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<Warning! Lengthy Post Ahead!>

My trusty old warhorse [Ford Fusion+, petrol; related thread] will turn 15 this September. The car is still going strong, is still silent and refined as ever, still puts a smile on my face whenever I drive it, still gobbles up potholes and preposterous speed-breakers with aplomb, still handles like a dream and still looks quite nice too, if I may say so myself.

(Pic taken by Mrs. P earlier this week)


While I intend to renew its registration and keep it going, I have started considering fallback options, just in case. It was during the research for this fallback that I realised that I am facing some sort of a midlife crisis.

A midlife crisis for an enthusiast, I submit, is evidenced when s/he starts looking for a steady, no-nonsense, easy-to-maintain, mass-market, point-A-to-point-B commuter. In my case, in fact, the crisis is briskly and inexorably approaching the midlife catastrophe threshold - i.e. no car at all - thanks to the Pune traffic+roads situation, exacerbated by long-term infrastructure works like the Metro construction, as well as the undeniable comfort of Uber/Ola and eventual convenience of said Metro, as well as my driving needs diminishing with time.

The alternative to the above two for me is to mutate into an EnthusiastLite or a DietEnthusiast™ by acquiring a mass-market easy-to-maintain ride that also attempts to pull at the heartstrings, that embraces the midlife mess unabashedly but also allows me to slip into lucid intervals of sanity (read: vanity). Thanks to the forthcoming launches of the Suzuki CSUV/crossover twins - Arena's Brezza and Nexa's S-Cross - in their petrol avatars (finally!), I think this just might be possible now.

Which brings me to the topic of the thread: which of these should I consider? My requirements, during my fallback research, in no particular order, have been:

• Sturdy build quality
• Decent Ground-Clearance
• Petrol engine
• Automatic Transmission
• Not too big
• Not too small
• BS6
• As many safety features as possible
• Preferably below 15 lakhs on-road
• Preferably more pliant ride-quality than the Fusion
• Preferably better performance than the Baleno, i20, Jazz segment

Obviously, the BS6 EcoSport Titanium+ fits all these criteria and then some. Ford's service in Pune has demonstrably improved too, over the past few years (I refer you back to my "related thread" above), so it won't be exactly tough or expensive to maintain. But for some reason, the freshly minted "Uncle" in me simply refuses to look away from the Marutis. And based on those covetous glances, here are my assessments of the two. Note that I haven't test driven any of them yet, since they're yet to be made available for TDs, so these are strictly at the discussing-with-friends-whether-I-should-ask-her-out stage:

S-Cross:

Pros:

• I like its looks, largely, and its proportions and roominess
• Safety features reasonably up to the mark, all disc brakes (assuming Diesel variant specs are carried over)
• Meets my other main requirements (GC is 180, build quality is solid)
• Handling and ride quality were both good in the diesel, unlikely to regress in the petrol
• 4-cylinder engine, against EcoSport's 3
• True AT, with goodies (Hill-hold, creep functionality) present
• Seems the ideal successor of the Fusion, the original crossover

Cons:

• ESP/ESC missing
• 2 airbags against EcoSport's 6
• 4-speed AT, against EcoSport's 6
• That chrome grill
• SHVS stop-start might irritate me

Brezza:

Pros:

• I don't mind its looks
• Safety features reasonably up to the mark (as evidenced by the 4-star rating, assuming Diesel variant specs are carried over)
• Meets my other main requirements (GC is 198, build quality is reasonably solid)
• Handling was decent in the diesel, ride quality might be better in the petrol
• 4-cylinder engine, against EcoSport's 3
• True AT, with goodies (Hill-hold, creep functionality) present
• Not as cramped as the EcoSport, but will still be easier to park than the S-Cross

Cons:

• ESP/ESC missing
• 2 airbags against EcoSport's 6
• 4-speed AT, against EcoSport's 6
• SHVS stop-start might irritate me
• Not as roomy as the S-Cross
• Mrs. P hates its looks, and not just out of jealousy

Pre-TD at least, the S-Cross seems to be winning, though the Brezza is not far behind. Should I graduate from the leery voyeur to the sincere suitor? Or should I fight against the hovering crisis and go for the EcoSport?

Will update the thread after the TDs of course. Am refraining from taking the EcoSport out for a spin too, till then. Have also evinced interest in the Nexon EV's subscription plan, but would prefer a petrol for the next few years. Not considering the petrol Nexon due to the AMT and the Marutis' reputedly comparative peace-of-mind ownership.

Appreciate the responses!

Since you are looking for an automatic transmission, I won't recommend either of these since they have an outdated age old 4 speed AT. I'd prefer 6 speed AT of Ecosport over these Suzuki vehicles any day

Personally, I would go for the better built S-Cross.
Coming from the iconic Ford Fusion, build quality & driving pleasure would be better in the S-Cross petrol compared to the Brezza.

