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-   -   Ford Ecosport 1.5L Diesel Titanium (Facelift) - The machine I love (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-drives-initial-ownership-reports/194185-ford-ecosport-1-5l-diesel-titanium-facelift-machine-i-love-3.html)

I hope you got to test the cars back to back. It's always good to do that.

Its not the power to weight ratio but the character of the engine. The Ecosport is more comfortable even at higher revs. Felt the Nexon wasn't happy at higher revs. However, the 6th gear will come to help on long cruises.

Also wanted to clarify that those points I had quoted above really made the difference to me while decision making. There were many other positives with the Nexon which might mean a lot to someone else eg. the ride quality on the Nexon is definitely lot better, reverse camera, price etc. But didn't mention those as they weren't deal breakers to me.

I shall do a more detailed comparison for benefit of all.


You nearly answered your question. It's just the initial curiosity that might cause distraction for a couple of days. The screen as such is ergonomic and does not obstruct the view or rather distract you. So size does not matter here.lol:

It's hard to understand from the pictures as they are not from a driver's position. Taking a test drive would help understand it better.

It's only natural to replace a 90Bhp ecosport with a 100Bhp one. I drive a first gen ecosport for 5 years and have done 1,32,000 kms so far. Never spent a penny on the engine, suspension apart from regular check up. Contemplating to replace it with a 100Bhp one. Close contender is a Nexon. I own a blue one. I have spent less on this ecosport than my Dzire which has done 1,10,000 kms. Happy mile munching !!

That's a fantastic testimony to the car and is a fact that many are not aware of. Thanks for sharing the figures.

Maruti is no more cheap to maintain not because of the car by itself but because of the greedy dealerships. Many Maruti buyers are first time buyers who go with what the service advisors have to say. I was conned way back in 2010 when they charged me ₹6800 for the 15,000km service of my Estilo. I protested and then they gave me a discount of ₹800 on my insurance renewal. I was also for a shock when I learnt that they had not changed the engine oil but had just topped it up though I was charged fully. I lost trust on the brand ever since. Never changed the oil with the dealer after that. Have heard similar complaints from many of my colleagues too.

Taking the periodic maintenance plan for the Ecosport really helps bring down maintenance cost. You know what is covered and what you are paying for in excess. I learnt it only late but for my current case will take it after the free services are over.

Beautifully put review. :thumbs up

I am contemplating on getting one. Had the diesel come with an AT option, it would have been an easier decision for me. Had you test driven the petrol AT, by any chance ? If so, how better is the diesel over the 1.5L petrol AT in terms on the fun-to-drive front ?

Excellent review Jude300!

Your review and the fact that you are a repeat EcoSport customer is very confidence inspiring. It was one of the factors that helped me decide to book this car. Thanks a lot!

I was thinking of creating a customised EcoSport PDI checklist based on our Team BHP PDI checklist. You being a repeat customer, I was wondering if you have something which you could share.

Thanks in advance.

Thanks M35 and sorry for the late response. I did test drive the petrol AT and was wowed by its smoothness. I didn't have a budget to go beyond 11.5l else might have ended buying the Titanium+ AT. Both powertrains deliver linear performance. The diesel has a little more grunt due to the better torque and keeps you happy even within the city. The petrol lacks that a bit. To put things in a nutshell, I would definitely recommend diesel for the manual transmission. But if you have the budget, the Titanium+ AT is the one to go for if you prefer to drive mostly sedatly. In the city the AT is a charm.

Thanks buddy. Team BHP PDI list has got almost all you need. The one thing I would suggest specifically for the Ecosport is that, make sure they give you the drivers floor mat in case you are not opting for the essential pack. The fabric drivers floor mat is standard fitment. Some times the guys in the dealership take it off.

Thanks for the information! The SA had included Essential Pack (Floor mat, dicky mat, mud flaps) in the quotation but I told him that I would not take it. Instead was able to negotiate with him to include only the mud flaps for free. I am planning to get the floor and dicky mats from outside (thinking of the noodle ones). I was not aware that driver floor mat is standard fitment. How do I get the dealership guys to Not take it off? Is that mentioned somewhere on the Ford website or in the brochure that I can show as proof?

If they don't provide it, tell them you will write to the customer care right away. Tell them your friend has received it. There is no place is written I guess but I am sure it comes with the car. I had to fight for it when I bought my first Ecosport but didn't have an issue with my current purchase. You will see it when you do the PDI. It will be in a cover in the boot usually.

Hi Jude,
Excellent review of the new Ecosport. I must say it is very comprehensive and detailed.
You are a repeat customer and that says a lot about the trust in a good product. I also have been a fan of Ecosport since its launch.
Was able to finally own it last December 2017 . Got the Platinum model of the older version. Have been enjoying the drive.
Talking about Fuel efficiency , the diesel engine is pretty frugal. Here is a picture of MID. The highest it went upto was 18.6KMPL , although now hovering around 18.2 and 18.3kmpl.

Hi Jude,

I had some questions regarding Extended Warranty, Corporate Discount and Insurance related to the EcoSport. Being a repeat customer, you're best suited to guide me here!

1) Extended Warranty: Ford is providing EW till 5th year. For petrol AT (I've booked Trend+ AT) 3rd year EW costs ₹9000 and 3rd+4th year combo EW costs ₹13900 as per the website. 5th year EW is not mentioned in the website, but got to know from dealer and other buyers that 3rd+4th+5th year combo EW costs ₹23800. What's your advice on EW? This question is related to below point as well.

