It has been more than an year since we're hearing news about Ford's mini SUV to hit our markets. In one year Hyundai launched almost 4 cars and 12 new variants into its portfolio. It's Friday today and I've been invited by a young female voice to take the EcoSport for a spin around the venue of their media drive. It's bright and sunny and yes very very hot. Thanks to my i20's brilliant 'made for India' air conditioning system I am least bothered by the weather. I get out of my car get cooked and walk like Mahatma Gandhi with taller steps towards the venue, not because i'm in a hurry but the venue chosen has wet mud all around. Anyways, after some formalities the car is brought at my disposal.
A snazzy, futuristic looking, Mars Red colored EcoSport with 1.0L EcoBoost petrol engine which is essentially a tiny engine which is of WagonR's displacement mated with a SUPERCHARGER. That's like saying I study in the 5th standard but I had 20 shots of cognac with double gordon's gin with a squeeze of lime and then I set my mouth on fire 'cause i wanted a boost. 123bhp on paper sounds good with the word go, and with the 1200 some kgs of kerb weight it has a power to weight ratio of around 100bhp/ton, that makes it better than SUV rivals like the Renault Duster, Mahindra XUV500 and sedans like the Hyundai Verna, Volkswagen Vento, even the Jetta TSi!
Exteriors, well, when I saw the EcoSport for the first time at the Delhi Auto Expo more than an year ago I had mixed emotions and opinions about it, because at that time we were more used to Pajeros and Fortuners. SUVs were meant to be big and butch than small and tout. Since the launch and success of the Renault Duster in India, the mindset of a buyer in that segment has changed dramatically. A car which is a little bigger than a large hatchback, has a good space on the inside, is frugal, is easy to park and isn't as expensive as the usual SUVs are. This concept of a mini SUV has worked wonders and has made Renault, a company which was in a condition of a massive loss in sales to one of the top gainers in the last one year. Ford for one took it's own lazy time to put things in place for our market.
The first thing you notice is the key, for obvious reasons you won't be trying to drive without it, but then you don't usually use it. The design is like a nail clipper or a bottle opener. The entry is key less, all you have to do is keep the key in your pocket, press the black request button on the door handles and open it. The handles themselves feel nice an chunky to hold unlike other ford cars which feel like spearmint chewing gum. The doors are large and heavy, something like the XUV500, takes a good time to get used to such weight.
At the rear, the boot lid opens sideways than upwards. Ford? seriously? It's an urban SUVs, It's meant to be practical! Imagine a household woman carrying shopping bags opening the boot and hitting someone's BMW 5 series in shiny black color with it. That's one pathetic design element in 21st century vehicles. The boot on the other hand isn't as big as its arch rivals, but think of a large hatchback of similar price-tag and you are sorted. The seats fold down completely flat to give that extra bit of luggage space that your wife may require to transit her new bought dressing mirror or your kid's new adult cycle. The boot lid has a handle neatly tucked inside the tail lamp in place of the right side rear tail lamp. The rear boot lid also houses the spare wheel and yes, it is a standard fitment across the range.
Moving to the front, the first thing most of the people will notice is the huge Hyundai-esque grill. Cut in hexagonal shape, makes an image of a Hyundai car than a ford, it's only when you see the tiny blue colored oval badge which says Ford in cursive font. The grill has nice looking slats of chrome all over it giving it a more premium feel. The headlights are too tiny for my liking, I mean, come on, It's an SUV right? aren't they supposed to be large and bulky looking? It's only when it is dark and dingy do they really blow your mind with the level of luminescence they provide on the road ahead. There are fog lamps, which are standard on the top variants, tucked neatly inside a chrome-lined cup shaped housing. The front is somewhat a reminiscent of the current Ford Mondeo that's sold across the globe.
The side profile is nice and butch and look a notch above its arch rivals. The EcoSport sports 16 inch multi spoke alloy rims, with 205/60 R16 Goodyears. The roof is ribbed for structural strength.
about the interiors and the performance in the upcoming parts of this review.....
A snazzy, futuristic looking, Mars Red colored EcoSport with 1.0L EcoBoost petrol engine which is essentially a tiny engine which is of WagonR's displacement mated with a SUPERCHARGER. That's like saying I study in the 5th standard but I had 20 shots of cognac with double gordon's gin with a squeeze of lime and then I set my mouth on fire 'cause i wanted a boost. 123bhp on paper sounds good with the word go, and with the 1200 some kgs of kerb weight it has a power to weight ratio of around 100bhp/ton, that makes it better than SUV rivals like the Renault Duster, Mahindra XUV500 and sedans like the Hyundai Verna, Volkswagen Vento, even the Jetta TSi!
The first thing you notice is the key, for obvious reasons you won't be trying to drive without it, but then you don't usually use it. The design is like a nail clipper or a bottle opener. The entry is key less, all you have to do is keep the key in your pocket, press the black request button on the door handles and open it. The handles themselves feel nice an chunky to hold unlike other ford cars which feel like spearmint chewing gum. The doors are large and heavy, something like the XUV500, takes a good time to get used to such weight.At the rear, the boot lid opens sideways than upwards. Ford? seriously? It's an urban SUVs, It's meant to be practical! Imagine a household woman carrying shopping bags opening the boot and hitting someone's BMW 5 series in shiny black color with it. That's one pathetic design element in 21st century vehicles. The boot on the other hand isn't as big as its arch rivals, but think of a large hatchback of similar price-tag and you are sorted. The seats fold down completely flat to give that extra bit of luggage space that your wife may require to transit her new bought dressing mirror or your kid's new adult cycle. The boot lid has a handle neatly tucked inside the tail lamp in place of the right side rear tail lamp. The rear boot lid also houses the spare wheel and yes, it is a standard fitment across the range.
Moving to the front, the first thing most of the people will notice is the huge Hyundai-esque grill. Cut in hexagonal shape, makes an image of a Hyundai car than a ford, it's only when you see the tiny blue colored oval badge which says Ford in cursive font. The grill has nice looking slats of chrome all over it giving it a more premium feel. The headlights are too tiny for my liking, I mean, come on, It's an SUV right? aren't they supposed to be large and bulky looking? It's only when it is dark and dingy do they really blow your mind with the level of luminescence they provide on the road ahead. There are fog lamps, which are standard on the top variants, tucked neatly inside a chrome-lined cup shaped housing. The front is somewhat a reminiscent of the current Ford Mondeo that's sold across the globe.
The side profile is nice and butch and look a notch above its arch rivals. The EcoSport sports 16 inch multi spoke alloy rims, with 205/60 R16 Goodyears. The roof is ribbed for structural strength.
about the interiors and the performance in the upcoming parts of this review.....
