Ford India will launch the EcoSport in January 2012, slotting the car right between the Classic and Fiesta. The American automaker had recently announced that it has a few surprises in store for its customers at the 2012 Auto Expo. Now the surprise is out in the open as the Indian website of the EcoSport is live (here). Expect prices to start around Rs. 7 lakhs, going upto Rs. 9 lakhs. Both petrol and diesel engines will power the EcoSport compact SUV, which will rival the Renault Duster. The Ford EcoSport will see the debut of an all new Ecoboost engine (1.2-liter?), which is a turbocharged petrol motor producing higher power and torque which is delivered by higher displacement engines.
The diesel engine of the Ford EcoSport will undoubtedly be the all new Fiesta’s motor, which is a 1.5-liter unit producing 90 BHP of power and 204 Nm of torque. The EcoSport will be front-wheel drive only and there will be no 4-wheel drive option on the car. The B2E platform of this compact SUV has been developed in association with Mazda and is very light yet strong. The Ecosport will almost certainly be less than 4-meters in length which means that the compact SUV will classify as a small car and will get excise benefits. The spare wheel is mounted on the tail gate and the sub-4-meter length excludes that when considering the rule. We can expect excellent fuel economy from the EcoSport, which will be a catalysts in making it an instant success in India.
Since the Ford EcoSport is based on the Fiesta platform, the SUV will handle like a car and will be sharp and agile. It will also ride very well and along with the fantastic ground clearance, the EcoSport could just be what we need on Indian roads. But the Fiesta platform comes with its flaws and the EcoSport won’t boast of high interior space (it will have the same room as the Fiesta). The compact SUV will be a 5-seater with a pillar-less C-pillar. The screenshot from the EcoSport’s Indian website also reveals the vehicle to have 15-inch wheels.
