[DCEite]

Have you considered the XUV-400 ?

The EV is ridiculously fast and fun to drive. With zero lag and all the torque right from word Go, you would be grinning all day after driving this beauty.

Ofcourse there are other considerations like availability of charging infrastructure and ecosystem in your area, but if everything is set, I suggest you do take a closer look at it.

[Torque123]

Originally Posted by Vibhav-Van

My Ecosport has just completed 5 years this month. I'd love to carry on with it. Worst case scenario, I also have another option to park the car at my grandpa's house, which is about 200m away. That would mean dealing him mumbling about late-night drives, but that's ok. I guess some peace-of-mind can be compromised for a surreal driving experience

If I were in your place, below would be my options in the same order as mentioned if the funds received after parting with the Ecosport do not play a major role for the next car purchase (sedan). The Ecosport would be one of the final line up of cars from Ford India which would be a keeper.

1. Keep the Ecosport for another 5-6 years minimum, save up some more moolah & go for the Slavia/Virtus 1.5 TSI in a year (if competition does not have a better performing car by then as per my needs). MT/DSG depends on one's risk appetite but I would go for the DSG. As long as the DSG works fine, nothing can even come close to its performance. That way I can use the Ecosport for majority of the city bumper to bumper commute (which as per online reviews is the main reason for DSG issues) & use the Slavia/Virtus mainly for long drives & important/occasional city commute. That way one can enjoy both sides of the turbocharged world (petrol & diesel).

2. Bid adieu to the Ecosport now, buy the Slavia 1.5 MT for almost risk free ownership. Will have the option of remapping in future too (if you require).

3. Bid adieu to the Ecosport now, buy the Slavia/Virtus 1.5 DSG & tune up your mind & pocket (especially when DSG fails outside of the warranty period & you still have the car) to the fact that DSG will/may fail in future. I for one would never go for a remap of Skoda/VW cars with DSG (within or out of warranty period) no matter which iteration of DSG the car has. Trust me, these 2 cars would not require a remap either & this coming from a former Fiesta 1.6 owner.

My two cents. Hope it will help.

Cheers,
Torque

[Vibhav-Van]

Thank you all for sharing your opinions and advice.

I'm not considering an EV at this point. I drove the Nexon EV and I must admit it was fun. Couldn't stop frequent wheelspins in 'S' mode. But then I'm not confident of taking an EV on outstation trips greater than 300 KM. We do atleast 2-3 such roadtrips every year, and those routes do not have any charging infrastructure.

I have axed the Tiguan and Compass from my consideration. I did a second test drive of the Compass, and my initial thoughts were reinforced. The gear lever felt flimsy to shift, the indicator/wiper stalks had considerable ply. They looked the same as those of my Gen-1 Punto, but felt much poorer to operate. To sum it up, there was an overall lack of quality befitting that price point.

Will be the Slavia DSG I guess!

[Safedriver2023]

There is a small difference between Slavia and Virtus
You can get only 6 years warranty from Skoda as per the sales manager. You can get 7 years warranty on VW. You can try the Virtus too and check for the better dealer and better deal from your location.

[tp_dominator]

Ecosport is one very difficult car to upgrade from. Even I thought Compass was the spiritual successor and test drove it before finalizing the sale of my Ecosport S. But the cramped interior relative to even the Ecosport was a huge downer. I literally drove everything upto 30-35 lakhs budget and finally valued the ride quality at slow speeds of every other car after the 17 inch wheeled Ecosport.

My primary requirement was automatic and preferably diesel and finally settled for the Tata Safari owing to its awesome ride quality. If not Safari, definitely try Harrier once and maybe it would be able to sway your decision. I chose Safari for the extra space and the relatively lesser niggles reported about it and touchwood after 5 months and 15,000 kms, I haven't reported any. The car drives like a dream and only feels lesser to the Ecosport only on uneven highways where I felt Ecosport was better planted at higher speeds.

[GoBabyGo]

Hello Vibhav-Van, Ecosport is a compact SUV with not so great interior space at the back, hence I am assuming you are okay with decent rear seat space.

My suggestion is to keep Ecosport and buy MG ZS EV. It is an excellent crossover & much more fun to drive than any other car / SUV in this price bracket. I am also hoping that you can install EV charger at your home. Driving EV for 400-500km a day is not an issue as charging infra is very good. However, for your much longer intercity travel, you can use your Ecosport

All the very best for your purchase!

[bullitt1]

I can relate to your situation as being previous owner of Ford's though not Ecosport, but extensively drove from Zoom car pool program, one gem of a car.

Whatever car you consider, one thing where everybody fails is the steering feedback. I have test driven latest models of VW/Skoda for a family member from Polo to Octavia, the steering is just dead.

Though still not in league of even EPS of Ecosport, Compass is the only car I found to provide some connect.

Best wishes on your hunt.

[Cresterk]

Compass automatics have lethargic gearboxes which make it very boring to drive. The Slavia/virtus GT and the Taigun/Kushaq GT are probably your best hopes. Great driving feel + powerful engine and quick shifting gearbox with paddle shifters make it a proper rocket that will put a wide smile on your face.


