The ‘Urbano Bestia’. My Ford Ecosport 1.5 TDCI Titanium! (30K Service Done)


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Introduction:
Off course, I am feeling breathless by realizing the fact that I am the owner of the much awaited and the hottest car of the year, my White Ecosport Titanium TDCI.
All my fellow TAI’ns please welcome our new muscular mini beast, the ‘Urbano Bestia’, meaning Urban Beast in Spanish:)

Flash back:
It’s often said that ‘You need patience to find true happiness. It’s not going to be fast and it won’t come easy, but it will be worth it’. And I am thoroughly happy with my purchase, for being patient with my dealer and waiting for the Urbano Bestia (hereafter UB) right since I booked it on 13th June. Well, yes there’s a long story and lot of angry days after that. Each passing day was becoming difficult to maneuver as we had sold off our Dzire VDI in the month of June 2013.

Alright here begins the Journey of my Ecosport…
Initially I had booked the Ecosport AT Titanium version based on my usage pattern of roughly around 1000kms a month. I was assured delivery in the month of August 2013 as I was the first customer in Belgaum to have booked the AT variant and 3rd in overall booking sequence. Since then the follow up started with my dealer M/s Patson Motors, Belgaum and each day passed on with agony and aggression whenever I see a brand new Ecosport delivered to other customers.

How I lost the ship? Well, as I had booked the AT variant, Ford messed up real time with the deliveries of their 1.5P AT and one fine day the Regional Sales Manager from Ford had arrived at Patson Motors. My sales adviser arranged a short meeting with him upon special request and to my shock the RSM laid me the fact that they cannot deliver the AT variant at least before September, so ultimately it was October and could stretch to November. Now since I had already traded my Dzire, I had no option but to cancel the AT booking and switch to Diesel Titanium (O) as I was absolutely impatient and was in desperate need of the Ecosport. The sales adviser assured me delivery of the 1.5TDCI Tit (O) in the month of August and I happily agreed on the 25th of July 2013.

Here comes another tragedy, the follow up was in full swing and I had truly stolen the sleep of my sales adviser with 3 to 4 calls - 5 to 10 messages a day. Finally he had got info that Ford has billed him one Diamond White Titanium TDCI on 15th of August and offered me If I wish to go for it, the vehicle can be delivered by the 20th of August. Thought for an hour and also considered the fact that as per SA, Ford is not in a mood to bill the Titanium (O) model anytime soon. So listed out the merits/demerits of Titanium/ Titanium (O) and decided to go with Titanium. Finally the UB arrived on 19th of August at the dealer stock yard and was delivered on 20th of August 2013.

The contenders:
The vehicle segment was already decided and it had to be a compact SUV this time as we were not happy with the ground clearance of the sedans available in the market today. There was no budget set as such but we were looking for a car which must be cheap to maintain, reliable and if possible at a price south of 20Lakhs.

Contender no 1: Renault Duster 110 RXZ:
The Duster has its own trump card which falls quite heavy on Ecosport and that is the ride Quality. It takes on any kind of surface with ease and smoothly without upsetting the overall composure. The Ecosport suspension is a bit stiff comparatively. Apart from the ride and space, there is nothing that the Duster can beat Ecosport. No offense to any Duster or XUV owners and its purely my perspective.

Rejected Duster for the following reasons compared to Ecosport:

  • Pricing- The top end duster costs roughly 2 to 2.5 lakhs more than the top end Ecosport.
  • Interiors- the Ecosport’s cabin is leagues ahead of the dusters with high insulation and quality interior materials used.
  • Features: The Ecosport is loaded with the endless list of features which the Duster lacks.
  • Overall build quality- No doubt the Ford is the tough one here. Right from the body panels to the windshield glass, the Ecosport is well built.
  • Service network and poor track record: The Renault has around 100 dealership across India while the Ford has around 200+.
Contender no2: Mahindra XUV 5OO W8:
I did check out the XUV 5OO W8 variant and was blown away by its features. The XUV 5OO W8 is a feature rich car with all the safety features, leather seats, navigation, etc just to name a few!

Rejected XUV 5OO for the following reasons.

