Thread Starter
#1
Here's the report on how it all started.
PS - This isn’t the usual ownership report with alternate car choices and buying decisions that closed in buying the Ecosport. I had only one car in mind and that's the Ecosport. The ownership report will cover the comparison of my other garage rides which includes Swift, Vento, Verna.
Well to start off, this decision happened all too quickly. Wasn’t satisfied with the ownership cost of maruti which made me think of an alternative. Really loved the Ecosport when I saw the concept design in the Auto Expo. As with all major auto manufacturers, I knew the end product will be completely different from the concept model. But when the test vehicles started appearing online, it looked like they have followed the same design as seen in the concept. Then when the vehicle was seen in full glory, I noticed that only the headlights were different. That day I decided that this will be in my garage shortly but never expected I would make the decision soon. Even though I never had plans of upgrading to a new vehicle, I laid my eyes on the Ecosport thread and was following it up daily. Once the online review was out, not me but my wife was completely blown off. She couldn’t take her eyes off the Beauty/Beast (whichever name suits well :-)) and she wanted to see the car in person. Luckily, Cochin was selected as one place where they would display the vehicle in a private mall but unfortunately couldn’t get to see the car as I was held up in office. But got to hear some good comments from my friends who got a chance to see the car in real. All this made me inch closer towards the car. And still I haven’t decided to buy Ecosport but was interested.
Since I wasn’t serious in buying one, I decided to drop a mail to the local dealer asking the details of the Ecosport (expected price, launch date etc etc). Immediately got a call from him asking me to pre-book the Ecosport. I immediately turned down the offer and mentioned that I just want to know the details and I wont be getting the car soon. Sometime during June, I received the call from the showroom executive(SE) telling me that the urban discovery vehicle is available in the showroom. Decided to check the vehicle that evening. This was the first time am seeing one in person and I was completely amazed. The car was just perfect for me and my wife and had all the necessary goodies that I wanted (missed all in my Swift). Spent around 1 hour going through the vehicle and I felt that this should be my next car soon. He asked me to pre-book the vehicle but I told him I still haven’t decided whether I will be buying a car now. Asked him to inform me when the launch date is finalized. This is when it all started. The first thing I did was check the Ecosport thread on TAI and see if anyone had information on the price and launch date. Finally one week before the Ecosport launch, I decided to sell my swift. Asked my wife and she agreed to it. All this happened so fast that I wasn’t completely prepared for the things to come. Called up couple of guys stating that my swift was up for sale. The next day, I did manage to sell the swift for the amount that I had in mind. This happened all too quickly that my wife didn’t know that I sold the Swift.
The next obvious question in all ownership threads would be "What Car Next"? Well, in this case (maybe something first on TAI), I didn’t have any other alternative choices, no comparisons and no sorts of dilemma on choosing the next car. Ecosport, it is! Few questions still remained unanswered:
1) Realistic launch date (got tired of Ford saying "soon", "next week" etc etc)
2) Price - This was major factor as I made my mind clear that I wont buy it if it's 12L+ and I always try and choose the top variant. Even though they mentioned it wont cross 10L on road, I was bit doubtful considering the goodies that they provided.
Then came the launch date and I was completely glued to the net. As soon as they release the price, I was shocked and happy at the same time. Called my wife and told the news and we decided to book the vehicle. As I was busy in office, I couldnt book the vehicle on that day. This decision proved to be a mistake as the waiting period was too much for my liking. On 28th June, I went to showroom and saw the price list. I have attached one for reference.
The first thing was to check the price of the top model. I decided that Titanium model is well within our budget and decided to book the car. Paid 50k in advance and the vehicle was booked. Didn’t have any confusion with the color - "White". The next big question from my end was "What's the waiting period"? Without any delay, the SE told 60-90 days (something like an automated reply). Well, as always with everyone I asked him to try and deliver it quickly. Collected the payment receipt and left the showroom with a huge grin on our faces. Test drove the diesel mill for couple of kms and I was satisfied with the car. Some initial points that I noted:
1) Visible turbo lag under 2k. Something I loved in the Swift.
2) Good visibility from the driver seat.
3) Very light steering (but my wife will love it as she is still in the early days and learning how to drive)
4) Very well insulated cabin. The noise inside is almost nil.
5) Excellent AC
6) Excellent audio quality especially for an OE music setup.
7) Feature list
8) Decent boot space
and many more..
Well my wife checked only one feature - Passenger seat vanity mirror. Was even more excited when she saw the dedicated light for it. Then the SE took us to their yard for us to see the different colors. Some pics taken.
