Ford’s EcoSport has been designed with India in mind. It ticks many of the boxes when it comes to drivability but misses out in some other areas, writes Kushan Mitra
First off, Ford really does not describe the EcoSport as a sports utility vehicle (SUV). Vinay Piparsania, Ford India’s Director of Marketing and Sales, describes the car as an “Urban SUV”. It is not a big car; it does not have the dominating sense that, say, its bigger sibling from the Ford stable, the Endeavour, has.
Design and Interiors
Ford has designed this car to fit into a very specific box, a box that has to ensure that it is under four metres in length. It has high ground clearance, which is what basically qualifies it to wear the SUV moniker. As Ehab Kaoud, the chief designer of the car, explains, the car has well-defined lines but does not have overly complex ridges running all over the place.
The EcoSport clearly ‘looks’ like a Ford with its big, almost agape radiator grille. It also has a side-opening rear door, a function necessitated by the spare wheel on the door. The neatest feature on the exterior of the car is the fact that instead of a big, ugly handle, the EcoSport has a button to open the rear door which is embedded in the rear light cluster. This has, however, meant the reverse lights have been pushed down and integrated into the rear bumper.
Inside, the front of the car is a replica of the interiors of the Ford Fiesta, which is a place to be. The major change is that the EcoBoost-engined Titanium-spec car we were driving had nice cyan-coloured dials and centre-console.
Rear legroom is acceptable when you subscribe to the belief that the EcoSport is essentially a big hatchback on stilts. luggage space is also acceptable if you use the ‘big hatch’ concept. Space for a couple of smallish suitcases or one large suitcase. But the roof-rails do come equipped with tie-down points to secure luggage which you can store up there as well.
Drivability
Ford wanted journalists to not just experience the EcoSport but also the revolutionary EcoBoost engine that would be one of the engine options on the vehicle. This one-litre three-cylinder petrol engine deserves the ‘revolutionary’ tag.
In addition to the technical tweaks, Ford has also added a turbocharger to the engine, upping the power output of this engine to an incredible 125PS (123 horsepower). Keep in mind, there are 1.5 litre engines on bigger sedans that do not produce that much power.
So, how does the power come onIJ A bit gradually, to be very honest. While there is no perceptible turbo lag, it does take some time to get the engine to get to the higher ranges of the rev range. That said, in city-driving conditions where most gear changes take place at around 2,500rpm, the car does just fine. Acceleration in third gear between 40-60 km/hour is impressive, although on some uphill stretches you do need to downshift. You have to keep on reminding yourself that this is a small engine trying to act like a big brute of an engine.
If you, however, do want to put the pedal to the metal, once you get going, the EcoBoost can surprise you. You can almost reach an indicated 100 km/hour on second gear, and a few aggressive gear shifts can get the EcoSport up and going, although after some time the car seems to run out of breath.
Ford will also be coming up with another petrol option (the engine on the Figo) as well as its 1.5 litre TDCi diesel that does duty on both the Fiesta and Figo. The EcoBoost, however, is the most powerful of the three and the only engine option that we drove. The EcoBoost is also good on emissions, being cleaner than all other engines in its class, deserving the ‘Eco’ tag there as well. Fuel economy is claimed at over 18 km per litre in testing; but in a 150-km long drive in Goa, on both open road and through crowded villages and towns, we managed 11 km per litre — but then again this was ‘heavy right foot’ driving. Drive sensibly and one ought to get 13-14 km per litre in real-world conditions.
Ford vehicles have historically been supple on the road and true to form the EcoSport handles it beautifully. Ford’s last attempt at a small ‘Utility Vehicle’ in India was the Fusion, and while sales were dismal, the 1.6-litre petrol engine version of that car was a fabulous mix of fun and practicality.
The EcoSport does not disappoint, although again you have to remind yourself that the high ground clearance does have a negative impact on handling. But handling and riding comforts are both impressive as is the fairly powerful air-conditioner. All in all, a very solid package.
Technology
The EcoSport is also the first Ford to have the Microsoft Sync system installed (on higher spec Titanium and Titanium + models). Now, one should realise that gadgets and toys are as vital in selling cars as performance. However, after having driven the Fiesta extensively, the Sync system on the EcoSport felt very similar to the non-Sync system on the Fiesta.
Now, while Sync is all well and good, Ford’s Sync system is nowhere near as smooth to use as systems on the luxury German brands (Audi, BMW and Mercedes). While they are not in the same price bracket, things could have been better. The voice command system recognises Indian accents and voices well enough, but trying to get music to play over Bluetooth was a challenge. And a full-colour display would have been so much nicer than the monochrome display. It is not that expensive anymore.
Piparsania did clarify that Ford would have representatives who would explain the entire Sync system for customers, including how to sync devices and voice commands and so on. Smart move, although I believe Ford can do more with Sync (as it has done in the US market). Maybe in some of its future products!
Duster or EcoSport
This is a question that several people have been asking, and frankly, having driven both cars, it is difficult to find a comparison. Sure, it is likely that they will be in similar price brackets and appeal to same kind of buyers. The Ford is definitely better put together, has far superior plastics and in the EcoBoost at least, a better engine. But the Duster is much larger and has much more luggage space, and might be more practical for larger families, moving dogs and the like.
Some might even find the Ford’s look a bit “too modern” while others find the Duster ‘dowdy’, although it will be interesting to see what Nissan does when it comes out with a rebadged Duster later this year. Both cars could easily do with bigger engines, but it will be interesting to drive the EcoSport with the diesel motor once it launches to do a fair comparison.
This is not a car or an engine designed for boy racers, and Ford’s target buyer is a 30-something family man with a single kid. And you know whatIJ This car suits the target market just fine.