Ford launches all new Eco Sport

So guys this is about the most awaited car of the year Ford Ecosport

The sportier look under a lesser quoted price is definitely gonna shake the market

The specifications and features are listed below

The brand new SUV have a stunning and majestic exterior looks

Click here for Official ecosport page

ENGINE SPECIFICATIONS
Displacement:	1498cc, DV5 diesel
Engine Type:	Diesel
Maximum Power:	90 Bhp @ 3750 rpm
Maximum Torque:	204 Nm @ 2000 rpm
DIMENSIONS
Length:	3999 mm
Width:	1765 mm
Height:	1708 mm
OTHER SPECIFICATIONS
Seating Capacity:	5
Tyre Size:	205/60 R16
Suspension:	Independent, MacPherson struts
Boot Space:	346.00 ltrs.
Steering:	Power
Brakes:	Front Disk, Rear Drum
Gears:	5 Manual
Ground Clearance:	200.00 mm
Kerb Weight:	1272.00 kgs.
Fuel Tank:	52.00
Body Color Bumpers:
Tachometer:
Alloys:
ORVM Indicator:
Xenon Headlamps:
Trip Meter:	2
Headlamp Washer:

Cool dual tone interiors

ACTIVE AND PASSIVE SAFETY
Airbag:	2
Parking Sensors:
Fog Lamp:
Traction Control:
EBD:
ABS:
ESP:
Rear Seat Belts:	3
COMFORT AND CONVENIENCE
AC:	AC without Climate Control
Power Windows:
Central Locking:	Remote
Remote Boot:
Remote Fuel Filler:
Rear Wiper:
Rear Defogger:
Rear Armrest:	With Cup Holder
Streeing Adjustment (Rake/Reach):	/
Driver Seat Adjustment:	Manual
Music System:	Radio/AUX/BT/USB
Leather Seats:	Optional
Door Mirror:	Both Side Electric
Tinted Glass:
Rear AC Vent:
Folding Rear Seats:
Sun Roof:
Buttons/Controls on Steering:
Auto Viper:
Auto Headlamp:

Available in cool colours

Overview

A new segment is budding in our Indian car market. In the upcoming years, we will witness a segment of Compact SUV’s in India. Many car makers are currently working on their new offerings for this segment. Recently, Renault launched their much awaited compact SUV known as Duster, till now its diesel version has received good reception. Soon there will be others also joining Duster including Ford EcoSport which will be its biggest rival as speculated. Ford showcased EcoSport at Delhi’s Auto Expo 2012 and is expected to be launched on 11th June, 2013. Bookings of Ford Ecosport are now open, the booking amount is INR 50000.

Ford EcoSport has been developed specially to cater those customers who want a compact SUV within a budget of 7-9 lakh rupees. Now, Ford has revealed the pictures of production version EcoSport. It is thebest looking Sport Utility Vehicle under 10-lakh rupees. Ford EcoSport follows the Ford's latest design theme featuring huge front bumper and peeled-back head lights with a sporty rear-end. It is expected that Ford EcoSport will be powered by EcoBoost engines which are known for their excellent mileage and reliability. EcoSport is expected to be available in both petrol and diesel, which will be a 1.5 litre unit with maximum power of 90 bhp on tap. It will also be available in petrol, which will be powered by a 1.0 litre EcoBoost engine which will also be very fuel efficient.

Ford EcoSport Exterior

Ford has clearly stated that EcoSport will be a sub 4 meter car which means shorter than many of the hatches. Give it a look and it’s hard to believe if it’s actually that short. The design of this car is exceptional. The people at Auto Expo couldn’t believe if they will see this car plying on Indian roads. We have never seen a compact SUV as dazzling as EcoSport in India. Turn once, twice, thrice around it and you just can’t stop wondering how unique this car is. There is no doubt that Ford has tried to bring all the SUV characteristics to this car. This five seater SUV stands high and tall. It looks extremely aggressive from its front. It has a massive front bumper sporting a huge three layered air dam. It’s partly black in color so that it looks less bulky.

The top variant will feature chrome surrounds for its round shaped fog lights and air dam. Its air dam seems to be the mouth of this car which is very new in terms of styling. Nice angular headlights matches well with a thin radiator grill which sports a Ford logo on it. High above it sits a big, raised bonnet which makes it look macho. Its A pillar merges well in to the side fender which has huge wheel arches. Rear quarter glass is absent from this car. The top model will feature big body colored side mirrors with in-built turn indicators. Door handles are very basic yet they look stylish. It has eye-catching silver colored roof rails which enhance its side profile. EcoSport is expected to have 16 inch alloy wheels which are very dashing as we have seen them before at Delhi’s Auto Expo 2012.