Waiting period:
This is one of the worst period of my life (yes, you read it right). Me and wife started missing our old car and was completely glued to the net watching Ecosport reviews (the only time I have seen my wife watching something that's related to automobiles). I used to message my SE every week asking for the updates and he would reply promptly stating that he would update me soon. By July mid, I got the news from him stating that I should be getting by 2nd or 3rd week of Aug. I decided to get the loan process started since that shouldn’t be a hindrance when the vehicle is ready. I also got the news that second allotment will start on Aug 5th. The good thing was that I started seeing many Ecosports being delivered daily. I used to spot atleast 2-3 new cars daily on my way to office. So deliveries were happening at a good pace and this was encouraging. Got a call on 14th Aug and he said no white Titanium available in this slot and Sea Gray is available. The expected delivery would be around the last week of Aug. Although we liked the gray, white was something that we will miss and my wife was devastated. Receives a call from him on 28th Aug saying that we will be getting the White Ecosport. That was indeed one good news and we were back to our spirits. Visited the showroom on 30th Aug to get the real picture. Expecting the vehicle to be billed in 2 days. Sept 6th - Goes to the showroom waiting to hear the same old saying "Car will dispatch in two day". Gets the answer and when I was about to leave, he calls the person who checks the dispatches. Goes inside and comes back with one huge grin, seeing that I too gave a grin expecting to hear some good news. Vehicle will reach tomo (Sept 7th) and I can take delivery on 9th or 10th. Gets the VIN number and confirms that it's Aug manufactured. He brings out a form to fill the list of accessories that I plan to take. Decided to hold the accessories as of now and he politely said that these accessories will be here always, feel free to drop in anytime to purchase them, let's focus on delivering the vehicle quickly. Delivery can happen on Monday itself after permanent reg but he insisted that I take delivery on Tues so that the PDI process goes well before delivering. That's one very well behaved SE I should say. Sept 9th - Receives a call from the SE and says that vehicle can be collected in the evening. So finally, D-day is here!
Delivery:
SE called me on 10th morning and confirmed that the car can be delivered in the evening after the permanent registration. Decided to take the day off as I couldn’t hide my excitement. We reached the showroom at 5pm, met the SE and finished all the formalities. Kairali Ford manager handed over the keys along with the gifts and we were escorted to the car. Before this, the SE explained/stated the features of the car and later on he took us to the car and showed a demo of these. The first thing I checked when the car arrived was the tyre. Sadly it was MRF. But that didn’t kill our excitement and we checked the car to see if it's perfect condition. Checked the odo and it showed 33kms and the car was in mint condition. They topped 25% of the fuel tank and we were good to go. The overall showroom experience was excellent and I wish to thank my SE Mr Alby and the showroom manager Mr Shinto. These guys know what a customer wants and always provided timely updates.
Car Delivered
My SE, Mr Alby - Nice chap
Dealer experience:
It all started with my "least interested/excited" mail to Kairali Ford sometime during the last week of May. I never expected a reply from them as I had learned that in my previous interactions with other car dealers and also they would be busy with the Ecosport launch. But to my surprise, their team leader, Mr Alby replied back in couple of mins asking for my contact number. Soon enough, I got a call from him. I asked him all the relevant questions but I also stated that I haven’t decided on buying the car soon. Sometime in June, he called me and invited me to check the urban discovery vehicle which was hidden behind the showroom. He explained all the features and wasn’t in any hurry at all. He was pretty professional and responded well whenever I contacted him.
Alternate Choices:
Other choices that I had but wasn’t considered: (didn’t TD or check out the vehicles - All decisions made from reading the TAI reviews)
1) i20 - Strictly no hatch for us again and moreover I didn’t like the new gen i20. Upgrading to another hatch from Swift wasn’t in my list so didn’t consider this.
2) Verna - My wife is against sedans for some reasons that only she can explain (big grin). Even though i liked the looks and the goodies that they offered, I didn’t want to have another Verna in my garage. The other Verna is solely my dad's ride and it's an AT version. It didn’t provide any comfort on highway runs and so it was not considered.
Since my wife didn’t want hatch and sedans, the only option left within our budget was to look at for entry level SUV's or proper SUV's.
1) Duster - Loved the boot space and the rear seats but definitely I felt it's not worth 13-15L. Also, feature list is bare minimum. No test drive taken.
2) XUV - Too big and expensive. Also, the niggles thread on **** kept me away from this vehicle although I loved the goodies offered and the space inside.