  • Reliability: Was worried about the niggling issues that crop up with almost all the XUV’s after few thousand Kms. No offence to any XUV or Duster owners here, it’s just my perspective.
  • Size: The vehicle is one size larger compared to Ecosport, so not city friendly.
  • Exclusivity: The XUV now-a-days is too common on roads and there’s no special feeling as that of Ecosport.
  • Price: It’s not fair to compare XUV5OO to Ecosport as it’s a segment above than Ecosport, but still it does cost around 6+ Lakhs more than the Ecosport.
  • Seating capacity: We never needed a seven seat SUV as our family comprises of just 4 adults and one 8 months old toddler. Did not even consider the Premier Rio as I felt there’s a lot of room left for improvements overall. The Scorpio is an old work horse, reliable but not fresh in today’s world. The Safari Storme still left me wanted for a lot of features, but is a beast to own.

Dealership Experience:
The vehicle was booked at M/s Patson Motors, Belgaum. Overall I would rate the dealership experience 7 on a scale of 10. At times they were just too busy to attend me, and that is still understandable given the demand and interest the Ecosport has created among the masses. On the flip side, the sales advisor Mr Shivshankar at Patson Motors did really tolerate me a lot and helped me to some extent to deliver my Ecosport on the day I needed and it was on the 20th of August.

The cost breakup:

  • Ex Showroom Titanium 1.5d TDCI: Rs 877314/
  • Insurance (From dealer): Rs34209/-
  • RTO: Rs 136772/-
  • Other charges (Roadside assistance+ 3rd year extended warranty+ registration charges): Rs 26,610/-
  • Accessories: Rs 47600/-
  • Tyre swap costs: Swapped the OE Goodyear assurance to Bridgestone MY02, same size. Paid Rs 14000/- for 4 tyres + my OE 4 Goodyear’s.
  • Upgraded the headlamp bulbs with ‘’Philips Extreme vision’’ H4 60/55W for Rs 1200/ pair. Total: Rs 1137705/-

Accessories:

  • Front bumper appliqué.
  • Neck rest cushion.
  • Window weather shield.
  • Garware sun-film, recommended by Ford and RTO.
  • Spare wheel cover.
  • Art leather seat covers. Got them outside.
  • Sporty pedal set.( To be installed yet, out of stock at the dealer)
  • Interior Ambient lighting.( To be installed yet, out of stock at the dealer)
  • Illuminated scuff plates.( To be installed yet, out of stock at the dealer)
  • Anti rust coating.
  • Interior lamps replaced with white LED in place of the OE yellow bulbs (Front and back). Got them outside.
Received zero discount from the dealer instead I made my SA happy with a small gift…LOL[clap]

Coming back to the UB...
Exteriors: There’s enough said and done about its looks. Sharp, muscular and modern are the three words that come to your mind when you see the Ecosport. The wrap around headlamps and the large hexagonal front grill do add a lot of character to it. Having used Dzire for the last 4 years, I find the Ecosport build quality to be really impressive and tough. The vehicle is definitely heavy and the doors need extra effort to open and close.

Interiors:
Step in the Ecosport you will be greeted by a modern and techie dashboard with loads of features. I find the interiors absolutely spot on with no ergonomic faults ET all. All the switches and vents fall in hand easily.

The seat height and Steering adjust are a boon to find the right driving position just within a couple of minutes. Ingress and egress is superb, you just walk inside of the Ecosport in a normal way as though you are sitting on a regular chair.

The Sync features do work great except while calling out contact names. There’s a learning curve to it and we need to learn what kind of accent and pronunciation the Sync system understands. There is one segment first feature again; the driver side window glass has an Anti pinch feature. If someone accidentally keeps his hand on the glass while rolling up, the sensor cut’s off the glass roll.

Engine Performance:
As per my recent long trip to Mumbai in the UB, I can say that the vehicle is still under run-in period and hence haven’t pushed it beyond 110Kmph and 2200rpm. So far I have clocked 2400kms and the mileage I am getting at the moment is around 14.5kmpl under mixed situations in ratio of 70% Highway drive and 30% city.

The engine has enough pulling power right from the first gear, but it does feel a ‘bit’ sluggish with A/C on, mind you it never feels underpowered though. There is still lot of juice left when 100kmph is reached and should start giving away post 170kmph or so. Overall this is a super highway cruiser and can cruise happily all day along within the range of 100 to 140kmph.

Stability and comfort:
I can confidently say that whoever toppled the Ecosport during test drive is a complete amateur or a person sent by the competitor company to topple it intentionally. I have taken medium to sharp bends in the Ecosport with speeds of 60 to 75kmph and it feels glued to the road.

The ride is on the stiffer side but it smoothens out as the speed increases. Minor undulations or small irregularities on the road surface will not be known and it’s only the larger ones which feel and make way into the cabin but do not throw you around. Most of the times the passengers are well cocooned and comfortable with the ‘’powerful’’auto AC.