The side doors have sharp lines on it with its lower part being black in color. Rear profile is also very impressive; it has a strange C pillar which looks like an A pillar due to its stretched rear glass. The rear glass and integrated spoiler ends very near to the rear gate which is very exclusive. Rear bumper is also semi black in color with almost rectangular reflective lights on both sides. Spare wheel is mounted on its boot gate which confirms it’s a proper SUV and the car looks very balanced. Clear lens taillights are stretched in size and appear like the one used in Renault Fluence. EcoSport looks very premium from its back and the overall appearance of this car is very attractive and it will turn many heads on road.

Ford EcoSport Interior

Ford EcoSport's interior styling is not clear yet as there are no pictures available of the Indian version of EcoSport. However, official website of EcoSport hints that it will share its interiors with the all new Fiesta which is good news. The three spoke steering wheel along with short gear knob will make their way to EcoSport. The instrument dials will have blue lighting which looks very cool and is easily readable. Looking at the rising demand for dual color interiors, Ford may opt for dual tone interiors otherwise all black scheme is expected in EcoSport. The plastic and fabric quality will be similar to the material used in Fiesta. The material and fit and finish inside its rival, Duster feels very premium and Ford has to match that standard of quality as buyers are very smart now and they pay attention to every single detail of any car.

Comfort and Convenience

It will be very interesting to see how Ford will manage to offer space inside EcoSport. Looking at its size and length, it remains a question that what will be comfort level inside. Being a SUV it promises you a higher seating than others which means better visibility of roads and its steering wheel will be tilt able. Headroom and shoulder room is not going to be a major concern but we are afraid about the legroom as it has shorter wheelbase than its competitors. It’s expected to come with many vital features with some of them being first in its segment. It will have power windows, AC, electrically adjustable and fold-able outside mirrors with central locking. It has a smart start/stop button with hill launch assist which reduces the risks of rolling backwards and allows you to move upwards easily. There will be also many other features but for them we will have to wait for its launch.

Dashboard and Storage

The dashboard will be picked from the new Fiesta which looks very modern and stylish. It has a v-shaped central console with edgy AC vents. The texture and touch of this dashboard feels up market. The buttons and plastic quality is also acceptable. Color theme is not revealed yet. The official website claims EcoSport to be a very spacious car. It has a big glove box in this dashboard which is also a cooler and keeps your things fresh inside. Ford offers 20 storage spaces inside EcoSport which is very impressive. The under seat tray is also offered in EcoSport to keep essentials. It has a boot capacity of 346 litre which can be increased to 560 litre by folding its rear seats.

Music System of Ford EcoSport

Ford EcoSport will feature a powerful music system with voice control system as we have seen in the new Fiesta. This music player will have USB and Aux-in ports for connectivity of music gadgets. The car also has Bluetooth connectivity through SYNC. After connectivity you will just have to command and you can play music tracks, take calls, read out messages, even when you move out of the car the SYNC automatically switches to your headset. It will also have steering mounted audio and Bluetooth controls.

Engine and Gearbox of Ford EcoSport

EcoSport will debut with three engine options: 2 petrol and 1 diesel. The petrol motor is one of its kinds and is specially designed for EcoSport. Its 999cc three cylinder turbo charged engine is world acclaimed and claims to be as powerful as any other 1.6L engine with less CO2 emissions. It produces a peak power of 118 Bhp with a maximum torque output of 170 Nm coming as early as 1400 rpm. These figures seem to be unbeatable by its competitor Duster. This is the biggest advantage of this car. It will be a very powerful car as even most of the 1.6L engines in India don’t produce this much of power. The second petrol engine will be the same which powers the Fiesta (1.5 litre unit), it generates maximum power of 108 Bhp with maximum torque of 140 Nm.

There will be a diesel engine also offered in EcoSport which currently powers the new Fiesta. It will be a 4 cylinder 1.5L, 8V SOHC diesel engine. The utmost power and torque output of this engine is 90 bhp and 204Nm which is available at 3750rpm and 2000rpm respectively. Ford has decided to offer EcoSport with both manual and automatic transmission. It will have a five-speed manual gearbox while the automatic variant will have an effective 6 speed power shift automatic transmission. Its automatic variant will also be an advantage over Duster as it’s not available with automatic transmission.

Acceleration and Performance

It will be exciting to see in future how Indian version of Ford EcoSport will perform with its petrol engine. As per its specifications it’s not hard to judge the performance of this engine. The turbo charged unit starts pulling power early and won’t let you feel any kind of turbo lag. The weight of this car will play a crucial role in this department. Its competitor, Duster is a very light car and manages a good power to weight ratio and that can also be felt while driving that car. The power output is adequate; we just hope it remains a light weight car so that it can be the fastest in its segment. If everything goes fine then expect it to reach 100km/hour in less than 10 seconds and its top speed may cross the mark of 170km/hr.