Also consider a Scorpio-N AT 4x4 if you want a real change. It's surprisingly fun to drive and the go anywhere capability is good to have. 3rd row is unusable and the suspension is bumpy though.

[jaysonline]

Originally Posted by Vibhav-Van

- Anything I missed?

.

Have you test drove City Hybrid? ( I know it's the odd one out). Have heard good things about the steering feel, braking and initial acceleration being better than the City. Bonus being reliability and good mileage.

[sid3091]

I'm someone who was in the exact same boat as you - wanted a replacement for my 2018 ecosport (which I would not have sold if I didn't live in Delhi). I test drove the Seltos, Kushaq, Slavia, Harrier, Taigun, ZS EV, Hector, Alcazar and what I concluded was this - Unless you buy an Octavia, the Compass is the most fun to drive vehicle under 35lac. I ended up purchasing a Compass Petrol AT.

Yes, it's engine response isn't as linear as the ecosport, but once the turbo kicks in the car absolutely flies. What's more, it even has a very sporty engine note to go along with it. Also, after my first service and a software update, this car has become a lot more peppy and responsive, and the gearbox seems a whole lot smarter.

It's ride and handling balance is actually superior the ecosport. I don't get why everyone seems to call it cramped. I've taken 5 people in the car on 3-4 hour drives with no fatigue at all (their heights 5'8, 5'9, 5'10, 6'0, with the shortest being my sister at 5'6).

[Vibhav-Van]

Originally Posted by tp_dominator

If not Safari, definitely try Harrier once and maybe it would be able to sway your decision.

Drove the harrier and it does feel smooth. Tata has certainly done a better job at mating their automatic gearbox to that Multijet 2.0 engine than Jeep themselves. In fact, even with the erstwhile 1.3 Multijet, both Maruti and Tata had better shift quality compared to Fiat.

Two reasons why I won't be able to consider this are that it won't fit in my parking, and no Tata owner in close circles has nice things to say about their service. Even if I overlook the service part, parking is a big downer, and the steering felt kind of inconsistent as well.

[Vibhav-Van]

Originally Posted by sid3091

I ended up purchasing a Compass Petrol AT.
Yes, it's engine response isn't as linear as the ecosport, but once the turbo kicks in the car absolutely flies. What's more, it even has a very sporty engine note to go along with it.

Congratulations on the new Compass. My brother-in-law also got a new Compass Petrol AT last month and he loves it. He's not a very aggressive driver, so it works for him, but the turbo lag and gearbox were downers for me. But I agree, once the turbo spools - the car just flies.

Originally Posted by sid3091

I don't get why everyone seems to call it cramped.

I think it is to do with general physique as well. We are a family on the heavier side and Compass's footwell was just too narrow. Off late I see a lot of car manufacturers making large centre consoles. The harrier also has this issue, but it can be negated by pulling the seat backwards.

[scorpion41]

I too was sailing on the same boat like yourself. I own/owned Ford Aspire Diesel which I am going to replace with a heavy heart. I am replacing it with Brezza. I had checked Sonet, Bolero Neo, Nexon and Venue. Brezza was added later to the bucket list and finalised at the end as it was fitting my budget. I exchanged it at TrueValue and awaiting delivery of Brezza within next week.

[Vibhav-Van]

Originally Posted by Torque123

Bid adieu to the Ecosport now, buy the Slavia/Virtus 1.5 DSG & tune up your mind & pocket (especially when DSG fails outside of the warranty period & you still have the car) to the fact that DSG will/may fail in future.

Thank you, Torque123. It will mostly be this option. My regular driving doesn't involve bumber-to-bumper traffic completely, maybe up to 20% at the most. Rest are all free roads with ample corners to have fun. So I'm hoping this DSG will last. As long as it doesn't leave me stranded on a highway, I'd be happy to live with that DSG.

Retaining the Ecosport will also mean NOC, road tax and other formalities to transfer it here. So it makes sense to let it go, irrespective of the beautiful machine it is.

Moreover, I forgot to mention I always have the option of taking out my dad's Nexon petrol AMT, which is only used for Grocery runs today. So that will always be there as a second car whenever I need it.

I hope the Slavia DSG will be an able, trustworthy successor!

[drjkonline]

Originally Posted by Vibhav-Van

All that aside, the thought that I'd have to part with my Ecosport didn't really go down well with me. I think that's partly because my car is only 5 years old, and also that there's no perfect upgrade for this car as such. I just cannot comprehend a Compass for three times the cost of my humble Ecosport, because I don't think it is even twice the car.

The Ecosport diesel was/is a gem. I upgraded to a compass manual diesel, however kept the Ecosport with me. The Ecosport was 12lakhs plus for top end with all airbags in 2013. Today cars of similar category sell for 20 lakh. In the compass manual I found a worthy successor to the ecosport in terms of ride and handling. With the added power/torque. The Ecosport steering is so light when you use it after driving the compass. The compass diesel manual is fun on the highways. I agree with you ecosport is a super car. But you won't get a similar value for money car today.