2) Corporate Discount: The dealer told me that I am eligible for receiving 3rd year EW as Corporate Discount from Ford. But herein lies the catch! If I go with this offer and then I want EW for 4th and 5th year as well, then I'll have to pay separately for them as a top-up and not the balance amount from the combo. So if I want 4th year EW, it'll cost additional ~ ₹17000 and 4th+5th will cost ~₹22000. So in this case if I opt till 5th year EW, I'll end up paying almost the same amount as the 3+4+5th year combo plan, which means there's no point in Corporate Discount! The dealer also mentioned that Ford has specifically told them to give the 3rd year EW only and nothing else as Corporate Discount. I've sent out a mail to Ford customer care regarding this and awaiting reply.

3) Insurance: Ford has tie-ups with some insurance companies for pan-India cashless facility. Additionally the dealer has tie-ups with some companies to provide cashless facility at his service station. The dealer said that I'll get cashless facility ONLY if I buy insurance from him or through Ford Preferred Insurance. They won't provide cashless facility even if I buy insurance directly from their tie-up companies. I am getting lesser quotes online, but dealer's quote would be 3-5k more and Ford Preferred quote would be 7-10k more! What's your advice on this?

Thanks in advance!

First of all a brilliant review Jude300. Maybe you could do a photo-shoot of the 2 Ecosports together, the 1st gen & the 2nd gen.
Even when we bought our Ecosport in September 16, the same thing was told to us by the Ford dealer. But in our case, the dealer was able to match the quote that we were getting from the outside. We unfortunately had to make an insurance claim within the first year itself, the dealership guys were not willing to provide coverage (on behalf of the Insurance guys) on one panel. That particular panel was vandalized (the front fender) & the workshop manager advised us that this kind of vandalized incident needs a police report & it would work out easier for us if we didn't claim insurance.

We allowed the car to complete 1 year & then we did the 2nd year Insurance with a different company on our own. Then we claimed insurance, this time the FASS didn't make any fuss as we had to make full payment to them directly (no cash less facility with your own insurance). The insurance company then accepted the claim & the amount was refunded in our account within a month. Still, if you want peace of mind I would advice you to go with Ford preferred Insurance.

In 2016, our 01 Maruti Zen meet with an accident (a fender bender). The first Maruti Dealer we approached refused to do a cash less claim as we had renewed the Insurance on our own. Finally, one MASS (non dealer owned) had a cash less tie up with that company & finally we repaired the car there with a cash less claim. So, it seems this Preferred Insurance thing is common across all Manufacturers.

I got the delivery of Titanium Diesel last week. Till now I have driven approximately 600km and running on first tank full. Mostly I drive in bumper to bumper traffic conditions. In such conditions my mileage as show by MID is approximately 11.5. Is this acceptable number, or will it improve ? This is my second car but first new car. So I am not sure how things unfold in terms of mileage on a new car. Honestly I had hopes of at least 13-14. Shall I have patience and drive few more tank fulls or should rush to service Centre.

The car needs to run some more and also needs time to get adjusted to the way you drive as well as the traffic conditions. There is nothing that the service center can do in this scenario. Best is to measure the mileage using the tankful to tankful method as the Ford MID mileage is very random and cannot be relied upon for FE calculations. Also if you keep driving in B2B traffic all the time with AC on, the FE will certainly be very less. Try and take it on the open roads and drive it at varying RPM if not on the highway, at least at times when the traffic will be very less on the roads. This will tune the ECU for the open road driving as well and there may be a slight improvement in the MID FE. But for all intent and purposes, only rely on the tankful to tankful method for calculating the FE.

PS: For reference, i have the new Figo which has run 17,500kms with the same diesel engine with slightly more torque and I get anywhere between 14-15kmpl in the city with moderate traffic. Highways with spirited driving returns anywhere between 18.5-20kmpl. All this with tankful to tankful method. On the MID in the above scenarios, the city avg. FE will be around 18-18.5kmpl and highways will be around 20.5-22.3kmpl. Hence I mentioned that the MID is not very reliable.

My Ecosport (D) Titanium which was delivered last week, displayed a “wrench” symbol last night when I was going for fuelling. By that time it ran 600 odd kilometres. I could make out any meaning of that symbol but was sure something in not normal. After starting the car after full tank the symbol went away. Next morning (today) it showed up again after driving few kilometres. I thought of talking to service center once I reach the destination. It was a bad traffic jam in Harlur Road (BLR) as usual so I switched off the engine and kept it in accessories mode. I don’t there is anything abnormal in doing so. After the traffic started moving the car simply declined to start. It was not cranking at all as if the button was disabled. I had to request people to push the vehicle to the side. At that time I realised that car indeed is very heavy by looking at the face expressions of the people who were pushing. After 10 minutes of wait I cranked the engine again and it started this time. I called SC and they requested to bring the vehicle. I will take it to SC tomorrow but I am worried. How serious could it be ?

I got the delivery of Titanium Diesel on 1st Apr. I have driven only around 140kms and running on first tank full. Mostly I have driven mostly in the city traffic conditions. The mileage shown in MID is approximately 14.3. Is this good enough or should it improve after the first service.