[Contrapunto]

Originally Posted by AbelAFC

Hey,

I test drove the EcoSport AT two hours ago, and while I liked it for the most part, I found one glaring problem. There was a jerking in first gear, when taking off from standstill. I don't know if it was because Metro Ford's TD EcoSport is in bad condition, I'm hoping it is. Have you faced this issue?

Its probably the later. I have not faced it in my car yet

[Baddychat]

Congratulations Rajeev on your in-laws new acquisition.

An excellent crisp review to boot. Keep updating the thread which I think would be great for prospective future Ecsoport AT customers like me.

Also wishing thousands of happy and safe miles on this car.

[asrao_tuni]

Hi

I bought EcoSport AT in Feb 16, in Bangalore. While many factors like safety with 6 air bags, ruggedness, comfort in city driving, shape of the car, easy parking, etc., are pretty good and enjoyable, I am concerned with an important issue I am experiencing.

The initial pick up is rough in 'D' mode. Engine RPM shoots up 2,000 - 3,500 rpm during the first few meters after start. It feels as-if the clutch is not engaged correctly, or right gear is not engaged. [Sports mode is somewhat similar, but I can control it explicitly, so its better]. While picking up, there is some noise in the cabin (where as during the idling almost silent). While the speed picks up between 0-30 kmph it is always rough, never a smooth pickup. On highways, after initial pickup, it is always smooth. However, most of the time I drive in the city, and traffic always brings me back to zero quickly and need to pickup again, and that's precisely the reason I bought a AT vehicle. :-)

I talked to the sales in about 2 weeks after purchase, and they say that's the way Auto Transmissions work. I drove AT cars in US and they have been smooth. This is the first time I am driving in India though. Recently I got first servicing done, and explicitly complained about this issue. Service team also says the same, that this is normal behavior of the EcoSport AT. They gave me another EcoSport AT to drive and that is also same.

This is something that impacts my driving experience, and would have influenced my buying decision if I am able to sense this early. I am planning to drive a few AT cars of other makes in the coming weeks to understand things better.

Is this the way AT cars work? Is there something I can do about it?

srinivas

[BUXX]

the AT box in the Ecosport is a little bit confused in the 1-2 gears. That's the only reason for the RPM climbing I guess. Its the same for the Aspire as well.

Once the GB has overcome these two gears , rest of the way its pretty smooth and jerk -less.

[SDP]

Did you take a test-drive of the EcoSport AT before buying the car?

In India, ATs are just about picking up and still form a small %age of the overall sales as compared to let's say US where the default is Automatic Transmission and in most cars, you don't even get the MT option. I am specifically pointing out how wide-spread the ATs are in US because I believe that decides the RnD effort, investment and quality of the ATs available there. e.g. the 1989 Nissan Maxima that I owned in US was already 10 years old when I got it and I still remember the AT was just superb and even after so many years I have not experienced that smoothness in Indian AT cars I have driven till date. Point is ...you can't really compare the ATs in US with the ATs in India unless the cars are from the same segment.

[Rajeevraj]

Quoting from the Ownership review I wrote of the Ecosport AT purchased by my family in Kerala. Are the scenarios described below in line with what you have been experiencing? If so, then it is a characteristic of the Engine+AT Box combo.

[list]
[*]The short surge scenario: One you take the leg of the brake and give a prod on the accelerator, sometimes instead of gradually moving ahead, there is a quick surge. It is as if you would expect the car to be in 2nd gear, but it decides to hang on to the first gear. I noticed the same behavior when I drove the Aspire also. You get used to it, but a little bit of a bother in tight situations.

[*]The medium slow-fast scenario: Consider you are in slow moving traffic, say at 30-40kmph, occasionally there is a gap and you want to quickly accelerate and close the gap. The transmission seems to be confused here. Sometimes as you step on the gas, it will be in the right gear and close the gap quickly, other times, it holds the gear and hence you take a while to move on. The problem I faced here is that before the maneuver, I am not sure which gear the car is in. The display just shows D. Here I really missed the VW behavior where even in D it shows the gear. As a result there is a bit of confusion.

