Ford EcoSport First Drive

We first saw the EcoSport a year and a half ago at the Auto Expo 2012, where it was shown to the world for the first time. It has been quite a wait since then, but it doesn’t seem to have dulled the thirst the masses have for this quasi-SUV. If anything, people can’t wait to get their hands on the EcoSport. After a day spent driving it, we can say that the wait has been well worth it.

Spoiler alert: we were offered only the 1.0-litre EcoBoost with a manual gearbox, so if you’re looking for a review of the diesel (we know you are!) you’ll have to wait a few more weeks.

The face is familiar; it hasn’t changed much from the concept, and for that we’ve got to give Ford a pat on the back. It is also recognisably a Ford, and follows the Kinetic design philosophy that the company has been putting onto showroom floors for a few years now. It is also markedly aggressive, with the wheel pushed out at the corners, and from the front they are emphatically the widest point of the car thanks to the flared wheel arches.

The lower grille dominates the front, looking like a basking shark from some angles with its concave surface and chrome ribs. The headlamps remain slits on either side of a truly narrow upper grille, in the middle of which sits a tiny blue oval. It looks like Ford has gone the opposite way of Mercedes or Toyota, who have given their logos on the front more importance and size than ever. The round fog lamps thrust forward out of the trapezoid cutouts of the bumper, and the bottom is matt black plastic. Some markets get a white/silver sump guard, but that emphasises the car’s height, which is not all good.

From the side, the EcoSport has a typical SUV silhouette with a few marked exceptions: the rear overhang is comically short, and the sight of a tailgate-mounted spare wheel is not something we see these days. The flared wheel arches, upward-sloping window line and inclined C pillar all contribute to the sporty look. The well-designed wheels are also on display here; we hope that they are available on most variants of the EcoSport.

The rear is dominated by the spare wheel, and on either side of the wheel are the tail-lamps, as always. The spare wheel gets a cover for some markets, but for India it will remain on display. The tail-lamps are one of the best-designed features of the EcoSport: 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. It is so neatly integrated that at first glance it is completely unnoticeable.

The reverse lamps are mounted low, on the matt black part of the bumper and right at the corners – despite the parking sensors, we fear that these lenses are in jeopardy from drivers who aren’t used to SUVs. There is a fair amount of badging at the rear, but it is discreet where other SUVs prefer to shout it out. This is one car that lets the styling do the shouting rather than the badging.

The EcoSport drew quite a few appreciative stares, so yes, it is going to be a hit. It does look rather fetching in the orange paint, but it manages to look even better in dark blue, and the menace is enhanced with a dark grey. Ford says that it will be available in eight paint shades – we’re sure white, silver and black are on the list, so there’s only two unaccounted for at the moment.

The interior of the EcoSport is familiar, if you’ve spent any time in the Fiesta. There’s the same layout of buttons, a very similar instrument cluster, the electric mirror adjustment is mounted on the driver’s door, and the climate control dials are the same. The EcoSport uses cool blue backlighting instead of the Fiesta’s orange, and this makes it look very modern. I especially fancy the blue needles that must look really unique at night. There is a provision to plug in an aux cable and USB drive next to the handbrake lever, and there are a lot of storage spaces in the cabin. Ford tells us that there are nine cupholders, and two power sockets – one is mounted in the right rear door pocket. The glovebox offers cooling as well, and the 340-odd litre boot offers a parcel tray.

Steering-mounted controls are present on the Titanium, and there is a central button that activates the ‘Sync’ – the voice activation is now a Microsoft-developed feature. We’ve seen a different software in the Fiats sold in India, but Ford claims that the current-gen Sync is far more intelligent than the Fiesta’s, even going so far as to make sure that updates can be installed in your EcoSport when they come along.

It is an impressive feature, what with its ability to choose music or dial a contact off your Bluetooth-connected phone with a voice command. It will even read out the name of an artist or track, given the right keywords. It can also pair at least four phones at the same time, and is an intuitive, genuinely easy to use addition to the car.

The driver’s seat has height adjustment, an armrest and lumbar support, though all adjustments are manual. The steering wheel telescopes – something that tall people like me will certainly appreciate. Everything is within easy reach, and the stalks behind the wheel are electronic like BMW controls are – they don’t physically change position, but operate in the same way that mechanical stalks do. The indicator stalk has the ‘lane change’ feature where the indicator blinks thrice before shutting off, another small touch that is nice.

Space in the rear is adequate. At the price, the Nissan Sunny and Renault Scala will offer much more legroom, but the EcoSport is in no way less spacious than the Renault Duster. Fitting three in the back will be a squeeze if they’re full-sized adults, though. The rear seat bench feels a little too flat for the car’s cornering ability, and there is no armrest or grab handles, either. The only way to stop sliding a little when there’s an enthusiastic driver is to wear the seat belt – not a common practice at the rear in India. There is two-step seat back inclination for the rear seat. Cooling is more than adequate from the climate control system, although the vents are noisy. Despite not being the usual round vents, they can be closed completely. Plastic quality is par for the course, with the overall impression being better than that of the Duster. The contrasting red stitching on black leather in our test car was very fetching.

