport. The clutch was hard when I had taken the car out of the showroom. Now the clutch has become light and is perfect for me.

Fuel Efficiency-:

I have not done any highway trip so far. I have only driven in city. And from my experience the fuel efficiency is very good. I got around 14 Kmpl in city. I am sure it will improve further after the first servicing is done. The FE is better than Figo in my opinion. It is quite surprising.

Braking-:

Brakes have a good bite. I had a chance to brake hard only once and I was impressed. The brakes are very good and the car stopped quickly. The trend variant has ABS also. So this is an added advantage.

Particular Likes and dislikes-:

i have noticed few quirks that will take time to adjust with. First is that there is no lever to open the fuel lid. I was struggling to find the lever to open the fuel lid when I had gone to get the diesel filled. The guy at the petrol pump told me that it does not have any lever to open the fuel lid. Then I came to know that the fuel lid is connected to central locking. I personally prefer the lever to open the fuel lid.

Then one more thing I find missing is the button inside to open the boot. It was present in my Figo. Trust me i am missing that feature a lot. In Ecosport you have to open the tailgate from outside only.

As I have already mentioned that the tail gate opening sideways requires more space compared to the ones that open upwards. It would have been better if the tail gate opened upwards.

The reverse lights are located on the bumper rather than on tail gate. It does look odd.

Summary-:

I am really enjoying my experience with Ecosport. Ecosport is real VFM in my opinion. It looks great, the interiors are very stylish and feature levels are top notch. The diesel engine they have provided is tried and tested. It is practical for city as well as highway trips. And Ecosport has received very positive reviews from the members and moderators. So if anyone of you is planning to go with Ecosport go ahead and buy one. You wont regret your decision.

Thats it for the review. Now let the pictures do the talking.

Exterior-:

The front. It definitely looks beautiful. The lights have a very powerful throw at night. The headlights are much better and powerful compared to Figo.



The rear looks very macho. The spare wheel adds to it SUV character. Without the spare wheel the rear looks very boring and plain. I have actually seen one Ecosport without spare wheel at the back. It was looking really bad without the spare wheel. The reversing lights are located on the bumpers and not on the usual place i.e. tail gate. It looks little odd.




The side profile looks good. The creases on the sides gives it a nice character. Otherwise it would have looked boring. The panel gaps are tight and consistent. The build quality is very good along with the paint quality. The doors are heavy and close with nice thunk.



Even the ORVM's are stylish. The turn indicators are of very good quality and do not look like after market ones.



The boot space is very good. The tailgate open sideways by pressing the small black button present on the tail light. The boot space can be increased further by folding the rear seats forward. After folding the seats you get a huge storage space. The wheel wells do intrude a little bit but boot space is great.




Interior-:

The interiors are nice place to be in. You can see for yourself that how stylish the interiors are.




The center console. The gear looks stylish in black. IMO it looks better than the grey gear that comes in Titanium. I think the Titanium variants have grey gear lever. Please correct me if I am wrong.



In this pic you can see that their is fair amount of leg room even after adjusting the driver seat according to my driving position (I am 5'9").



The door pockets in the front doors are sufficiently big. You can keep cleaning cloth etc and there is a bottle holder as well.

Driver side door-:

You can see the power window switches along with the switch to adjust the electric ORVM's. The positioning of power window switches is not that great. they are positioned more at the back. The switch to control ORVM is joy to use. It is very easy and convenient to use.



Co driver side door-:



The rear door also have storage space but it is not big at all. There is only a bottle holder. Yes you can use it to keep other things as well like earphones, charger etc.




Now the storage space that is next to handbrake. This area is very useful. Here you have a 12V charging point as well. You can keep water bottle, cups, mobile, coins etc. So this are according to me is the most practical one. I always keep my mobile in this area only as carrying big mobile phones in your jeans pocket is uncomfortable.



Hope you all like my thread. I will be posting a comparison between Figo and Ecosport shortly. Here is a picture of both cars together.



The rear of both the cars.



Thanks

[//M]

Congrats Happy Roadie for the Ecosport !!

A wonderful decision you took. Is Smoke Grey a new color for the Ecosport?

I do not remember seeing any Smoke Grey Ecosports. Initially I believe only 6 colors were introduced, Mars Red, Silver, Diamond White, Black, Chill and Kinetic Blue.

The Smoke Grey looks lovely and handsome.

