[eq24]

So the Ecosport needs another thread. Well yes and in this I seek the help of the finest community there is on the Internet.

Mods - Please delete or merge if not appropriate.

I like a lot of others on this forum was waiting for the Ecosport for a very long time, since the Auto Expo in Delhi two years back to be precise. And everything has been good so far including the 26th of June when they announced the price which led me to go ahead and book the Diesel Titanium in the Silver colour.

So what is the whole fuss?

Well on a recent journey to Chandigarah, I spotted two Ecosports on GT road, you know how in a showroom the car always looks good but it is when you see it in the outdoors with other cars as references, the Ecosport looked really small. The back is big and bulky but the middle is quite small and you can tell the front is just raised to make it appear big and tall.

So rushed to Harpreet Ford after return and looked at the car once more and this time with out all the sense of hoopla which was clouding me the first time. I drive a Figo and took that as a point of reference and it did really feel small inside as well.

I am 6'2'' and in the Figo when I drive, nobody can sit behind me. The Ecosport also had this problem.

In the mean time I also checked some other cars mainly the Verna, Elantra, City and the Vento.

The Verna was a real surprise, it was fully loaded and very spacious and both the Diesel and petrol 1.6's were great to drive as well. More over this is also around the same price as the Ecosport but has tonnes of more space. With the drivers seat adjusted for my size, I could still comfortably sit behind the driver.

Same with City and Vento and yes these two had less features but space wise they were really good.

So now need some help. I really like the Ecosport, good design, good features, new car but really small and costs similar to say the Verna.

Should I stick with the Ecosport or go with the Verna or one of the other sedans.
Also is a new Verna coming, haven't heard anything but just want to make sure.

[Imran Ahmad Ali]

Greetings

Personally I am not a big fan of the Eco Sport. Yes a lot of people have booked the Vehicle and are going Gaga over it.
Personally I feel you should give the duster a look. I think it makes perfect sense as a vehicle. Not as feature loaded but it's fuel efficient and comfortable . I am 6 feet too and when I test drove a duster another person sat comfortably behind me . Sedan would certainly have that as a drawback . All the best
Best wishes
Imran

[drmohitg]

This was exactly what I have been saying all along. Me and member Sameer took back to back TD of the Ecosport diesel and the ecoboost variant. Also checked out the display car. And to be honest other than the looks it didn't impress me to spend 10.6L OTR price for the diesel variant. Sameer was planning to book one in the coming months and I told him the same thing that I would rather put my money on a Vento or a Verna which cost the same amount and offer you more space, superior driving comfort and handling and possibly even better FE.
So do give it a good thought before putting your money on the car.

[pyrodrive]

Ah this is what happened to me exactly. I had waited a long time for the ecosport, but finally ran out of patience and booked the city in january. When ford finally launched the ecosport, i was at the showroom first day itself to see what I missed.
I must say, the display car looked awesome in the showroom. But when we walked out to the test drive car, couldnt help comparing it to a figo and an i20 parked nearby. Somehow it didnt look big and seemed like a raised hatch, especially from the side. ( More so if you compare the duster, which has a lot more presence and ' big car' feel, in my opinion.) Our old getz seemed more spacious than this car.
Like all cars, I found my ' likes and dislikes' with the car. Yes its a modern car, but at the end of the day, I didnt feel like I missed something great.. and then the ivtec brought a smile to my face as I hit the road back home.
:-)

I suggest you take back to back test drives of the ecosport and the other cars in your list. It may suddenly become very clear what you really want.

[phamilyman]

I know. I had seen the first test mule while driving with semi-dilated eyes, and I was simply shocked seeing it in traffic - but yes, stand alone it does feel quite nice and BIG. But yes, at the end of the day, it IS a FOUR meter car and smart design cannot change that fact, no?

You have quite rightfully hit upon the fact that at the top end, there are many other proper sedans that offer a compelling value proposition. That said, it would be useful if you could do a more detailed feature comparison - else this thread can degenerate into an EcoSport hating thread, which is pointless.

[eq24]

Originally Posted by Imran Ahmad Ali

Greetings

Personally I feel you should give the duster a look. I think it makes perfect sense as a vehicle. Not as feature loaded but it's fuel efficient and comfortable . I am 6 feet too and when I test drove a duster another person sat comfortably behind me .
Best wishes
Imran

Thanks for that Imran, I have a few issues with the Duster and they have to mostly do with the price and the equipment on offer. I have realised one thing, when in a car, most of the time is spent inside and the inside should be special. But still will go to take a TD of the Duster.

Originally Posted by drmohitg

I would rather put my money on a Vento or a Verna which cost the same amount and offer you more space, superior driving comfort and handling and possibly even better FE.
So do give it a good thought before putting your money on the car.