Some points that I missed or didn’t like about the Ecosport:

  • No auto folding mirrors.
  • The ride should have been more pliant and supple.
  • This vehicle is capable of handling more power factoring the way it’s built and a more tweaked engine with 120 to 130bhp power would have made it a pocket rocket.
  • No rear disk brakes.
  • Accessories are way to steeply priced.
  • Careless and Arrogant dealer attitude
Things I loved about the Ecosport:

  • Excellent and VFM all round package.
  • Class leading NVH levels due to excessive sound deadening materials and overall construction.
  • Modern and futuristic design lines which literally turns 90% of the heads on the street.
  • Thoughtful interiors and better space utilization with tons of cubby holes and bottle holders.
  • Segment first lane change indicator.
  • Segment first Emergency assist system, which is again a life saving feature.
  • Sound system and system adjustments are provided in depth. You can change the bass, treble, and host of other music settings plus other vehicle settings like emergency assist on/off, chime tones, emergency assist on/off, auto speed volume compensation, etc.
  • The reverse parking sensors do their job extremely well. I don’t feel the necessity to upgrade to a rear view camera.
  • Sync, the most talked about feature does understand basic commands like Phone, USB, next track, play, etc with ease but it does mess up while calling out contact names.
  • Nifty bag hooks in the boot and on grab handles help hook up your suit or other small bags. Again happy going with Titanium as the grab handles are not available in Titanium (O).
  • Efficient yet powerful engine with good low and mid range. Haven’t tested the engine response at speeds north of 100 as its still under run in period.
  • Excellent braking and stops the tank with minimal effort without any fuss!
Overall I am thoroughly satisfied with my UB and hope he continues to delight me going ahead!

Now its time for the pics. Here you go...
 

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Re: The ‘Urbano Bestia’, my Ecosport 1.5TDCI Titanium!

Ohh buddy Congrats on your ES you look eager to grab those keys. Happy miles ahead.
 
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Re: The ‘Urbano Bestia’, my Ecosport 1.5TDCI Titanium!

Congratulations on the Ecosport. I have to learn on following up with my SA from you, I barely call once in 2 weeks regarding my Titanium (o) booking. Wish you a happy ownership period with your new car. Drive safe!
 
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Re: The ‘Urbano Bestia’, my Ecosport 1.5TDCI Titanium!

Boss excellent detailed and passionate review buddy .

Congrats and wish you happy million miles with the mini beast .

Rating your thread 5* for the detailed , passionate review .

Hope you update the thread very often .
 
Thread Starter #5
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Re: The ‘Urbano Bestia’. My Ford Ecosport 1.5 TDCI Titanium!

Thank you everyone for your good wishes! Will keep this thread active with all the movements and progress of my UB. Today the vehicle has gone for its first service. Will update in the evening when it comes home.
 
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Re: The ‘Urbano Bestia’. My Ford Ecosport 1.5 TDCI Titanium!

congratulations mate, finally on your hands.Enjoy the ride and keep updating your bestia's ownership.
 
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Re: The ‘Urbano Bestia’. My Ford Ecosport 1.5 TDCI Titanium!

Congratulations bro.. hope you enjoying the drive. :-)
Even I have purchased it from same dealer (Patson Ford, belgaum). SA malik..
The dealer delivered it in just 30day of booking, as he promised at the time of booking. Hats off to my SA. :-)
I opted accessory are front fog lamp(as its a trend varient), seat covers(Titanium(o) like), parking sensors, Sporty pedal . Total accessory cost about 20k.
What was your waiting period and when you you booked it?
I am coming belgaum next week for 1st service :-)
 
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Re: The ‘Urbano Bestia’. My Ford Ecosport 1.5 TDCI Titanium!

Congrats[clap]. Since you swapped goodyear tyres with Bridgestone. Do you feel any noticeable improvement? . What is your normal gear shifting RPM range since 14.5 Kmpl felt a bit low for diesel . Drive safe[:)]
 
Thread Starter #9
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Re: The ‘Urbano Bestia’. My Ford Ecosport 1.5 TDCI Titanium!

congratulations mate, finally on your hands.Enjoy the ride and keep updating your bestia's ownership.
Thank you buddy! Will definitely keep this thread updated and active as long as it demands[;)]

Congratulations bro.. hope you enjoying the drive. :-)
Even I have purchased it from same dealer (Patson Ford, belgaum). SA malik..
The dealer delivered it in just 30day of booking, as he promised at the time of booking. Hats off to my SA. :-)
I opted accessory are front fog lamp(as its a trend varient), seat covers(Titanium(o) like), parking sensors, Sporty pedal . Total accessory cost about 20k.
What was your waiting period and when you you booked it?
I am coming belgaum next week for 1st service :-)
That's excellent and you are really lucky to have got the car delivered within the shortest span, congratulations! I think Patson Motors has got enough allocations for Trend and Ambiente and even today I saw a few of these in their stockyard which I have been seeing from past few weeks. I had booked on June13th and got it delivered on Aug 20th, so approx 2+months of wait for the UB!