[VW2010]

That AT box is quite an handful. In fact if you read reviews from actual owners and even test drivers they clearly mention about the nature of this gear box. The gearbox upshifts early for fuel efficiency. The engine lacks mid range. In your case if you are trying to get that full throttle press and expect the engine to do magic, you will be disappointed.

One of the reviews: AutocarIndia review

The response is there when you press your foot down on the accelerator but it is not in line with what you expect to get back from the car. What makes matters worse is that the gearbox is sometimes reluctant to downshift and that further accentuates the problem

Check this review in detail and it may help you adjust your driving style. May be there is no problem but its the way that car drives.

http://www.autocarindia.com/auto-rev...-348437,0.aspx

[The Rationalist]

I own a Aspire with the DCT. To be honest, it's just a relaxed city car, nothing more. It struggles to close the gaps and it's very risky in overtaking scenarios. It can cruise at speeds, but can't make a quick spurt or so. I have been caught in a couple of occasions and now I have changed my driving style! I had test driven the Ecosport AT and it was so pathetic in making a quick getaway,that I ditched the plan to buy it by the end of the drive.My other car is a Zen and it's such a brilliant one to make short sprints, so I miss that. Try the Volkswagen DSG,it's better in the scenarios described by you.

[Rahul Rao]

I have an Ecosport AT, the engine revvs up to the limit you throttle it to. If you stab the accelerator moderately what you say happens, if you just let off the brakes, the car starts in first and almost immediately gets into second. And you crawl at idle speed.

If you only let off the brake initially, and then use a little more than feathers touch on the throttle such that the engine doesn't rev beyond 2000 RPM, you get a smooth start, and second onwards the car smoothly goes on upto 2000 RPM and selects next gear until it comes into 5th. 2000 RPM in 5th is just above 60, 5th to 6th shift will usually occur above 2500 RPM which is a shade above 80, but if you are continuously cruising at just under 80 with a light foot, you will realise you are in 6th and that too only as the RPM has dropped.

Rahul

[ashbhat2]

This post / query is for my friend .. who is looking for a replacement of his 2003 model Santro Xing AT ..
He almost made up mind to go for Jazz CVT.. but seeing a price reduction and SUVish look tempted for EcoSport AT..
He has to find a solution to shift the direction lever from left side of steering to right side of steering for ease of operation though ,
keeping that aside
which weighs better between Jazz CVT & EcoSport DCT (or it is AT) in below aspects
- engine/drive quality mostly City driving and occasssional Highway driving
- interior quality
- Boot Space
- rear seat comfort for teenage children

And the Problems associated with Ecosport AT on 1->2 , 2-> 3 gear change are true for Jazz CVT as well , or Jazz is better in that aspect .. and since he is used to drive Santro AT .. Is he going to see big difference with EcoSport AT in those aspects
when you compare with TSI the sluggish ness may be a bigger concern


And is it worth waiting for Brezza CVT or AMT .. Polo TSI and other Ford DCT hatchbacks are ruled out due less boot space compared to Jazz CVT..

[BUXX]

Originally Posted by ashbhat2

He has to find a solution to shift the direction lever from left side of steering to right side of steering for ease of operation though ,

Already done by Ford in the 2016 Refreshed version on sale these days

[VMG]

Rajeevraj,

What is the interior colour of your EcoSport AT? Please let me know. I hope it is black.

[Rajeevraj]

Originally Posted by ashbhat2

He almost made up mind to go for Jazz CVT.. but seeing a price reduction and SUVish look tempted for EcoSport AT..
He has to find a solution to shift the direction lever from left side of steering to right side of steering for ease of operation though ,
keeping that aside
which weighs better between Jazz CVT & EcoSport DCT (or it is AT) in below aspects
- engine/drive quality mostly City driving and occasional Highway driving
- interior quality
- Boot Space
- rear seat comfort for teenage children

And the Problems associated with Ecosport AT on 1->2 , 2-> 3 gear change are true for Jazz CVT as well , or Jazz is better in that aspect .. and since he is used to drive Santro AT .. Is he going to see big difference with EcoSport AT in those aspects
when you compare with TSI the sluggish ness may be a bigger concern


And is it worth waiting for Brezza CVT or AMT .. Polo TSI and other Ford DCT hatchbacks are ruled out due less boot space compared to Jazz CVT..

