Exterior Design and Features of the all-new Ford EcoSport

The new Ford EcoSport has been smartly overhauled from the front. The compact SUV now comes with a bold and chunky trapezoidal grille which has been moved up and the blue oval logo of the company sits right at the centre of this grille. Earlier the logo used to sit right on the tip of the bonnet. From the makers of the iconic Mustang you can always expect a smart job and the new Ford EcoSport is a testimony to that. 

The new Ford EcoSport has a new set of headlamps with LED Daytime Running Lights (DRLs). The headlamp has projector lenses with the traditional halogen bulbs inside. Maybe down the line, we can expect that to be replaced by the more modern Xenon bulbs. The headlamps are bigger than what was in the outgoing model. The fog lamps too have become bold and big, Apart from the refreshed front, the rest of the vehicle remains same in terms of its design element.

Ford India has not tinkered with the rear looks of the vehicle. Many customers may have given a thumbs up to the spare wheel mounted on the tail gate. The antenna has also been mounted at the rear of the vehicle from its earlier position which was in front. Knowing how people like stealing small things from a parked vehicle, one can easily unscrew it and put it in the vehicle. Once it is unscrewed, you can also put your car cover on it with great ease. For the Titanium + top end petrol variant that we drove, the company is now offering smart 17 inches alloy wheels. This means better control and a more aggressive stance. 

Interior Design and Features of the all-new Ford EcoSport

The interiors have been revamped big time in this new Ford EcoSport. The moment you step in, you will be surprised by its chic element. The black leather-stitched seats with its white lining make the car look upmarket. The seats, both in the front and rear have become a lot more comfortable with great under thigh support as well as lumbar support. The steering wheel is a lot softer to feel and very sporty in its looks. The plastics and other materials used inside are of good quality.

There are oodles of storage spaces in the car. The rear seat now comes with an arm rest that also has space for mugs and small bottles. There are 25 smart stowage spaces. There is space in the glove compartment, space just above that to keep your mobile phone etc,  space under the co-passenger seat in front, space inside the front arm rest, space on the door panels with surprisingly deep cavities to store a lot of things, and last but not least, a very ingenious boot space. Ford India calls it adjustable cargo management.

The boot space offers an adjustable floorboard which can be mounted on two designated slots which enables you to split the boot into different compartments to store things like your laptop or a briefcase loaded with your valuables when you step out of the vehicle for some work. The floorboard is tough enough to endure all kinds of heavy baggage. The boot space is around 352 litres and once the rear seats are folded it can increase to 1178 litres.

The moment you are seated in the driver’s seat in the Titanium + variant of the new Ford EcoSport, you are kind of impressed by the smart, revamped dashboard. Now we have an 8 inch floating touch screen and a smart instrument cluster. The analog speedometer, tachometer and a couple of other dials had brightly lit needle tips that gave the panel an upmarket feel. I was a tad disappointed with the TFT screen in the instrument cluster where the digital information looked a bit hazy.

As for the 8 inch touch screen, it is very upmarket, I was impressed by the user-centric interior design of the cabin, especially with the placement of the knobs, controls and the 8 inch screen. The touchscreen, I felt was placed so perfectly to the driver’s line of sight.

The centrally located media bin can easily accommodate a big sized smart phone and one can also make use of the two illuminated USB ports.

The new Sync 3 infotainment system in the car allows one to control not just the entertainment but even the aircon, the connected smartphone, all with voice commands. The system is also compatible to Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

Rain sensing wipers and automatic headlamps make up the other exciting features of the all new Ford EcoSport.  The vehicle also comes with reverse parking camera. The moment the car starts the reverse parking camera is activated and you get to see the rear view on the 8-inch screen which switches off as the car goes beyond the 15kmph speed. This is a fascinating safety element, besides of course features like the six air bags, ABS, Traction Control, etc.

Engine and Performance of the all-new Ford EcoSport

The all-new Ford EcoSport has got a new petrol engine. It’s a 1.5 litre Ti-VCT engine which is smaller, lighter and more efficient than the previous generation. The 3-cylinder engine produces 121.27hp and a peak torque of 150Nom. The performance is similar to the Ford 1 litre EcoBoost turbocharged engine. Obviously the company felt that a 1 litre tag is not going down too well with customers and hence has put that engine on hold.

This new 1.5 litre engine is not turbocharged and is mated to an all-new six-speed automatic transmission. Now that is where all the excitement comes in. With the key fob tucked away, you can start the engine with the press of a button. There is a “D” mode as well as an “S” mode in the vehicle and also paddle shifters, a segment first. In the D mode, I felt the engine was very sluggish on the take, especially when I tried pushing it. But I guess the mode is perfect for those looking for more fuel efficiency. But in the S mode, the vehicle is an entirely different beast. The engine calibration is at its best here as the power delivery gets so linear and powerful as we step on the accelerator. More importantly, the engine sounds so purposeful that you feel its punchy character. Automatic gear changes are unfortunately not reflected on the tiny TFT screen in the instrument cluster. It’s only when you start using the paddle shifters that you get to see the gear positions on the tiny screen.

The winding roads, the long straight stretches and even those odd patches of rugged land did not upset the vehicle. The steering is light initially but as the vehicle gathers speed, you can feel it getting a lot more purposeful. The suspension is a fine balance between the stiff and pliant, which means that even on uneven and rugged surfaces you do not get tossed around like a ship in a storm. Body roll, is minimal and controlled. As for ride and handling, the vehicle comes out as a perfect embodiment of good engineering.

Verdict

The Titanium + petrol Ford EcoSport compact SUV offers a perfect blend of practicality and performance. As for the comfort and ride qualities, it’s at par with some of the cars in the higher segments. The new automatic transmission delivers a brilliant performance as the engine is more than willing to slip into an aggressive mode as you shift the gear from D to S. Paddle shifts allows you to thrash the car around a bit. .