Small yet Big Ford EcoSport
The first-generation EcoSport was initially designed and engineered in Brazil for Brazil. The latest avatar will be exported all over the world and India being one of the first markets it will be launched. The appeal of the car is great and the car looks very attractive. The Ecosport offers a really great drive. The car comes in three engine options, a 1.5 diesel, a 1.5 litre petrol and a direct-injection turbo petrol motor the 123bhp 1.0-litre EcoBoost. The 1.5 petrol versions get an option for twin-clutch automatic gearbox. The all-new 1-litre EcoBoost petrol engine can be called the highlight of this Ford. And it puts out 123bhp, which is amazing for small engine. The EcoBoost petrol engine gives 18 kmpl which is actually outstanding for petrol engine that gives so much power. In India Ford EcoSport is a runaway success and it has raked in more than 30,000 bookings in a short span of time.
Looks
Ford has retained most of the design features from the concept. The kinetic design philosophy is retained. The big hexagonal grille with a lot of chromed splashed gives the car a dominant look. The headlamps are very contemporary but relatively small when compared to the grille and may go unnoticed. The rear design is centred on the spare wheel or it looks like that. The tail lamps are well designed. The upper half of the left tail-lamp on the tailgate houses a part of the tail-lamp, while the right side houses the handle for the tailgate. The EcoSport look does not appeal from the side view. The shortness of the car is evident from the side view.
Interiors
Most of the interior are taken from the interior design of Ford Fiesta sedan. The seating is very comfortable. There is premium upholstery in the top end versions. The dashboard looks like the one in the international fiesta. The quality of the plastic is good. The cool ice Blue back light illumination in the analogue dials is brilliant.
The top end of SUV has got an adjustable driver’s seat, there are quite a few storage spaces inside the cabin and that can be quite handy. The bottle and cup holders are big enough to take in large bottles. There is driver and front co-passengers sun visors, which have vanity mirrors integrated in it. Then there is a large glove box, and thus storage wise gives you a lot of options.
This compact SUV will also feature a powerful air conditioning unit with heater that can cool the entire cabin space within a very short span of time. The power steering wheel is anticipated to be covered in leather and will also have mounted controls for the audio system as well as for the Bluetooth paired phone as well. Driver information system, electrically operated wing mirrors and four doors power windows make this SUV extremely well equipped. There is also an internal anti glare rear view mirror as well. Thanks to the superior Ford engineering the cabin is calm and sound proof, so the diesel engine sound is not heard inside at all.
Exteriors
The exterior design is quite impressive. The designers have really done a wonderful job. The front looks of the car makes its rival run away. Lot of chrome has been thrown on the front side.
The front windscreen has been made up of toughened laminated glass, and is equipped of intermittent wipers. The wheel arches is sturdy. The car has got a light weight alloy wheels and tubeless radial tyres, which can take on any terrain in the country. The rear end gets a large windscreen, which has a rear wash and wipe function along with a defogger. Then there is the bright tail lamp cluster, which has radiant lights and the regular badging of the company. Ford Ecosport also has a rear spoiler, which is making it look sportier and it also has a high mounted stop lamp as well.
Features
The EcoSport is equipped with Sync, Ford’s voice-enabled in-car connectivity system, which helps you to operate your Bluetooth-enabled phone and USB devices, dial calls, read out text messages and browse and select music tracks via voice commands The Titanium variant of the Ford EcoSport, buyers will get a lot more kit than the Ambiente and Trend variants both in terms of equipment and cosmetic enhancements such as climate control, keyless entry and engine start/stop, cooled glove box, one touch up/down driver’s window, cd/mp3 player, a 3.5 inch display screen for the infotainment system with SYNC voice control, fuel computer, front fog lamps, a 12V power outlet for rear passengers In the exterior visual enhancements setting the Titanium variant of the EcoSport apart from the Trend variant are its chrome front grilles, silver roof rails and 16-inch alloy wheels. In the inside the EcoSport Titanium is distinguished from its lesser variants by the leather wrapped steering wheel and manual gear knob, driver’s arm rest, adjustable lumbar support and front sunglass holder. There is additional safety features on the EcoSport Titanium will include front airbags, rear parking sensors, emergency assist, and a configurable speed alarm. The automatic variant of the EcoSport available in Titanium trim only will pack in equipment such as side and curtain airbags, traction control, hill hold function, stability control and electronic brake assist and front tweeters.
