My Cute Devil "Argento" Comes Home - Moondust Silver Ecosport 1.5D Trend


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Car: Ecosport 1.5 Lt TDCI, Trend variant
Cost: On road cost 9.14 L (Including 2 years extended warranty, Zero dep. Insurance from dealer, Scuff plates and 3M Under body coating)
Dealer: Rock city Ford, Tiruchirappalli, Tamilnadu
Booking Date: 15.07.2013
Delivery date: 14.08.2013


When I first saw the pictures of Ford unveiling Ecosport in Auto expo 2012 I was really disappointed. I was like what is this? A sub 4 mtr tall hatch on steroid. Huh, I will never buy this type of car in near future. Then I almost decided on Ertiga. I was hell bent on buying the Ertiga. Many arguments took place with my wife. My wife was totally against Ertiga. She used to tell “eh we don’t want a big people mover. We are only three. Just go for a proper sedan or premium hatch”. But my mind and heart were fixed at Ertiga. To know about people’s response and feedback on Ertiga I joined TAI [:)] and I was extensively following all the ertiga related threads and made so many queries to the actual owners as well as TAI experts. And one fine day I decided to take a TD of Ertiga. Friends you will not believe, only one TD and it simply erased all the feelings I had about Ertiga in my heart and mind. I came to my wife and told her “this car is not for me”. She was damn happy.

Reason why I ditched Ertiga:

Actually I liked everything in Ertiga except one which is very very important to me i.e. driving position. When I was driving the Ertiga it felt like I was driving a big Van and immediately decided “No I can’t drive a Van daily”. No offence to Ertiga owners.

How I Decided on Ecosport:

In the mean time Ford launched the Ecosport on 26th June’2013. On 27th June I went to my local Ford dealer to have a look at the car. Dealer had a White color 1.5D Titanium Ecosport. When I first looked at the car I just fell on my knees. God I want this car right now. I could not believe that, this same car was unveiled at the 2012 auto expo. Then I sat in the driver’s sit. Wow what a nice driving position and it felt like a solid and heavy car. Then I asked the dealer about the on road cost of the car and my mind started doing all the financial calculations. So without TD, without any second thought I decided “I am going to buy this car”. Then I came home and next day took my wife to dealer. I told her “see I am going to buy this car”. She told me “are you crazy? What will happen to our present car Manza?” I simply told “I don’t know. But I am going to buy this car”. She told “ok, do whatever you want” and I know this is the most dangerous statement from our better halves. So I decided to pamper her to the extreme level and I succeeded. Finally got green signal from my wife. Immediately rushed to dealer and booked the Car by paying Rs.50k.

After continuous follow up and regular visit to the dealer, finally the D-day came on 14.08.2013. Went to dealer along with my family and took delivery of my cute devil “Argento” at 12 noon. My daughter was really happy after seeing “Argento”.

Initial experience with my cute devil “Argento”

So far I have driven around 400 KM and below are the points I want to share:

Look, Build quality, fit and finish:

A real attention grabber. No doubt about this. Build quality is good. The car feels solid and sturdy. The doors are real heavy and it feels good. People who are checking my car say the doors are like vault. Interior plastic quality and fit and finish are average. You can’t compare this with Hyundai. That is in different league. You can see some rough edges of plastic panels inside the cabin. But I must say this is far better than TATA and Mahindra.

The fit and finish of outer side plastic cladding is below average. Ford must do something to make it neat and smooth.

Engine, Gear box and Braking

The 1.5 Lt. TDCI engine is smooth and silent. At cruising speed this engine is super silent. Better than my earlier car Manza’s safire engine. Torque delivery of this engine is linear. There is no sudden surge / turbo kick from this engine. If you like sudden turbo kick, this engine is not for you. It is not like our famous national engine 1.3 Lt MJD/DDIS/Quadrjet whatever you call. I know this engine has a huge fan base in India. But I am not comfortable with this national engine.

The linear and predictable power delivery of 1.5 Lt TDCI engine makes this engine easy to drive and control. A really good diesel motor for city as well as for highway. No doubt about this. This same engine is also available in new Fiesta. But behaviour of both the cars is different. In fiesta you can feel the turbo kick. But in ecosport it is linear and smooth. May be gearing is different in both the cars.

