Today, Ford India has given its bestselling car EcoSport a mild facelift at a starting price of Rs. 6.79 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi) for the entry level petrol variant. As said earlier, it’s a mild facelift that comes with minor cosmetic enhancement along with some add-on features. The highlighting point of new EcoSport is a bigger 1.5 TDCi diesel engine under the hood. This is a great move by American car maker to cash in the upcoming festive season in the country. The new EcoSport is Ford’s third launch in last two month after Figo Aspire and new Figo hatchback.
Price:
The Price difference between the ongoing and new EcoSport is approx around 4K to 20K. The base model of the updated model starts at Rs. 6.79 lakh as compared to Rs. 6.75 lakh. The diesel variant now costs at Rs. 7.98 lakh for the base and Rs. 10.44 for the Titanium+ trim. The Titanium AT is now available for Rs. 9.93 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi).
Engine details:
Moving to the power trains of the new EcoSport which continue to get power from three engine options- The award winning 1.0-litre three-cylinder EcoBoost and 1.5-litre Ti-VCT petrol mills remain unchanged and delivers same amount of power and torque of the ongoing model
However, the 1.5-litre TDCi diesel mill has been re-tuned to deliver 98.6bhp of max power and 205Nm of torque, as compared to 91PS and 204Nm of the outgoing model. The transmission options also remain untouched; a five-speed manual and six-speed dual clutch powershift automatic gearbox is carried forward.
The fuel efficiency of the diesel engine has been tweaked; it now delivers 22.67 Kmpl as compared to 22.27 Kmpl.
Exterior and Interior:
Ford has not made any alterations to the successful design of EcoSport albeit with few cosmetic enrichments like the new EcoSport now gets automatic headlamps with signature light guide function, silver painted roof rails, rain sensing wipers, front chrome grille, LED daytime running lights on Fog lamp housing. All these features are offered as aftermarket products by the dealers but now it is available as standard. Side and profile is a Xerox of the current GEN model while the tailgate mounted spare wheel continues to feature in the updated model.
The new EcoSport is available in five trim levels– Ambiente, trend, Trend+, Titanium and Titanium+, company has added a new Trend+ variant on the 1.5l TDCi and 1.0l EcoBoost engines.
On the inside, new EcoSport host new features like electro chromatic inner view mirror, interior chrome pack, automatic climate control, chrome garnished door handles, cluster ring and appliqués. The leather treatment has been given to handbrake and steering wheel. The driver side instrument cluster now flaunts useful information like distance to empty, average speed, outside temperature display, econometer and average fuel efficiency.
The new EcoSport continues to sport SYNC with App Link that allows driver to control their phone, entertainment and apps hands-free using simple voice commands.
Colors:
The 2015 Ford EcoSport is available in a new color called Golden Bronze and it is now available in total 8 including, Diamond White, Mars Red, Kinetic Blue, Moondust Silver, Panther Black, Smoke Grey and Chill Metallic.
Safety:
Taking safety to another level, the American car maker is offering Dual front airbags, ABS (anti-lock braking system with EBD (electronic brake force distribution) as standard across all variants save for the base Ambiente trim. The Titanium AT variant is loaded with safety aids like six airbags include side and curtain airbags, HCA (hill climb assist), ESC, (electronic stability control), TCS, emergency assist, rear parking sensors etc.
Mr. Nigel Harris, president and managing director, Ford India, said, “With more than 2, 00,000 proud owners and counting, Ford EcoSport has successfully created a benchmark and continues to be received extremely well for its quality and value package across the globe. Ahead of the festive season, we have made our clever, compact SUV even more stylish with a host of smart features and enhanced power to delight consumers.”