Thanks, I was pleasantly surprised with the offering by the Verna as well. No wonder it is such a good seller.

Originally Posted by pyrodrive

Ah this is what happened to me exactly. I had waited a long time for the ecosport, but finally ran out of patience and booked the city in january. When ford finally launched the ecosport, i was at the showroom first day itself to see what I missed.

I suggest you take back to back test drives of the ecosport and the other cars in your list. It may suddenly become very clear what you really want.

Thanks, I too went to see the City and although we have owned the Original City and the one after that and the Civic, so can vouch for Honda engines. But the car to be honest felt quite empty inside and moreover the SA at Ring road Honda had lost all his passion for cars and Honda in particular so was quite demotivating. I will go to Pearl Honda tomorrow for a better feel.

[Blow Horn Ok]

The Duster really won't offer much legroom over the EcoSport but yes it is wider and 5th passengers won't feel uncomfortable.

If you do require leg room + sedan, do look at the sunny.

If you are looking for a bigger SUV, check out the Storme.

[TheARUN]

There are a few things going for the Ecosport
- Its made by Ford, the same company that makes the F150, the top seller for decades in the biggest automobile market in the world
- Its got good ground clearance which one would need in our environment
- Its a great looker, it might be shorter than a SUV, hatchback or sedan but its got the looks
- For the price it is available at, if you look at the 7,00,000 that you need to buy one, then it makes a good case for itself
Finally, its not a perfect car, no car is, its simply got more positives than negatives

[drmohitg]

Originally Posted by Blow Horn Ok

The Duster really won't offer much legroom over the ES but yes it is wider and 5th passengers won't feel uncomfortable.

+1. Even the Duster doesn't seem VFM at all at its current price point. Moreover with the Ecosport onslaught I don't think this is the right time to book Duster. Wait for a couple of months for Renault to start offering discounts or better equipment for the Duster.

[coolboy007]

I own a Vento and have also booked a diesel Ecosport Titanium on 26th from Harpreet. I cant comment much about Verna since i have driven it a number of times and its far away from being a driver's car. The fun of owning a sedan is in its handling, ride comfort and the joy of throwing the car around corners or twisties which is impossible with the new Verna, it just bounces and hops around undulations which doesnt give any confidence at all, the steering is numb as well, its all jazzy inside with a long list of features and beautiful interiors but if you love to drive yourself, then please get a Vento.

Going for a Duster only if Ecosport looks small is a bad idea, better option would be to shift to sedans or something bigger like XUV which gets proper attention on road.

Ecosport has its own advantage, the titanium costs 10 L on road Delhi which is 1.5L cheaper than what i paid for my Vento last year. It has a good refined diesel engine, long feature list, solid thud from doors and the 200mm ground clearance is a boon for people who need it. There are some places where we have to go in our 8 year old Scorpio because our new Vento will have its bumper sheared off, also i think twice before taking our sedans out during heavy rains as i had a horrid time once in a waterlogged road - advantage Ecosport.

Vento has decent ground clearance (better than Verna because it has a stiffer suspension and doesnt sag under load), brilliant engine and most importantly it has the chassis to use that power.

Go for Ecosport if you need that ground clearance and peace of mind from bikers scratching your sedan's bumpers, if you dont want it, go for Vento, it is an awesome car to drive and the service costs are coming down now. Got the 1st service done last week at 12000 kms and it costed just 8800 which is greater for a 1year/ 15000 service interval. Only issues is the VW service which is not great to talk about.

[eq24]

Originally Posted by phamilyman

You have quite rightfully hit upon the fact that at the top end, there are many other proper sedans that offer a compelling value proposition. That said, it would be useful if you could do a more detailed feature comparison - else this thread can degenerate into an EcoSport hating thread, which is pointless.

That is what I found out, at the lower variants the Ecosport is a good buy but at the top end variants it is quite an expensive car compared to what is being offered.

I hope that this does not become an Ecosport hating thread because that is not my intention. The Ecosport is a good car, it may not be good for me but it is good none the less.

Originally Posted by TheARUN

There are a few things going for the Ecosport
- Its made by Ford, the same company that makes the F150, the top seller for decades in the biggest automobile market in the world
- Its got good ground clearance which one would need in our environment
- Its a great looker, it might be shorter than a SUV, hatchback or sedan but its got the looks
- For the price it is available at, if you look at the 7,00,000 that you need to buy one, then it makes a good case for itself
Finally, its not a perfect car, no car is, its simply got more positives than negatives

I drive a Figo which has done 35000 km's in less than two years. The front rattles, there is a clicking noise when I change the gear and of late there is a whistling sound as I accelerate. So I know the quality of Ford cars. Honestly our civic at 80,000 + km's is still going strong. The only thing broken is the CD player, which is also due to the driver. And I drive the Figo myself.

