Ford EcoSport facelift to get a bump in power

The Ford EcoSport facelift, which is expected to be launched in India in the next few months, will be offered with a more powerful version of the 1.5-litre TDCi engine.

Ford recently announced the powertrain line-up for the new Figo Aspire, which includes a 1.5-litre turbocharged four-cylinder diesel engine producing 99bhp and 215Nm of torque. Reports suggest that Ford will be introducing this engine in the EcoSport facelift, mated to a five-speed manual transmission. Besides this new engine, the EcoSport facelift will get a few cosmetic tweaks for the exterior and interior, to give it a fresh look.

The Ford EcoSport facelift was recently spotted testing on Indian soil, without the tailgate mounted spare wheel. During the launch of the company’s facility in Sanand, Mr Nigel Harris, president of Ford’s operations in India, had confirmed to us that the tailgate mounted spare wheel seems to have caught the fancy of the Indian customers and as a result, they would be retaining it for the Indian market. This makes us believe that the test mule was a European-spec car.

While the EcoSport initially played a very important role in boosting Ford’s sales numbers, the sales of the compact SUV have been declining rapidly over the past few months due to stiff competition from the Renault Duster, Nissan Terrano as well as cars from other segments. With several other manufacturers set to enter the segment, it is quite obvious that Ford will have to up its game. This facelift is expected to inject a fresh lease of life into the EcoSport and help it stand up against the competition.