dna drive: EcoSport Excels - Daily News & Analysis

Brazil has been its test bed for the last four years and China the latest market where it has received rave reviews. Yes, the much-touted Ford EcoSport is driving in – by around July – ready to shake the local status quo, after giving us a sneek-peek at last year's New Delhi Auto Show. While accolades in foreign shores do matter, in India, Ford is fully aware it needs a thoroughly localised animal to both get the price and perception right after the snafus with Ford Fiesta and Figo. There are unlikely to be third chances. Not surprisingly, the company has gone about matters at its own sweet pace, which is nearly two years, to come up with the goods. So, we drove the EcoSport through Goa, weaving through narrow lanes on sweltering Friday, drawing lustful looks everywhere. How did we find it? Read on: Exteriors At first glance, the EcoSport feels smaller and taller thanks to its massive 200 mm ground clearance, but it sure is crafted to look like an SUV despite being less than 4 metres long. What stands out in the fascia is the monster front grille with chrome accents, a megamouth eager to devour the distances. The lines and curves are all about SUV geometry – the A pillar vees into an aerodynamic bonnet, while shoulder lines, double wheel arches, roof rails, spare wheel mounted on the tailgate and the tall-boy stance have sport utility vehicle written all over them. Fog lamps in black recesses and matte black claddings present the perfect contrast, completing a sharp-yet-rugged picture. Interiors Step inside – and it's very easy to, thanks to its seating height – and the dash feels more or less Ford Fiesta, with its mobile keypad-type central console buttons. But the plastics are not luxury SUV quality, with shutlines that could have been thinner. Guess Mission Ford is to keep the entry price really low to gobble some serious spoils. A black dash and black seats amid narrow windows means daylight area disappoints. And a 2520 mm wheelbase has helped carve out a cabin that's more hatch class. The taller seating structure, however, releases very good legroom on both rows. The seats are very comfortable with great thigh support. While bootspace is 380 litres, in the above-base variants, this can be extended to over 700 litres by folding down the backrests of the rear bench 60:40 -- which is great for utility. Among the basic equipment are tilt steering, multifunction display, music player etc, while the top-end Titanium has push-button start, media controls on the leather steering, climate control, adjustable driver seat, front fogs, keyless entry and parking sensors, front and curtain airbags, etc. Phones can be synced through Bluetooth to the media device and that's indeed nifty. You can call, choose playlists, toggle between devices and it is smart enough to make an emergency call to 108 if there is an accident and the driver is unable to do it himself. All at the push of a button on the steering wheel. Besides this, the car offers a stow tray under the front passenger seat to keep a laptop a la some of the bigger SUVs, and a host of pockets and cubbyholes for myriad utilities. The performance The 1-litre, 3-pot, direct injection Ecoboost petrol engine, believes Ford – and rightly so – will be its USP. Indian customers will be the first ones to test this award-winning technology on an SUV. Switch on the ignition and you will be surprised by the low noise, vibration and harshness levels. Driving the car was sheer  pleasure with outstanding power delivered at lower revs – it cruised at 120 kmph in the third gear and there was still some leg left;  and the mill is mated to a five-speed gearbox that slots exceedingly well. Ford will also offer two more engines, both 1.5 litres in petrol and diesel, that currently do duty in the Fiesta. The EcoSport's steering was light, spot-on with great feedback, and ride quality superb – the suspension is as good as that on the Renault Duster. The overall effect is that of a plantedness that's utterly reassuring. Well done, Ford! The company claims a mileage of almost 19 km per litre in ARAI tests, which would mean about 14-15 kmpl in real-life city driving, which puts it on a par with the Honda Amaze petrol variant. That should appeal to a lot of folks. The verdict Ford always had great cars in India, but suffered from bad pricing and positioning. The EcoSport is a fantastic offering too, its allure multiplied by the SUV feel. If Ford prices it right this time around, it has the killer app it so badly needs to rebound in India. And that would mean starting stickers of around Rs 6 lakh, which top out around Rs 10.5 lakh. With the kind of localisation that Ford has achieved, that should not be much of a problem. On our part, we will recommend the EcoSport with eyes closed. SPEC SHEET Ford EcoSport Price: Expected Rs 6 -10.5 lakh,(ex-showroom). Kitna deti hai? 18.9 kmpl in ARAI tests. Fuel tank: 52 litres Tank-up good for: Over 750 km. Engine: 999 cc EcoBoost turbo,1498 cc diesel, 1499 cc petrol manual & automatic. Max power: 125 ps @ 6000 rpm/ 91 PS at 3750 rpm /112 PS at 6300 rpm. Max torque: 170 Nm @ 1400-4500 rpm /204 Nm @ 2000-2750 rpm / 140 Nm @ 4400 rpm. Transmission: 5-speed manual with the option of a 6-speed auto in the 1499 cc petrol. Dimensions LWH in feet: 6.76/5.48/13.12. via Technology - Google News http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=t&fd=R&usg=AFQjCNHy5u-vUvKpP8-TjLJe5VgQ9_5CSA&url=http://www.dnaindia.com/money/1833088/report-dna-drive-ecosport-excels

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