Ford Ecosport Engine & Transmission

We have had hatchbacks, sedans, SUVs and various other types of cars in our long-term garage. But this is the first time, we get sometime new in its segment. A compact SUV, called as the Ford Ecosport. To be honest, I was keen to drive this car for a long time and we finally got our hands on this SUV. The Ecosport has been the first compact SUV, and since then even Maruti has got into this segment. Check for Maruti cars Price, Review, Features & Specs at CarzPrice

Ford Ecosport Design & Style

High-strength boron steel has been used in the EcoSport’s body-in-white to add torsional rigidity and improve the car’s occupant protection in the event of a crash or rollover — specifically in the door frames. A similar application of the material was applied to the related B-Max MPV to compensate for the absence of fixed B-pillars.

The car is also Ford’s first ever to be developed entirely in South America. Its front strut, rear twist beam suspension configuration has been retuned for European tastes, as has its electro-mechanical power steering.

Much of it, though, is already familiar. Like the Fiesta and the B-Max (and virtually every other small car), the EcoSport wears its dinky engines in the nose, where they exclusively drive the front wheels. Those wheels meet the ground courtesy of MacPherson struts at the front and a torsion beam to the rear, and they are stopped by front discs and rear drums.

Trim levels comprise Titanium and Titanium X. You get a decent amount of kit in Titanium models, including climate control, a CD player with aux-in and USB connections, keyless entry and start, a cooled glove box, electric windows and front fog lights. Upgrading to Titanium X adds leather trim, 17-inch alloys, an auto-dimming rear view mirrors, rain-sensing wipers, automatic lights and cruise control.

Arguably less likely to provoke ardour is the look of the thing. There’s nowhere to go with a baby crossover other than up, so it was inevitable that the EcoSport would be short and tall, but the bluff front end – splattered in lip gloss and shaped like a dust mask – is a feature that might take a lifetime to grow on you. Likewise, the side-opening rear door and the covered spare wheel attached to it

Ford Ecosport Cabin & Comfort

The interiors are on the same page as those in the current Fiesta. The seats are comfortable and the red stitching on the black leather seats add a bit of premiumness to the EcoSport. The EcoSport comes well equipped with standard features like climate control; 16″ alloy wheels, steering-mounted controls, six airbags and of course SYNC multimedia system which makes the controlling of the the audio system, phone and other features very simple

Ford Ecosport Engine & Transmission

The highlight of the updated EcoSport is of course the 1.5-litre diesel engine. The oil-burner now whacks out an additional 9 PS of power and the total power output has been bumped up to 100 PS, which also matches the numbers of the Figo twins. Torque remains at 205 Nm and the engine is still mated to the same 5-speed manual gearbox. Gear shifts are not the smoothest out there and still feel a bit notchy. 0-100 km/hr has been improved by a small margin which isn’t really noticeable in normal usage, but what is noticeable is the fact that the TDCI mill has a much better bottom-end now and the car responds to throttle inputs in a very brisk fashion.

The clutch feels lighter now while the turbo starts spooling in from a notch below 2000 RPM. All the 99 horses are delivered across the rev range in a very linear manner. 100 km/hr comes up at 12.76 seconds from standstill compared to 13.43 seconds of the previous model. The EcoSport also gets a 1.5-litre petrol engine and a 1.0-litre EcoBoost engine and both of these remain completely unchanged. The EcoBoost is offered with a manual transmission while the bigger petrol engine gets a 5-speed manual gearbox along with the option of a 6-speed DCT.

Ford Ecosport Driving Dynamics

Ride and handling is an area where the EcoSport has got a good balance going. Many a time I have heard many so-called proponents suggesting Ford makes the best driver-oriented cars only for them to come croppers when it comes to all-round family usage. The EcoSport is one car where the car delights with good manners in the handing department yet tops it without compromising on the ride element. For all round family usage this is critical and maybe Ford has heard this for long and acted on it to a degree. I made it a point to be driven while seated at the rear on the rutted Goa roads and I was impressed enough with the way the EcoSport rode the bumps and the craters yet remained composed without unsettling me in the back. Made me aware of the lack of grab rails though!. Check for Ford car dealers in India

Ford Ecosport Braking & Safety

To begin with, our press demonstrator was the Brown. The Mars Red colour might appeal to several, but I prefer the Kinetic Blue on the Ecosport. This in my opinion looks more upmarket and carries a hint of sophistication. The variant we drove was the Titanium Option. It comes with keyless entry, push start and stop, artificial leather, in-dash music system with Bluetooth, auxiliary and USB connection, reclining rear seats, 60:40 split, six airbags and ABS. In our long-term report, we share the fuel efficiency, performance and the pros and the niggles that we faced with the Ford Ecosport in our daily running.

Ford Ecosport Price

Ford Ecosport Ex-Showroom Price in Hyderabad ranges from 7,29,724/- (EcoSport 1.5 TIVCT Petrol Ambiente) to 10,71,300/- (EcoSport 1.5 Diesel Platinum Edition). Get best offers for Ford Ecosport from Ford Dealers in Hyderabad. Check for Ecosport price in Hyderabad

Ford Ecosport Conclussion

The EcoSport has much going for it in terms of design, focused engine tech and features. To push the envelope Ford has loaded in tech like the Microsoft partnered SYNC system into the car’s audio and telecom features. And Ford India is said to be involving local emergency services to utilise the infrastructure if an emergency arises for the car and its occupants. The system auto dials the emergency services if an airbag is deployed or if detects an emergency ignition cut-off.

But apart from all this the most key metric that can enable Ford to make the EcoSport a really attractive proposition to buyers is the car’s overall length.

At 3,999 mm, the EcoSport meets the sub-4-metre lower duties stipulation and that basically means that the price of this compact SUV can be really aggressive (read affordable). The diesel and the EcoBoost engines will, of course, qualify for the lower duty too.