Congrats[clap]. Since you swapped goodyear tyres with Bridgestone. Do you feel any noticeable improvement? . What is your normal gear shifting RPM range since 14.5 Kmpl felt a bit low for diesel . Drive safe[:)]
Yes as per my initial drive of around 100kms on the goodyear's the road noise was a bit more and I used to hear some screeching noise during sharp turns at speeds around 40 to 50kmph. These two thing have vanished with Bridgestone's and the braking too has improved a bit with the later one's.
 
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Re: The ‘Urbano Bestia’. My Ford Ecosport 1.5 TDCI Titanium!

congrats vj roadie for your ES.

looks like you are quiet a tallboy yourself.

how has been the seating ? comfortable in the sense of knees touching the steering etc.
 
Thread Starter #11
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Re: The ‘Urbano Bestia’. My Ford Ecosport 1.5 TDCI Titanium!

Congrats[clap]. Since you swapped goodyear tyres with Bridgestone. Do you feel any noticeable improvement? . What is your normal gear shifting RPM range since 14.5 Kmpl felt a bit low for diesel . Drive safe[:)]
Sorry I missed your second question in my last reply. Yes, the mileage I am getting is around 14.5 to 15 max, and I shift gears in the range of 1500 to 2000 rpm, but do not exceed 2000rpm. I did consult my Sa and few other owners and this the real figure which we get prior to first service. AFter that it should return around 16kmpl and post 2nd service/10,000kms, it should reach 19 to 20kmpl.

congrats vj roadie for your ES.

looks like you are quiet a tallboy yourself.

how has been the seating ? comfortable in the sense of knees touching the steering etc.
Thank you @Superbad. The seating is really comfortable for me, and trust me on this. I am 6'2" and till date I have never faced any issue with the dash or steering touching my knees. The seat height adjust and adjustable steering colom plays a crucial role here. Its simply comfortable once you setup for your driving position.
 
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Re: The ‘Urbano Bestia’. My Ford Ecosport 1.5 TDCI Titanium!

Yes as per my initial drive of around 100kms on the goodyear's the road noise was a bit more and I used to hear some screeching noise during sharp turns at speeds around 40 to 50kmph. These two thing have vanished with Bridgestone's and the braking too has improved a bit with the later one's.
Sorry I missed your second question in my last reply. Yes, the mileage I am getting is around 14.5 to 15 max, and I shift gears in the range of 1500 to 2000 rpm, but do not exceed 2000rpm. I did consult my Sa and few other owners and this the real figure which we get prior to first service. AFter that it should return around 16kmpl and post 2nd service/10,000kms, it should reach 19 to 20kmpl.
Thanks. Even i too thought of swapping tyres but not now , may be after 10-15k kms. Even we are getting around 12 to 15Kmpl in city and upto 20Kmpl on highway with average spirited driving . Hope the FE improves after service and engine bed in.
 
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Re: The ‘Urbano Bestia’. My Ford Ecosport 1.5 TDCI Titanium!

@Vjroadie, where is the switch/button for boot lamp?
how to switch it on?


I really checked it everywhere, but I didn't get it.
 
Thread Starter #14
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Re: The ‘Urbano Bestia’. My Ford Ecosport 1.5 TDCI Titanium!

@Vjroadie, where is the switch/button for boot lamp?
how to switch it on?
image

I really checked it everywhere, but I didn't get it.
It switches on as soon as you open the boot. You cannot manually switch on or off the boot light. At-least this is what I know, correct me if I am missing anything[:)]
 
Thread Starter #15
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Re: The ‘Urbano Bestia’. My Ford Ecosport 1.5 TDCI Titanium!

First service update:
First service performed at 2470kms. It is to be done at 2500kms or 1month. Whichever is earlier.
Nothing much was carried out and it was moreover a inspection of all the bolts, fluids, engine oil top-up. Charges Rs 0/- (Rs zero). Was a bit surprised to see zero cost and UN-surprisingly was happy with it. Hope Ford does delight me always in all the future service bills [:D]
 

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