PS - This isn’t the usual ownership report with alternate car choices and buying decisions that closed in buying the Ecosport. I had only one car in mind and that's the Ecosport. The ownership report will cover the comparison of my other garage rides which includes Swift, Vento, Verna.
Well to start off, this decision happened all too quickly. Wasn’t satisfied with the ownership cost of maruti which made me think of an alternative. Really loved the Ecosport when I saw the concept design in the Auto Expo. As with all major auto manufacturers, I knew the end product will be completely different from the concept model. But when the test vehicles started appearing online, it looked like they have followed the same design as seen in the concept. Then when the vehicle was seen in full glory, I noticed that only the headlights were different. That day I decided that this will be in my garage shortly but never expected I would make the decision soon. Even though I never had plans of upgrading to a new vehicle, I laid my eyes on the Ecosport thread and was following it up daily. Once the online review was out, not me but my wife was completely blown off. She couldn’t take her eyes off the Beauty/Beast (whichever name suits well :-)) and she wanted to see the car in person. Luckily, Cochin was selected as one place where they would display the vehicle in a private mall but unfortunately couldn’t get to see the car as I was held up in office. But got to hear some good comments from my friends who got a chance to see the car in real. All this made me inch closer towards the car. And still I haven’t decided to buy Ecosport but was interested.
Since I wasn’t serious in buying one, I decided to drop a mail to the local dealer asking the details of the Ecosport (expected price, launch date etc etc). Immediately got a call from him asking me to pre-book the Ecosport. I immediately turned down the offer and mentioned that I just want to know the details and I wont be getting the car soon. Sometime during June, I received the call from the showroom executive(SE) telling me that the urban discovery vehicle is available in the showroom. Decided to check the vehicle that evening. This was the first time am seeing one in person and I was completely amazed. The car was just perfect for me and my wife and had all the necessary goodies that I wanted (missed all in my Swift). Spent around 1 hour going through the vehicle and I felt that this should be my next car soon. He asked me to pre-book the vehicle but I told him I still haven’t decided whether I will be buying a car now. Asked him to inform me when the launch date is finalized. This is when it all started. The first thing I did was check the Ecosport thread on TAI and see if anyone had information on the price and launch date. Finally one week before the Ecosport launch, I decided to sell my swift. Asked my wife and she agreed to it. All this happened so fast that I wasn’t completely prepared for the things to come. Called up couple of guys stating that my swift was up for sale. The next day, I did manage to sell the swift for the amount that I had in mind. This happened all too quickly that my wife didn’t know that I sold the Swift.
The next obvious question in all ownership threads would be "What Car Next"? Well, in this case (maybe something first on TAI), I didn’t have any other alternative choices, no comparisons and no sorts of dilemma on choosing the next car. Ecosport, it is! Few questions still remained unanswered:
1) Realistic launch date (got tired of Ford saying "soon", "next week" etc etc)
2) Price - This was major factor as I made my mind clear that I wont buy it if it's 12L+ and I always try and choose the top variant. Even though they mentioned it wont cross 10L on road, I was bit doubtful considering the goodies that they provided.
Then came the launch date and I was completely glued to the net. As soon as they release the price, I was shocked and happy at the same time. Called my wife and told the news and we decided to book the vehicle. As I was busy in office, I couldnt book the vehicle on that day. This decision proved to be a mistake as the waiting period was too much for my liking. On 28th June, I went to showroom and saw the price list. I have attached one for reference.
The first thing was to check the price of the top model. I decided that Titanium model is well within our budget and decided to book the car. Paid 50k in advance and the vehicle was booked. Didn’t have any confusion with the color - "White". The next big question from my end was "What's the waiting period"? Without any delay, the SE told 60-90 days (something like an automated reply). Well, as always with everyone I asked him to try and deliver it quickly. Collected the payment receipt and left the showroom with a huge grin on our faces. Test drove the diesel mill for couple of kms and I was satisfied with the car. Some initial points that I noted:
1) Visible turbo lag under 2k. Something I loved in the Swift.
2) Good visibility from the driver seat.
3) Very light steering (but my wife will love it as she is still in the early days and learning how to drive)
4) Very well insulated cabin. The noise inside is almost nil.
5) Excellent AC
6) Excellent audio quality especially for an OE music setup.
7) Feature list
8) Decent boot space
and many more..
Well my wife checked only one feature - Passenger seat vanity mirror. Was even more excited when she saw the dedicated light for it. Then the SE took us to their yard for us to see the different colors. Some pics taken.