The boot is relatively small at 340-odd litres, but it manages to stow a couple of bags with ease. There is also the 60:40 split-folding rear seat that makes the EcoSport a versatile vehicle. However, the seats do not fold flat- something to consider if you’re planning to transport something large.

The top-end Titanium variants of the EcoSport will have ABS, EBD and six airbags. We think that two airbags will be present across some of the top-end variants, ABS will be present on most variants, but absent on the base models to meet a price target. We hope that Ford will not do the same thing it does with the Figo and Classic ranges and offer ABS only on the top-end variants.

For the record, there will be three engines: two petrol and one diesel. Of the three, two have been available to the Indian public in the Fiesta for a while now, the 1.5-litre Ti-VCT petrol and 1.5-litre Duratorq diesel. The former will be offered with the six-speed dual-clutch transmission found in the Fiesta as well. The diesel will be in the 90PS state of tune, the same as the Fiesta.

Our drive was focussed on the new 1.0-litre Ecoboost engine, which will be offered with a five-speed manual gearbox. This is a three-cylinder turbocharged engine with direct injection that generates 120PS and 170Nm of torque. It has won many awards, including the coveted International Engine of the Year in 2012. Ford is very excited about this engine, and understandably so; it promises to offer the refinement of a petrol with the economy of a diesel.

The engine is silent – this is partly due to the excellent noise insulation of the EcoSport’s cabin, but there aren’t any vibrations even up to the car’s redline, just a muted growl that is reminiscent of the Alto K10’s. The other two three-cylinder engines on sale in India in the Nissan Micra and VW Polo sound unrefined compared to this engine. Yes, there is turbo lag, and customers will notice it because of the Indian habit of trying to accelerate from walking pace in second gear, which drops the engine all the way to idle speed. It isn’t noticeable at any other point, though.

The torque spread is so flat that the engine is very flexible, but it is also what makes it unnecessary to rev. Use the meaty midrange and you’ll get the best of both worlds – performance enough to overtake on single-lane highways along with decent fuel economy. The gearing is tall, the power delivery linear and the cabin silent, so the performance is a little underwhelming – but I’m confident that the numbers will show it to be plenty quick. The gearshift isn’t as long-throw as the Classic’s, but it is much lighter and very positive – it is one of the best ‘boxes in the segment.

The EcoSport is set up like a hatchback, with a transverse engine driving the front wheels that are suspended by McPherson struts in the front and a torsion beam at the rear. It also has a hatchback-like monocoque chassis, so it handles like a car, just one that you sit a little high in.

It is sprung stiffly – so stiff, that it reminded me of the sublime Fiesta 1.6S. There’s the same eagerness to change direction, the same resistance to body roll in corners, and the same jarring thud if you go over a ridge or through a pothole at speed. This means good highway manners, but in Mumbai’s uneven roads, it may make occupants uncomfortable. The Duster has softer suspension and glides over bumps and through potholes, yet has decent highway manners. The EcoSport is firmly in the ‘handling’ corner, which should please those who like to drive.

The steering will disappoint a lot of enthusiasts, because it isn’t related to the hydraulic system in the Classic or Figo – it is related instead to the new Fiesta’s electric power steering system, and it offers the same features such as pull-drift compensation. It is light, nimble but doesn’t offer as much feel or feedback as the Classic and Figo. However, given the target customer and the fact that the EcoSport is supposed to be an urban SUV, the light, accurate steering system is perfectly fine for the car.

The EcoSport is shod with regular car tyres – our test cars had either MRF ZV2K or Goodyear Assurance tyres. The MRFs give up too easily, and if you’re an enthusiastic driver, replace them with something with more grip to extract the maximum from your EcoSport’s great handling.

The EcoSport is a little confusing in some ways – an SUV that is actually a hatchback, and a car for the city but which has suspension better suited to the highway. Despite that and the bright orange colour, I like it. It suits what the customer today wants, and I don’t think Ford will have trouble moving them out of the showrooms. There is just one hurdle: the price. The Fiesta is a competent product that isn’t selling well simply because it is perceived as overpriced, but that shouldn’t be a problem with the EcoSport, since Ford plans to export the car from India. The economies of scale should help it get a good sticker price. I think the diesel will sell more than the petrol despite all the benefits of the 1.0-litre EcoBoost, but should diesel prices rise to the predicted amount by the end of the year, there will certainly be a real alternative in the EcoBoost engine for those who don’t find an investment in the diesel engine worthwhile. The Titanium EcoBoost is expected to retail for around Rs 12 lakhs on-road, at which price it might not seem a real alternative to the Renault Duster and Mahindra XUV, but it is the mid-level variants that will do the heavy lifting for the EcoSport.

Edit: Ford has shocked everyone – including us – with the price of the EcoSport. It starts at Rs 5.59 lakh, and the EcoBoost you see on these pages will retail for Rs 8.29 lakh, ex-showroom, Delhi. At that price, there is no real alternative for the money. The only question that remains is, how long will the waiting period be?