The ecosport gear box is smooth and slick. All the gears slot nicely except third. While shifting from 2nd to 3rd you need some attention. Otherwise it is a nice gearbox. Far better than the Ertiga and I20 and million times better than my earlier car Manza. But it can’t compete with VW/Skoda gearbox. Those are in different league.

Braking is one area where I want Ford to focus. Ecosport braking is good and sharp. But it seems to be hard compared to Manza’s braking. And there is no progressiveness in the braking. Manza’s braking has a nice progressive feel.

Driving position & Steering:

Driving position is damn good and spot on. You can see the surrounding of the car from the drivers sit without any problem.

Steering is nice to hold and operate. Really smooth for city use. No complaint. And it weighs up nicely as speed increases. Yes it is not like the new fiesta which is direct and gives awesome feedback. Fiesta steering is like point and shoot. But I am not saying that Ecosport steering is bad. It is really good for city as well as highway. You will not lose confidence while doing highway speed. I have extensively driven my friends I20. Ecosport steering is far better than I20.
If I compare my earlier car Manza’s steering with ES, it will be like comparing apple with orange. Manza needs constant attention after 80 kmph and its steering becomes super light at 100kmph. Whereas ecosports steering weighs up nicely with speed.

Ride and handling:

Now this is one area which surprises me whenever I drive my ecosport. Most of the people complain about stiff suspension of ecosport. Initially I was also sceptical about the ride quality of this car. But I must say Ecosport ride quality is superb at highway speed (better than my earlier car Manza). Yesterday I made a short trip to Thanjavur Temple and ride on the highway was simply awesome. No complaint from back sitters also (my wife and my mom). In city area if you are in hurry you can feel some bumps. Otherwise it is ok for city speed. Handling is really good. You will not feel that you are driving a high CG compact SUV. But remember don’t make any mistake to take sharp turns at high speed. This car does not like high speed sharp turns. Yesterday when I tried to take a turn at 50 – 55 kmph which I used to take at @ 50 in my Manza, made the car little nervous. So beware, don’t treat this car like low slung sedan / hatch. Just stay in this car’s limit and you will be awarded with a smooth and comfortable ride.

Seating & space:

This car is strictly 4 seater. No doubt about this. If somebody says that 3 persons can seat at back seat I will not believe. Because even my 7 year old daughter needs to squeeze herself between my mom and wife at the back seat. And my mom and wife are average built. So if anyone is planning to use this car for 5 adults please rethink.

Front seats are really good and have good supports but smaller than Manza’s seat. Rear seat reclining is good and leg room is surprisingly good for this compact car.

YES I miss my Manza’s space.

Headlamp

This is one area where I miss Manza’s headlamps. Upgrading the headlamps is must. Ecosport headlights are sufficient only if you are driving alone on the highway. If other vehicles come from opposite or rear it becomes really difficult to see the front of the car.

Milage:

So far I have driven around 330 km, roughly I did some calculation and it seems I am getting 20+ kmpl with 100% AC on. Superb figure for a car like this.

AC

Ac is really good. Better than my Manza. Now my wife is complaining that it cools too much

I know without pictures a review is incomplete. But due to my busy schedule i could not able to take pictures. :sorry: . Hope tomorrow i will get some nice snaps.

Friends, here is my Ecosport 5000 km update
 
Last edited:
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@DJD

Excellent ownership review buddy and the FE is quite impressive. Yes without pics it is incomplete man and you have already driven it for 300+ km.

Please tell me your experience in rear seat ride quality if possible.

What was the onroad price
 
Thread Starter #3
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@DJD

Excellent ownership review buddy and the FE is quite impressive. Yes without pics it is incomplete man and you have already driven it for 300+ km.

Please tell me your experience in rear seat ride quality if possible.

What was the onroad price
Thank you Gurrala Sir. All your questions have been answered in my report. Please go through from the top [:)]
 
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Sorry, I did not see that on road price due to the enthusiasm to read the report further.