It is indeed a great looker and the ground clearance is a great thing in our environments.

Regarding the 7,00,000, Yes as I have said above at that price it is a good car but at 10 + for the Titanium and Titanium (O) variants it is a bit expensive.

Originally Posted by coolboy007

I own a Vento and have also booked a diesel Ecosport Titanium on 26th from Harpreet. I cant comment much about Verna since i have driven it a number of times and its far away from being a driver's car. The fun of owning a sedan is in its handling, ride comfort and the joy of throwing the car around corners or twisties which is impossible with the new Verna, it just bounces and hops around undulations which doesnt give any confidence at all, the steering is numb as well, its all jazzy inside with a long list of features and beautiful interiors but if you love to drive yourself, then please get a Vento.

Going for a Duster only if Ecosport looks small is a bad idea, better option would be to shift to sedans or something bigger like XUV which gets proper attention on road.

Go for Ecosport if you need that ground clearance and peace of mind from bikers scratching your sedan's bumpers, if you dont want it, go for Vento, it is an awesome car to drive and the service costs are coming down now. Got the 1st service done last week at 12000 kms and it costed just 8800 which is greater for a 1year/ 15000 service interval. Only issues is the VW service which is not great to talk about.

I have lived in England for 7 years and I even learned driving there, when I came to India in 2011 for me a car was a drivers car and nothing else And I was always under the impression that a Drivers car will always be held in high esteem in the Residual market. How wrong I was. My september 11 Figo which was picked up for 6.5 is being quoted at 3.25 after less than two years.

I can happily buy the Elantra but I know in three years when I go to sell it I will lose at least 5 or 6 lakhs easy. I don't want to keep any car for more than three years, at least I try not to. So Resale is a huge factor for me. The Ecosport has a huge advantage going in for Resale. Being a new car in a new segment with this kind of interest it looks good on paper today that Resale will be good as long as they don't mess with the quality of the car.

So with the Resale a factor, I have to narrow my cars with that in mind. Sadly the Vento and it's equally competent sister the Rapid bleed money like there is no looking back. So it is difficult for me to go for both these cars, knowing how good they really are.

We have a Fortuner at home so XUV will be out of place as I can't find use for two Full SUV's

The Fluence and Sunny will also bleed quickly, moreover I dont like the looks of both the cars. No Offense please, personal opinion.

So the Ecosport, Duster, Verna and the City are the strongest contenders resale wise in this segment( Price Point).

Now I need to decide which car gives me most with least compromise. Some help in deciding will really appreciated.

[TheARUN]

Here is my take on the resale value part

Ecosport - You have to get the diesel to get demand for your car 3 years down the line in the used car market
Duster - This one can fetch you good demand in the used car market, you will definitely find a lot of buyers for it, but the premium you have to pay for it now will get knocked out
Verna - Unless you go in for an exchange with another Hyundai car, I don't see the Verna trading for much three years down the line
City - Its an old design, it been around for a long time and will definitely be replaced by the time your car would land up in the used car market

If it was me, then the Ecosport would have the best chance in the used car market. There is one small worry, Ford cars are perceived as being costly to maintain as they grow older, especially the cost of spare parts when compared to the competition, the Figo has been able to turn things around a bit, but that perception still exists

[drmohitg]

If minimizing the depreciation hit is a top priority then why not go for a used car? Apart from a couple of recent purchases all our cars have been bought used. Let the first owner deal with the massive depreciation hit of the first couple of years.

[Mnjdnght]

At the risk of being presumptuous, I think if Ecosport is being considered as a replacement for your Figo, which is primarily what you drive around yourself in, then Ecosport may be a good consideration (Fortuner and Civic would chip in for family duties depending on need). Ecosport may have good resale value, is getting to be hugely popular, is loaded with technology and would take you around in the city comfortably. True that on occasions when others hitch a ride with you they'll be squeezed for space at the back, but then, they may enjoy being in the Ecosport and such situations may also not be so frequent.

10+ price tag for the top diesel variant does seem steep compared to a comparable sedan. However, the resale value after 2 - 3 years when you go in for the next car may not be bad given that even then Ecosport will be relatively a newer car in the market. On the side, if this is primarily for city driving, wouldn't the Ecoboost petrol be a consideration? I am not too sure about the features and price though.

[NPV]

Originally Posted by eq24

More over this is also around the same price as the Ecosport but has tonnes of more space. With the drivers seat adjusted for my size, I could still comfortably sit behind the driver.

On the Verna - I felt the fluidic design makes the head room a point for concern on the back bench. You may also want to consider the Duster for a better range of vehicles to compare and decide. All the best in making your decision