Ford may tune the gearbox in EcoSport specially for Indian conditions otherwise we know about the smoothness level of their gearboxes. The diesel engine will not be new for Indians as new Fiesta is already using it. With this engine it should take EcoSport less than 12 seconds to reach 100km/hour with a top speed of around 16okm/hr. The biggest flaw of this engine is its noise and vibrations. Similar to the smaller 1.4L engine it’s also very noisy inside. Being a SOHC engine it tends to be more audible than others. The refinement level is good news though, its power delivery is very linear and it feels quite responsive. The dual clutch will also be seen in EcoSport which is very smooth and convenient to use.

Ford EcoSport Mileage

This 1.0Lengine is 20% more fuel efficient than any other 1.6L petrol engine even after producing similar amount of power. It will return you a mileage of around 16km/ltr in city conditions and nearly 20km/ltr on highways. The manual as well as automatic variants return similar fuel efficiency thanks to its dual clutch system. Diesel engine is also very efficient and will give you a fuel efficiency of around 15km/ltr in city and may return 17-18km/ltr on highways. These figures will be attracting many Indian buyers for sure.

Ride and Handling

The small size of EcoSport makes it perfect for city conditions. If it comes with the similar power steering used in Fiesta, it will be a joy to drive. That steering feels very stable and always allows you to steer the car accurately. EcoSport will feature R16 size of tyres which will hold the road firmly. The build quality of Ford’s car has always been satisfactory. Looking at the size and its SUV character, Ford will specially design new suspension for this car and it will easily digest the worst potholes on our Indian roads. EcoSport will have only front wheel drive but Ford has tried to make it ready for every off road situation if tested. That’s why it comes with a high ground clearance of 200mm which is a prominent SUV characteristic. On Indian roads it will be a big advantage as you won’t be worrying about those giant potholes and speed breakers. With high ground clearance and 550mm water wading capability, you will feel the benefit of this car when you go off road.

Braking and Safety Features

It will have disk brakes at its front with drum brakes at the back. Ford will load this car with all the braking and safety features which you expect from a SUV. It will have ESP (electronic stability program) and ABS with EBD. The top model will also feature Traction control for some off-road action, front Dual airbags and engine immobilizer.

Variants and Warranty

Ford EcoSport will be available in 10 variants with three engines on offer. The 1.5 petrol will be available in 4 variants: Ambiente, Trend, Titanium Automatic and Titanium Plus Automatic. The 1.0 EcoBoost petrol will be available in 2 variants: Titanium Automatic and Titanium (O) Automatic. The 1.5 diesel version will also be available in 4 variants: Ambiente, Trend, Titanium and Titanium (O). The warranty on EcoSport is yet to be disclosed.

Variants-wise Features of Ford EcoSport

The base variant of EcoSport is Ambiente, it will come equipped with these features: EPAS with tilt/telescopic steering, Manual AC, Radio/FM/AUX/USB, electrically adjustable outside rear-view mirrors with integrated turn integrated, remote central locking, front power windows, body coloured bumpers, MF display, foldable rear seat, front power source and 15 inch full wheel covers. The next variant is Trend, in addition to the features of Ambiente, it comes with ABD+EBD, rear power windows, rear defogger, rear wiper, rear washer, body coloured outside rear-view mirrors, split folding rear seat, rear parcel tray, steering mounted audio controls, silver ornamentation and rear power point.

The third variant is Titanium, in addition to the features of Trend, it comes equipped with six-speed Powershift automatic transmission, leather wrapped steering, SYNC system, 16 inch alloy wheels, automatic climate control system, roof rails, front armrest, cooled glove box, front fog lamps, driver seat lumbar support, dual front airbags, chrome exteriors and reverse parking sensors. The top variant is Titanium (O), in addition to the features of Titanium it comes with leather seats, push button start, keyless vehicle system and side plus curtain airbags.

Verdict

Pricing of EcoSport will decide its destiny in India. It’s a sub 4 meter car so it will enjoy excise benefits and Ford has also hinted that it will be cheaper than Duster. If Ford manages to do so and places it between the brackets of 6-9 lakhs then it will be the best car in its segment. With its striking design, brilliant fuel efficiency and power packed performance it’s undoubtedly a complete value for money car. If priced well, this car will establish this segment of cars prominently in India. It will be the first choice of those who miss exclusivity with regular sedans and don’t want to opt for expensive and full size SUVs.