I read about your review on rear seats in city. I felt the ride was bit stiff in city roads when you negotiate path holes and speed breakers that is why I have asked you on that. I want your experience in the rear seat in city conditions
 
Thread Starter #5
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You are right. In city area if you are in hurry, you will feel the bumps. Otherwise no complaints from my rear passengers (my mom and my wife). In highway it's simply superb. My rear passengers says it is smoother and more comfortable than our earlier car Manza.
 
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Congrats DJD. Yours has to be the shortest waiting period - you booked so late and already got delivery; whereas some of guys who have booked pre-launch in Bangalore are still awaiting delivery.

Your decision to switch from Ertiga shows that Ecosport is making a killing in various segments - ranging from high end hatches, mid size sedans and even MUVs.

Yours is the first report that mentions about hard braking in Ecosport. I also felt the same, but I thought that it is because my current car is Maruti800 with it's non-servo brakes. This hard braking is something that I need to get used to esp. in a city like Bangalore, where 2 wheelers trail cars without maintaining safe braking distance. I really don't want to get rear ended due to my own car hard braking.

One question about rear seats - when driving at slow speed over city potholes, do rear passengers only feel a vertical movment (bumps) or do they feel significant sideways, horizontal movement too (rolling movement) ?

Have you felt the need for rear camera or rear sensors yet in tight city parking ?

Wish your car gives you years of joy and trouble free ride.
 
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Congrats on you little monster. I am surprised to see your comment Ertiga's driving position as a van? Realy arguable comment. And how tall are you? The riding postion of ertiga is like a sedan like SX4. I felt confidence in driving ertiga than my old figo and my other car Chevy optra. Ertigian's any comment on this?
 
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Congrats DJD. Yours has to be the shortest waiting period - you booked so late and already got delivery; whereas some of guys who have booked pre-launch in Bangalore are still awaiting delivery.
.
thank you Bopanna for your wishes.

The braking of ecosport is really hard compared to my earlier car Manza. Also it is sharp. You need to push the brake padel with care. Otherwise the car will stop immediately. Also i am missing the progressiveness of Manza's braking.

In city area if you drive hurriedly, you will feel the bumps and potholes. Otherwise it is ok. One thing i can assure you that there is no rolling movement.

Rear visibility of ecosport is poor. But if you are used to the side ORVMs then no problem. If the parking spot is well lighted there is no issue in parking. Otherwise in dark parking spot it is really difficult to park the car. So for safer side you can go for the parking sensors.


Congrats on you little monster. I am surprised to see your comment Ertiga's driving position as a van? Realy arguable comment. And how tall are you? The riding postion of ertiga is like a sedan like SX4. I felt confidence in driving ertiga than my old figo and my other car Chevy optra. Ertigian's any comment on this?
Thank you Kinky.

By saying van i am not referring to something like Maruti omni. I would say there was no sportiness in the eartiga's driving position. The feeling was like driving a big people mover. I have not driven SX4. So i can't comment on SX4's driving position. Anyway these are my views. it may differ from person to person [:)]
 
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Congrats on you little monster. I am surprised to see your comment Ertiga's driving position as a van? Realy arguable comment. And how tall are you? The riding postion of ertiga is like a sedan like SX4. I felt confidence in driving ertiga than my old figo and my other car Chevy optra. Ertigian's any comment on this?
Completly agree with you, the driving dynamics of Ertiga is simply superb, I love the high driving position and all round visibility, wonder how he felt it as a Van, if Ertiga is a van then Swift is also a van? [roll]
 
Thread Starter #13
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Thanks DJD for the nice Ownership Review. Well I think in Excitement you miss spelled Ecosport Congrats once again for your new ride.
Thank you for pointing out the mistake [:)] and thans again for your wishes.

Congrats on your new buy and nice review too

Pour in Some Pictures

Happy Miles Ahead[clap]
Thank you vishnu. I will definitely post some pictures

Congrats for your little Monster, wishing you many happy miles with it.
thanks buddy. Regarding driving position of Ertiga it was my view. No offence. I have driven swift and it is superb. But I dint get the same feeling while driving the Ertiga.
 

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