[HappyRoadie]

Originally Posted by //M

Congrats Happy Roadie for the Ecosport !!

A wonderful decision you took. Is Smoke Grey a new color for the Ecosport?

I do not remember seeing any Smoke Grey Ecosports. Initially I believe only 6 colors were introduced, Mars Red, Silver, Diamond White, Black, Chill and Kinetic Blue.

The Smoke Grey looks lovely and handsome.

Thanks a lot for the wishes. Grey color used to come which was called sea grey. Now they have replaced it with smoke grey color. It is little lighter compared to sea grey.

[Blow Horn Ok]

Congrats on your purchase. Even I own a 2010 figo TDCI and day dream to upgrade to the ecosport or to the fiesta . The smoke grey looks better and elegant than the sea grey. In my opinion the steering cover is looking out of place. If you can, get rid of it. How is ride quality compared to the figo? People say that the fiesta rides better than the ecosport, but i haven't driven any of the two.

[GTO]

Thread moved from the Assembly Line to the Initial Ownership Section. Thanks for sharing!

[Turbo_asd]

Congrats on the new Ecosport. I do so love the choice of seat covers. I feel that the steering wheel cover does not quite complement the interiors though.
By the way, what was the waiting period for your car? In our neighbourhood dealership, waiting periods still exceed 2 months!
Wish you many happy miles on your beauty!

[HappyRoadie]

Originally Posted by Turbo_asd

Congrats on the new Ecosport. I do so love the choice of seat covers. I feel that the steering wheel cover does not quite complement the interiors though.
By the way, what was the waiting period for your car? In our neighbourhood dealership, waiting periods still exceed 2 months!
Wish you many happy miles on your beauty!

Thanks for the wishes. The waiting period was around 10 days. That's it. Not more than ten days.

[mooza]

Originally Posted by HappyRoadie

The ride quality is good though not the best. This is because the suspension is little stiff. Its either because the car is new or due to high tyre pressure.

You said it right on both counts.

My Ecosport's ride quality has softened a bit after 2000 kms. Also, I run 28 psi (in place of 30 psi) on our bumpy city roads, has made a lot of difference, I just love the ride quality now.

Congratulations on your buy !

[HappyRoadie]

Originally Posted by mooza

You said it right on both counts.

My Ecosport's ride quality has softened a bit after 2000 kms. Also, I run 28 psi (in place of 30 psi) on our bumpy city roads, has made a lot of difference, I just love the ride quality now.

Congratulations on your buy !

Glad to hear that the ride quality had imprinted. Thanks for the wishes.

[dvv]

Congrats HappyRoadie! Hope you have a joyous ownership experience!
The Ecosport has tremendous road presence. Hope it turns a few heads for you.

Don't you think it's time to update your signature here?

[HappyRoadie]

Originally Posted by dvv

Congrats HappyRoadie! Hope you have a joyous ownership experience!
The Ecosport has tremendous road presence. Hope it turns a few heads for you.

Don't you think it's time to update your signature here?

Thanks a lot for the wishes. Yes I will be changing the signature very soon.

[Rabbit80]

Congrats a lot for your new ride. I have always envied Ecosports owner. The looks are definitely distinctive and unique. And once you are seated inside, it does feel like a great car to enjoy your drive.

Unfortunately when I booked my car, Ecosport was launched the same time and the wait period was close to 12-15 months for petrol variants.

I must say it is a good choice!

[HappyRoadie]

Originally Posted by Rabbit80

Congrats a lot for your new ride. I have always envied Ecosports owner. The looks are definitely distinctive and unique. And once you are seated inside, it does feel like a great car to enjoy your drive.

Unfortunately when I booked my car, Ecosport was launched the same time and the wait period was close to 12-15 months for petrol variants.

I must say it is a good choice!

Thanks a lot for your wishes. Yes I totally agree with you that it looks distinctive and unique.

[Porschefire]

Congrats HappyRoadie! The smoke grey looks very good indeed. How about adding a nice set of alloys!? That'll complete the look.
Wishing you many happy miles in it.

[HappyRoadie]

Originally Posted by Porschefire

Congrats HappyRoadie! The smoke grey looks very good indeed. How about adding a nice set of alloys!? That'll complete the look.
Wishing you many happy miles in it.

I will definitely add alloys later. Yes smoke grey color looks really nice and it is not very common. I have seen very few smoke grey Ecosports.