Waiting period:
This is one of the worst period of my life (yes, you read it right). Me and wife started missing our old car and was completely glued to the net watching Ecosport reviews (the only time I have seen my wife watching something that's related to automobiles). I used to message my SE every week asking for the updates and he would reply promptly stating that he would update me soon. By July mid, I got the news from him stating that I should be getting by 2nd or 3rd week of Aug. I decided to get the loan process started since that shouldn’t be a hindrance when the vehicle is ready. I also got the news that second allotment will start on Aug 5th. The good thing was that I started seeing many Ecosports being delivered daily. I used to spot atleast 2-3 new cars daily on my way to office. So deliveries were happening at a good pace and this was encouraging. Got a call on 14th Aug and he said no white Titanium available in this slot and Sea Gray is available. The expected delivery would be around the last week of Aug. Although we liked the gray, white was something that we will miss and my wife was devastated. Receives a call from him on 28th Aug saying that we will be getting the White Ecosport. That was indeed one good news and we were back to our spirits. Visited the showroom on 30th Aug to get the real picture. Expecting the vehicle to be billed in 2 days. Sept 6th - Goes to the showroom waiting to hear the same old saying "Car will dispatch in two day". Gets the answer and when I was about to leave, he calls the person who checks the dispatches. Goes inside and comes back with one huge grin, seeing that I too gave a grin expecting to hear some good news. Vehicle will reach tomo (Sept 7th) and I can take delivery on 9th or 10th. Gets the VIN number and confirms that it's Aug manufactured. He brings out a form to fill the list of accessories that I plan to take. Decided to hold the accessories as of now and he politely said that these accessories will be here always, feel free to drop in anytime to purchase them, let's focus on delivering the vehicle quickly. Delivery can happen on Monday itself after permanent reg but he insisted that I take delivery on Tues so that the PDI process goes well before delivering. That's one very well behaved SE I should say. Sept 9th - Receives a call from the SE and says that vehicle can be collected in the evening. So finally, D-day is here!
Delivery:
SE called me on 10th morning and confirmed that the car can be delivered in the evening after the permanent registration. Decided to take the day off as I couldn’t hide my excitement. We reached the showroom at 5pm, met the SE and finished all the formalities. Kairali Ford manager handed over the keys along with the gifts and we were escorted to the car. Before this, the SE explained/stated the features of the car and later on he took us to the car and showed a demo of these. The first thing I checked when the car arrived was the tyre. Sadly it was MRF. But that didn’t kill our excitement and we checked the car to see if it's perfect condition. Checked the odo and it showed 33kms and the car was in mint condition. They topped 25% of the fuel tank and we were good to go. The overall showroom experience was excellent and I wish to thank my SE Mr Alby and the showroom manager Mr Shinto. These guys know what a customer wants and always provided timely updates.
Car Delivered
My SE, Mr Alby - Nice chap
Dealer experience:
It all started with my "least interested/excited" mail to Kairali Ford sometime during the last week of May. I never expected a reply from them as I had learned that in my previous interactions with other car dealers and also they would be busy with the Ecosport launch. But to my surprise, their team leader, Mr Alby replied back in couple of mins asking for my contact number. Soon enough, I got a call from him. I asked him all the relevant questions but I also stated that I haven’t decided on buying the car soon. Sometime in June, he called me and invited me to check the urban discovery vehicle which was hidden behind the showroom. He explained all the features and wasn’t in any hurry at all. He was pretty professional and responded well whenever I contacted him.
Alternate Choices:
Other choices that I had but wasn’t considered: (didn’t TD or check out the vehicles - All decisions made from reading the TAI reviews)
1) i20 - Strictly no hatch for us again and moreover I didn’t like the new gen i20. Upgrading to another hatch from Swift wasn’t in my list so didn’t consider this.
2) Verna - My wife is against sedans for some reasons that only she can explain (big grin). Even though i liked the looks and the goodies that they offered, I didn’t want to have another Verna in my garage. The other Verna is solely my dad's ride and it's an AT version. It didn’t provide any comfort on highway runs and so it was not considered.
Since my wife didn’t want hatch and sedans, the only option left within our budget was to look at for entry level SUV's or proper SUV's.
1) Duster - Loved the boot space and the rear seats but definitely I felt it's not worth 13-15L. Also, feature list is bare minimum. No test drive taken.
2) XUV - Too big and expensive. Also, the niggles thread on **** kept me away from this vehicle although I loved the goodies offered and the space inside.
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