Engine Options
1.0 LITRE EcoBoost
The all-new 1-litre EcoBoost petrol engine is the highlight of the Ecosport. And it pumps out 123bhp, which is more than expected from a small engine. You will need some heavy downshifting and with the engine spinning above 2000rpm to get that output. . However, at slow city speeds and in stop and go traffic, this turbo-charged engine is quite driveable.
1.5 LITRE DIESEL
The diesel mill is a more conventional one; the 1.5 litre engine is adapted from the International Fiesta, which has been in the market for some time. The fuel efficiency is pretty impressive. The motor is quite responsive and tractable too, but there’s a wee bit of turbo lag below 2,000rpm and the tall gearing blunts responsiveness to some extent. Power delivery is largely linear and there’s no sudden surge when the turbo kicks in, which makes the EcoSport easy to drive in traffic. Flat out, the diesel hit 100kph in 13.7sec, which is again quite impressive, but it’s the long-legged cruising ability that makes the EcoSport diesel a good long-distance companion.
1.5 LITRE PETROL
The 1.5-liter Ti-VCT (twin independent variable camshaft timing) petrol engine of EcoSport makes 1499cc of displacement. It generates a power of 108 bhp at 6300 rpm and the maximum torque produced is 140 Nm at 4400 rpm. This engine also has option for the 6-speed automatic transmission. This engine gives an average mileage of 15.6 kmpl on the highways.
1.5 LITRE PETROL AUTOMATIC
The 6-speed Power Shift gearbox uses a twin-clutch setup which leads to very quick shifts with the petrol motor giving the vehicle decent performance. Apart from than the normal P, R, N and D modes, you also have S mode, where the transmission becomes more eager and shifts very quickly, taking the vehicle to redline every time. The Power Shift auto box up shifts seamlessly but is not so eager to downshift and you really have to give the throttle the beans to move quickly at times as the Ti-VCT engine needs to be on the boil for quick progress.
Specifications Summary
3 Engine Options
1498 cc, Diesel, 89 bhp @ 3750 RPM power
1499 cc, Petrol, 109 bhp @ 6300 RPM power
999 cc, Petrol, 123 bhp @ 6000 RPM power
Gearboxes
Automatic, FWD
5-speed, Manual, FWD
Seating Capacity: 5 seater
Steering: Power steering
Variants & Price. (Ex Showroom New Delhi)
1499cc Petrol, Manual Rs. 5.59 lakhs
Ford EcoSport Trend 1.5 Ti-VCT
1499cc Petrol, Manual Rs. 6.50 lakhs
Ford EcoSport Ambiente 1.5 TDCi
1498cc Diesel, Manual Rs. 6.69 lakhs
Ford EcoSport Titanium 1.5 Ti-VCT
1499cc Petrol, Manual Rs. 7.51 lakhs
Ford EcoSport Trend 1.5 TDCi
1498cc Diesel, Manual Rs. 7.61 lakhs
Ford EcoSport Titanium 1.0 Ecoboost
999cc Petrol, Manual Rs. 7.90 lakhs
Ford EcoSport Titanium 1.0 Ecoboost (Opt)
999cc Petrol, Manual Rs. 8.29 lakhs
Ford EcoSport Titanium 1.5 Ti-VCT AT
1499cc Petrol, Automatic, 16.5 kpl Rs. 8.45 lakhs
Ford EcoSport Titanium 1.5 TDCi
1498cc Diesel, Manual Rs. 8.62 lakhs
Ford EcoSport Titanium 1.5 TDCi (Opt)
1498cc Diesel, Manual Rs. 9.00 lakhs
The 1.0L EcoBoost engine delivers a fuel efficiency of 18.9 km per litre, 1.5 litre diesel engine delivers an efficiency of 22.7 km/L and the 1.5 litre petrol automatic variant delivers a fuel efficiency of 15.8 kms per litre, claims Ford India which is pretty impressive when compared with competitors. Ecosport will take on Mahindra & Mahindra’s Quanto, Maruti Suzuki’s Ertiga, Renault Duster and it will also try to wean away premium hatchback Hyundai i20 and prospective compact sedan customers of Maruti Suzuki Dzire and Honda Amaze.