That being said - there is no harm in looking at alternatives provided you stick to TC / CVT gearboxes.
The EcoSport could be a very good option, and Ford has been fighting heavily to make sure maintenance costs are palatable. I would definitely give it a proper look!
In addition, even the Hyundai Venue (though a little short on space), could be a good bet too looking at reviews.

P.S. - if it helps, our S-Cross ownership (and that of many others) hasn't been entirely niggle free (though the key word is niggle). Overall the ownership experience so far has been average - similar to ford in my opinion; a notch below toyota; but a few notches higher than VW.
But it is important to note it isn't as cheap or as brilliant an experience as the market seems to suggest - so if that is the only reason to buy a Maruti - please do look at other options properly too.

I am also following these two very closely as a possible replacement for my 2 year old pre-owned 2008 SX4 (if I do not go pre-owned route again with the 2012-16 Fortuner Automatic). My opinion is that if you can stretch, go with the S-Cross since the slightly extra premium gives you slightly extra premium interiors as well which I feel is worth it. Rest of the comparison is aptly covered by you. Also since I am an existing Maruti owner, there may be some parts in S-Cross which would be exclusive and imported from Japan (such as the rear disks which I read in some post cost around ₹6000). This would make them quite expensive compared to Brezza, but you may get aftermarket parts. Other than this, you may face similar if not lower resale compared to Brezza, negating the extra premium you paid initially (if interiors and space for four on board are not a huge differentiator for you).
I would absolutely agree with you on this! EcoSport covers additional safety (6 airbags) as well as features (sunroof). There are paddle shifters also, to match that beautiful handling. Also it would be a relatively familiar ownership for BHPian Punatic since he already has a Ford.
This actually reminded me of my previous test drives where I had felt that the S-Cross has actually slightly better braking (distance, pedal feel and composure wise) probably due to being lower and having rear disks. But then we are talking about test drive vehicles.

:thumbs up Great job in keeping the car for so long & so well. I follow the same line of thought.

My recommendation = WAIT.

1. Neither of the cars you've listed in the title has been launched yet. While we know the engine, we cannot 100% say how it will behave in these cars, and how it will be tuned. Also, you need to TD them and see which appeals to YOU.

2. Lots of new models coming, including the next-gen Creta, next-gen City, next-gen XUV500 etc.

3. If you want to buy one today, go for the EcoSport or the Seltos. You will need to stretch your budget for the latter, but since you hold your cars for so long, better to buy the best - related thread. The Seltos is a top-class machine that will keep you :D.

That is really helpful, lamborghini, grateful to you for sharing your ownership experience. The entire premise of an "uncle" car might get defeated if the reliability is comparable to the more fun-to-drive specimen, and I definitely must give it more thought then!

Many thanks for those details Researcher, that certainly helps in the decision-making. Interior space is not a crucial differentiator since most of the time it's just me and the lady of the house.


Noted gleefully, GTO! That thread of yours is one of my all-time favourites, since it reflects my ownership experience perfectly. A friend of mine kept deriding my purchase, calling it "ConFusion" and overpriced and how he bought two VFM DZires with almost the same amount of money during my first ten Fusion years (thus contradicting himself). I must warn you though that Mrs. P has a bone to pick with you thanks to that thread, and I won't be surprised if she's busy forming a "BHPian Spouse" club who'll plan a morcha to your place or something :)

Maybe you should consider the Venue. It seems to fit most of your requirements.

I would suggest to stay with Ford, especially when you have already found a reliable SVC. A reliable service is more important than a less expensive service. I personally have had a bad experience with Maruti SVC in Mumbai (they charged for work not carried out).
Also, Maruti is no more cheap to maintain. The reliability is more or less the same with Ford and Maruti. And I think in your case Ford will be more "easy-to-maintain".

If you have to get a new Automatic, Ecosport AT is fantastic, but so is Seltos.
With your budget you will easily get a fully loaded Ecosport, Seltos's top variant would be a little stretch.

A touch worried about the DCT, and actually surprised they've gone for it. Will definitely TD it though, thanks!

Sorry to hear about your experience, and thanks for sharing it. It appears that the EcoSport appeals to the heart as well as mind now!

I had a Fusion for 8 long years before letting it go it for a pre-owned AT Grand Vitara.
So I know of the driving dynamics and pleasure that you are talking of.

