We drive the Ford EcoSport packed with the turbo-diesel motor
SMALL IS NOW THE NEW BIG.
TIME AND SPACE are of the essence as are the needs of the people and to find a balance between the two takes quite a bit of effort and a severe rethink. Or, maybe, it just needs to merge the ideas of two different concepts into one which satisfies both sides. This was probably the base of the argument when the first little off-road-ready car for the city was created. Over the past few years, the compact crossover segment has been gaining currency globally and everyone is gunning for a piece of the pie. In India, the segment only began taking off with the Renault Duster and the more expensive Škoda Yeti and Honda CR-V, but there has been no real competition for either because of their pricing points. Now, however, Ford aim to make their presence felt in the frontdriven crossover SUV space with their exciting new EcoSport.
Over the past month or so, Ford India have given many a city a teaser of the car, showing it off in shopping malls and giving away juicy tit-bits online. Now, with the impending launch, more details are available about engine choices and features, but Ford India have been silent about the price. Given that the EcoSport sticks to the four-metre length and engine capacity limits required for extracting some more cost benefits, it will be interesting to see how Ford actually manage to price their new baby SUV.
So far as looks are concerned, Ford seem to have got it spot on. The EcoSport looks exciting with a rather aggressive front end, complete with a gaping air inteke finished in chrome. The sharp lines on the side profile carry the look towards the rear, which ends in the mounted spare wheel flanked by the angled tail-lamp clsters.
Inside, the interior, like the Fiesta’s, looks quite futuristic with the styling of the centre console reminiscent of a mobile phone keypad. Its layout and ice-blue back-light are pleasant to look at
while it also makes everything from the buttons to the dials easy to read. The steering wheel features chunky grips, though I wonder if it will be to everyone’s liking. But overall quality and levels of fitand- finish are good. The seats are nicely trimmed and offer good support as well. Long-distance comfort is also good. What is apparent about the interior design is the availability of storage space. There are several slots, nooks and crannies to store things of almost all shapes and sizes. The door pockets are large and can hold a decent-sized water bottle with ease.
The entertainment system also has a USB and Aux-in port, as is the convention these days. The front is spacious, but yet, the dark interior makes you think you’re in a tighter spot. The rear, on the other hand, is a bit tight, but for those of average height, space should not be a problem. The boot opens like a door and that is something which will be disputed for reasons of practicality. The door-handle is cleverly concealed in the right tail-lamp cluster and the soft-touch button shows that Ford have spent time on ironing out the design.
Another big plus for the EcoSport is handling. Being a Ford, we expect it to inherently offer good performance dynamics and their new baby doesn’t disappoint one bit. It feels sure-footed and stable at all speeds and, given an empty stretch of road, will hit 160 km/h with relative ease. The gearbox is slick and shifts always found their ratios when we drove it. The response from the steering and suspension set-up is confidence-inspiring and at no point does it feel out of hand. At low speeds with the clutch pedal pressed, you can also feel the steering rod move under your foot; something a few may find to be a bit of a bother. The rear parking sensors are a necessary addition as well, considering that rear visibility could be better. Being a top-end model also means that the on-board safety systems step in to ensure that anything out of hand is nipped in the bud. Except for our hard braking tests, the stability programme, ABS and EBD didn’t really need to step in, but their presence, and those of the air-bags, is reassuring indeed. The Emergency Assistance feature too is extremely useful if the need does arise. If the air-bags are deployed or if the fuel pump shuts off, the system automatically calls an emergency assistance line, even giving the location if the phone in use is GPS-enabled. One downside is the front quarter-glass, which is actually a major blind spot. But that is, by far, the only real issue on the move.
The 1.5-litre TDCi diesel engine from the Fiesta puts out 91 PS and 204 Nm of torque, but the numbers actually look lower than what the performance delivery feels like. There isn’t much
turbo-lag and even if there is, it’s only because of some early shifts which drop engine speed to below 1,500 RPM, above which the turbo is on song. The gear ratios too are good and
allow consistent acceleration and let you maintain momentum while eking out the most from your fuel as well. On the highway, the EcoSport delivered a real-world figure of 17.5 km/l. That’s not bad for a car of its size.
Overall, the EcoSport has managed to silence many critics and prove that it is indeed a worthy offering in a market new to compact, off-road-ready cars. It really is in a segment of its own,
with the pricier Renault Duster being the only competition so s far as the concept is concerned. However, Ford need to get the price right. If they manage that, they would give their credible new offering the wings it needs.
Overall, the EcoSport has managed to silence many critics and prove that it is indeed a worthy offering in a market new to compact, off-road-ready cars
Story: Jim Gorde
Photography: Sanjay Raikar
