[RGK]

Nice and crisp review. Congrats Jithin and happy motoring.

I feel that the boot door should open from the left side of the car. The present design is for left-hand drive vehicles.

[jithin23]

Originally Posted by RGK

Nice and crisp review. Congrats Jithin and happy motoring.

I feel that the boot door should open from the left side of the car. The present design is for left-hand drive vehicles.

Thanks RGK! I concur your suggestion though but Ford makes the EcoSport and exports it globally from Chennai so there should be a design change for the boot door. Somehow, I'm used to this way of opening the boot.

[RajeevSharma]

Congratulations! Enjoy your time with your machine. It is one hell of a choice from under sub 4 meter segment. Ford sure is a winner in look and handling department.

You will have an enhanced ownership experience as Ford has improved in the vehicle service department, availability of spares and cost of service is also lowest if you deduct the optionals.

[jithin23]

Originally Posted by RajeevSharma

Congratulations! Enjoy your time with your machine. It is one hell of a choice from under sub 4 meter segment. Ford sure is a winner in look and handling department.

You will have an enhanced ownership experience as Ford has improved in the vehicle service department, availability of spares and cost of service is also lowest if you deduct the optionals.

Thanks RajeevSharma! It is indeed one of the best choices I've made and we have been owning Ford cars in the family previously(Ford Ikon 1.3 and Ford Escort 1.8) so the experience is better than before. Ford does have very capable cars yet sell so less and the maintenance is the last thing to be worried for a Ford these days.

[jithin23]

Thanks to Senior-Bhpian Frankmehta that I got to know the most minute details of my car. All one needs to do is register on www.etis.ford.com and then click on vehicle summary and enter the VIN no. The list is so exhaustive that it runs up to 7 pages and it can be of great help for potential Ford owners to verify if they are getting the exact features or different features since Ford is famous for changing feature every month. I've attached the PDF for corresponding to my car's VIN below

[jithin23]

20,000 km update

Blue baby has completed 21,100 kms in 16 months at the time of writing this post. She has taken me to places I would have only imagined in my dreams and has never let me down throughout my ownership till date. Those who have missed out on the Bhutan trip here's the link: https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/trave...-ecosport.html (An unplanned drive: Bangalore to Bhutan in an EcoSport)

Adding color to my life since 2018


Milestones are quick with this car!


New interface of Android Auto


This car really has a fill it,shut it and forget it type of attitude. Hardly any faults with the car except for the hard clutch and blind spots. Recently I got her serviced at PPS Ford, Domlur for the routine service. The total cost including labour came up to Rs. 5,200 which I find to be quite cheap for a car of this segment. Almost equal to my bike's service for a year.
The usual parts and engine oil change along with AC filter was changed. The oil is semi-synthetic as recommended by Ford and does the job well. Alignment, I get it done outside from a reputed tyre shop near my locality.

Regular checks will keep the car healthy for a long, long time


The FDRS update screen. The one in blue needs to be updated according to the VIN entered.


I make it a point to get the car checked for updates and it is done through FDRS. I insist my service advisor to get the updates checked through FDRS all the time and sometimes you might get a feature extra or a slight change in performance. Please insist your service advisor to check for updates with your cars as well from time to time.

[varunswnt]

Originally Posted by jithin23

It is indeed one of the best choices I've made

You have very nicely summed up your ownership experience. I am in market for new car and Ecosport is the only car I have in my mind. I was hoping to buy Titanium Diesel as it gets all features needed alongwith some feel good features.

But alas, Ford thinks other way nowadays. These days, Titanium

Looses
60:40 split rear seats
Rear armrest
Sunglass holder
All black interiors
Sync3

Gains
Dual tone interior
Fly audio infotainment
Bigger MID
Chrome rings on tachometer dials

Now it feels like even bigger downgrade, and to rub salt even the price hasn't been reduced by bigger margin.

[jithin23]

Originally Posted by varunswnt

You have very nicely summed up your ownership experience. I am in market for new car and Ecosport is the only car I have in my mind. I was hoping to buy Titanium Diesel as it gets all features needed alongwith some feel good features.

But alas, Ford thinks other way nowadays. These days, Titanium

Looses
60:40 split rear seats
Rear armrest
Sunglass holder
All black interiors
Sync3

Gains
Dual tone interior
Fly audio infotainment
Bigger MID
Chrome rings on tachometer dials

Now it feels like even bigger downgrade, and to rub salt even the price hasn't been reduced by bigger margin.

Thanks for the compliment . I completely agree with your analysis and Ford is shooting themselves by removing essential features and downgrading their best-selling variants i.e. Titanium and Titanium+. In T+, the only good thing is that all the safety features have been retained. I was lucky that I bought my EcoSport last year. The only way Ford can bring back sales is by giving back the old features with the bigger MID, movable front armrest and the variant line-up of the original facelift(from Nov 2017-Apr 2018).

[spr1ngleo]

Originally Posted by varunswnt

You have very nicely summed up your ownership experience. I am in market for new car and Ecosport is the only car I have in my mind. I was hoping to buy Titanium Diesel as it gets all features needed alongwith some feel good features.