I have not driven the Jazz CVT apart from a short test drive. But few inputs based on what I have observed and read.

• The CVT definitely will be smoother that the Dual Clutch AT on the Ecosport. In CVT there is no actual gear shifts and hence it will be super smooth. On the down side CVT's are not known to be great performers. The bigger engine on the Ecosport and the Dual Clutch AT makes the Ecosport overall a better performer especially on the highways. Since your friend is driving a 2003 Santro AT, both of these will feel good to drive.
  
• Overall quality, Interior quality and features wise, the Ecosport is definitely better. The Ecosport AT also comes additional safety features. 6 airbags, Stability control, Hill Start Assist. If you read the Jazz thread, you see a lot of niggles already being reported.
  
• Not very sure about rear seat comfort. I don't think it will be a deal breaker in either case. Boot space may be about the same for both.

Definitely no reason for wait for Brezza AT. There is no formal info on this, I don't think it will come anytime soon. My pick would be the Ecosport. It is a higher segment vehicle, solid build and quality, loaded with safety features and drives pretty well. Also, as already mentioned above, Ford has switched the levers to be in line with the standard Indian way as part of the 2015 face lift. So that is one less thing to worry about.

Originally Posted by VMG

Rajeevraj
Pl let me know what is the interior colour of your Ecosport AT?

It is not black. It is more of a dark beige (not sure what it is officially called). And since it comes with 6 airbags, it is not possible to put additional seat covers as it would impact airbag functionality.

[Chillout]

I finally had to give away my 8 yr old Fiesta and came across a three month old AT Ecosport. Liked it and took it Chennai Ford for a check and they told everything is fine. I did mention about the jerkiness of first and second gears and they mentioned its a normal behavior.

I bought the vehicle and like others mentioned the first and second gears change only between 2000 and 3000 rpm. It looks a bit strained, coming from a Fiesta 1.6 you definitely have to adjust a lot in your driving style and this car is apt for sedate driving. No more spirited driving and its fine with me. Chennai traffic has become worse and a big relief for my left leg.

However what keeps bothering me is jerkiness, especially in stop go traffic. Is this something that other owners are experiencing, if I adjust my driving style I don't see this happen but give a little nudge on the right foot this behavior is evident.

Apart from the above, I am managing to get a mileage of 8 to 9 in city traffic conditions.

Pros
a) Comfortable Driving position
b) Excellent Music system
c) Cocooned effect , which makes you feel absolutely safe.
d) Not much of road noise, haven't crossed 100 yet.

Cons
a) Jerkiness in slow moving traffic
b) Lack of electronically fold-able IRVM
c) Cruise control ( Even the Ameo gets this)

[Rajeevraj]

Originally Posted by Chillout

However what keeps bothering me is jerkiness, especially in stop go traffic. Is this something that other owners are experiencing, if I adjust my driving style I don't see this happen but give a little nudge on the right foot this behavior is evident.

Apart from the above, I am managing to get a mileage of 8 to 9 in city traffic conditions.

The initial jerkiness and unpredictability is definitely bothersome. In my case, the car is in my home town and hence I drive it after varying amounts of time. Which means, I don't have a set adjusted driving style for this car. So each time I drive it, the unpredictability is kind of irritating. I honestly do not know how the car will respond when I prod on the A pedal from low speeds.

Regular drivers will get used to it and I assume get a measure of the behavior. Personally, I am ultra conservative when I drive it now. Am not very happy. Still serves the purpose for which the family got the car, but I personally, if I had to buy an AT, I would think twice before buying this DCT from Ford. I had felt that it was a good balance between the VW DSG's and a regular TC/CVT. Somehow don't feel the same way now.