I have also driven the current Ecosport AT with dragon engine and my simple take is as follows:
1. If your primary requirement is for city use with maximum 4 people, along with occasional highway trips, then go for the Ecosport with your eyes closed. The engine+gearbox combination is magical. And it is an excellent highway cruiser.
2. If you need to ferry around 2-6 people in the city, along with 3-4 day long highway trips of 4 people+ luggage go for the Ertiga.
3. For longer duration highway trips with 4 people all the shortlisted cars will be found wanting in luggage capacity. We had gone for a 9 day road trip in the Grand Vitara with 4 occupants. Luggage space was an issue and we landed up keeping all shopping purchases of the last 2 days in between the rear passengers.
4. Brezza & S-Cross are still unknown as far as tuning and handling is concerned. Both are 5 seaters for city use and 4 seaters for highway. The 4 speed AT box is from the Aisin family and I can vouch for their reliability as I have a similar box in my Santro.
5. Seltos 1.4Turbo+DCT may stretch your budget but it is a class above the Maruti siblings. But it also will be suitable for 4 people on long highway trips.
If significant part of your use will be for highway runs the go for either the Ecosport AT or the Seltos 1.4 DCT.
You need to be aware of the heating issues with the DCT though.

First of all congratulation for maintaining the car so well for full registered life. clap: Fusion was one of the true-est Ford cars available in India. And among the current lot only Ecosport remains true to what Ford was known for all these years in the sub-15L segment.
Except for the point highlighted Ecosport Tit+ AT fits the bill perfectly. Its ride quality is a bit stiff & mileage of petrol AT is single digit in city. Rest its still a benchmark in CSUV space.

Any specific reason why only maruti? If you think its cheap to maintain as per market rumors please be informed that's just a myth. I have owned a maruti for 8 years and can tell you its at par or at times more than peers. But yeah their service network is unmatched

Having said that, do wait for both S-Cross and Brezza to hit the showrooms, have a test drive and then decide. All the best :thumbs up

That is precisely my use-case. Really appreciate your response, especially since you have been a Fusion-owner too.

Thanks for the tip! I am worried about the DCT as well, especially since I remember that Ford discontinued it when they face-lifted the Aspire and indeed the EcoSport as well, so sticking to ATs and perhaps CVTs in my car hunt. Wonder why the Hyundais are using them, could be because their CVTs seem to be uncharacteristically fuel-inefficient, as going through team-bhp's i20 threads reveals.

Thank you! It's exactly why I'm refraining from TD-ing the EcoSport before the Suzuki twins are launched - I fear I probably will not even wait for their test-drives!

That's precisely the reason - their service network. That and the fact that these two, especially the S-Cross, seem to be the most sorted of their cars so it's a best-of-both-worlds scenario. Will definitely keep your experience regarding maintenance costs in mind before I take the plunge.

Kudos on buying a car way ahead of its time, maintaining it well and enjoying it to the fullest. And always sensible to renew the registration for the next 5 years and have a beater if you have the parking space.

Buy new, keep long. That's what makes most sense to me, fwiw.

You've answered your own question there, honestly.
As far as I'm concerned, there's no replacement for build quality and 6 airbags. You can slice it and dice it any which way you like till the cows come home, eventually die and their carcasses decompose - it's just stupid to buy anything with less than 6 airbags in this day and age (provided one can afford it). Clearly, you can.

Not to mention, the EcoSport is just the indisputably superior product.

Also, AMTs don't count, CVTs are boring and DSGs (DCTs) don't last.

If you can stretch to ~19L (sorry, didn't notice if you mentioned your budget), the 6 airbag, top-end diesel Seltos is a great choice.

Frankly, the lack of Sync on the only AT model of the EcoSport (Titanium+) is unpardonable, and has singlehandedly kept it out of our garage as a replacement for mom's car. Lack of voice commands and out of the box Android Auto in this day and age? I hate it when manufactures force customers ready to pay to compromise. And why was Sync deleted? To add a puny sunroof.

Sorry for the rant. In short, as far as I'm concerned, I just don't agree with the "great time to be a customer in the 10-20L range" mantra. Not if you want an AT with 6 airbags anyway. Terribly limited. If you ask for AWD you're done for.

Only remaining choices - Seltos, Hexa and EcoSport, one variant each. Buying Tata is a whole other can of worms, so really only 2 choices for AT+6 airbags.

Sorry for the ramble, but that's what it finally boils down to. Safety first, always.

If the CONS you mentioned are considered, the Ford Ecosport fits the bill. The CONS become the PROS.

But the Ecosport is not very fuel efficient.

You can also have a look at SELTOS IVT, but it would be bit off your budget.

Why are you not considering the TATA cars. The Nexon should match your needs well and will be much more economical also.

I would suggest, take a test drive, there is no harm in exploring.

Currently your choice is between two mediocre but high selling cars. More options will open a lot of possibilities.