But alas, Ford thinks other way nowadays. These days, Titanium

Looses
60:40 split rear seats
Rear armrest
Sunglass holder
All black interiors
Sync3

Gains
Dual tone interior
Fly audio infotainment
Bigger MID
Chrome rings on tachometer dials

Now it feels like even bigger downgrade, and to rub salt even the price hasn't been reduced by bigger margin.

Dual tone interior is not very upmarket in real. I am looking to cover them up with dealer fitted all black interiors. Where are you looking to book in Pune, any attractive discounts up for grabs?


BTW, what was price reduction vis-a-vis older ecosport ?

TIA

[varunswnt]

Originally Posted by spr1ngleo

Where are you looking to book in Pune, any attractive discounts up for grabs?

BTW, what was price reduction vis-a-vis older ecosport ?

TIA

I don't have source to validate this info, but I vaguely remember reduction in range of 30-40K. Earlier ex showroom for Titanium was > 10 lacs, now it is < 10 lacs.

I have tried all dealers in Pune (Talera, PPS, Shivalik, Dhone), none are ready to give anything beyond 30K discount. All they say is, when we sit across for a deal then we will do something additional for you, but no word on what would be additional.

I also tried checking if anyone has stock prior to May manufacturing date, I even tried Bhavana Ford in Navi Mumbai, to see if they have anything in stock for Titanium variant with Sync3, but to no avail.

I was more interested in Trend+ variant, but that is no more an option. So I was checking Titanium but that still lacks some basic stuff, Titanium+ covers quite a lot of safety features but still misses on Sync3. I was ready to stretch for T+ but then I feel why not stretch a more and settle on S variant. But then my budget overshoots by good 3+ lacs (I want a diesel, hence higher road tax). So I am waiting in eternal hope that Ford might bring it back in BS6 variant.

[spr1ngleo]

Originally Posted by varunswnt

But then my budget overshoots by good 3+ lacs (I want a diesel, hence higher road tax). So I am waiting in eternal hope that Ford might bring it back in BS6 variant.

Sorry, getting personal - But then BS6 will be in your budget?

[varunswnt]

Originally Posted by spr1ngleo

Sorry, getting personal - But then BS6 will be in your budget?

Honestly, I am hoping BS6 price increase and Seltos onslaught would give Ford an excuse to put back Sync3 in Titanium variants.

If not then, I am also open to idea of Seltos HTK diesel.

[spr1ngleo]

Originally Posted by varunswnt

Honestly, I am hoping BS6 price increase and Seltos onslaught would give Ford an excuse to put back Sync3 in Titanium variants.

If not then, I am also open to idea of Seltos HTK diesel.

any idea how much will be the price delta for Diesel EcoBlue ?

[KrisTvpm]

Originally Posted by jithin23

Part 2: Booking Experience
The entire booking process till delivery was a roller coaster experience due to Ford's constant feature revisions and unavailability of the colour choice - Lightning Blue. More so due to the attitude of Ford dealers in Bangalore.

Since Elite Ford was not offering discounts at all, I wanted to enquire with other dealers as well to get the best discount possible. I would not recommend Elite Ford for buying or servicing due to the horrible attitude towards their customers. <snip>

Congrats & wishing many many miles of happiness with your Ecosport!

Mine is nearing 4years of ownership, and even today I look forward to getting my hands on the steering wheel everytime I park him & return home

Concur with your experience & remarks about the Elite Ford dealer; my purchasing & some of the service experience were marred by the lackadaisical + non-customer-centric approach of this dealer (thumbsdown)! Wish I had shown the gumption to walk out and look elsewhere

[jithin23]

Update: Completed 30,000 Km

It's been 19 months and Blue Baby has completed 30,000 Km. That's about 1,578 Km in a month. She's been serving me well and has been reliable till date. Seats are comfortable for 1000 km long journey a day and the Stock black fabric seats are quite good with no wear or tear issues. Tyre pressure at 33psi( for 16" wheels) for all 4 tyres keeps the ride quality sorted. The tyres need to be changed in another 15k km and the clutch is harder than before. In fact, the hardest diesel clutch compared to other cars and need for a 6th gear is felt prominently on the highways.

Ownership cost(apart from EMI's):

• Total fuel cost till date: Rs. 105,000
• Toll spent:Rs 12,500
• Maintenance: 16,000 till date for 4 services including wheel balancing and alignment.
• Dash Cam: Rs. 8,000
• Reverse Camera: Rs. 4,000
• Mats & Sunshades: Rs. 5,000

Total Ownership cost: Rs. 150,500 till date.
Running Cost per km: 0.54(maintenance)+3.5(fuel)= Rs. 4.04/km

Suggestions for potential EcoSport owners:

For city slickers, TDCi MT isn't meant for you folks(though it's your choice at the end) because pressing the clutch will make you exhausted in city traffic. For Highway or Road trippers, TDCi will definitely bring a wide grin on your face for the excellent cruising ability, agility and a minimum driving range of 750 Kms for 40 Litres(10 L is the reserve and I never keep my fuel tank that low).