The EcoSport gets revised bumper, while the license plate enclosure has been moved to the tail gate where the spare wheel was once mounted.
Ford has commenced making changes to the EcoSport compact SUV, two years after it was first showcased as a concept at the 2012 Auto Expo in Delhi. Most likely to debut at the 2015 Geneva Motor Show in March, the updated EcoSport was caught testing in Europe wearing mild camouflage featuring revisions to the rear design for a fresh new look. As seen in the spy shots, the biggest change will be the absence of the tail gate mounted spare wheel on the updated compact SUV.
Instead, Ford is opting for a cleaner design on the new EcoSport with the tail gate now featuring the license plate enclosure in the centre, while the bumper gets subtle tweaks with a skid plate like look to cover the missing license plate enclosure. With the spare wheel gone, the EcoSport will get a lot more urban appeal as opposed to the rugged factor seen currently. You can also expect mild tweaks to the front bumper while the overall design is not expected to change much.
Ford retails the EcoSport in a number of markets across the globe including India and Brazil where the external spare wheel is seen more as a USP rather than an intrusion. In addition, moving the spare wheel inside will hamper the boot capacity drastically, which isn’t too much in the first place. The changes could also be variant specific with the external spare wheel available on the higher variants and could be possibly limited to the European market alone.
No changes are expected to the powertrain and the EcoSport will continue with the existing engine options including the 1.0-litre EcoBoost petrol engine producing 123 HP of power as well as the 1.5-litre TiVCT petrol engine producing 110 HP of power. Diesel power on the other hand will continue to come from the 1.5-litre TDCi motor producing 90 HP of power. All the engines come paired to a 5-speed manual gearbox.
Source – World Car Fans
