The Ford EcoSport is the most awaited of the latest breed of Mini-SUV’s, which is a concept that has caught the fancy of the Indian market. With the award winning 1.0-litre EcoBoost engine, very handsome looks and futuristic features the EcoSport is expected to be quite a success. Ford claims that the new 1.0-litre 3-cylinder turbo-charged engine will be revolutionary owing to its amazing power delivery, with 118.4 BHP of power and 170 Nm of torque, which is comparable to other 1.6-litre engines. The torque peaks as low as 1500 RPM which ensures very good city as well as highway drive-ability and the small size translates into exceptional fuel efficiency.
This is supplemented by their 6-speed PowerShift automatic gearbox option. This dual-clutch automatic transmission is a first in its class and also the first to have 6-speeds. This gearbox will help greatly in city drive-ability as well as reducing strain on the engine on highways giving fuel economy like a manual with convenience of an automatic. The EcoSport also has a very high safety rating which meets safety standards across the globe. The body and chassis is strengthened with high strength steel. The EcoSport also features side airbags in addition to conventional front airbags. This increases the safety of occupants many folds thus making it one of the safest cars in its class.
The car also has many more exiting features as voice activated controls and Bluetooth connectivity (called SYNC). The SYNC system connects phone to the car with voice commands and calls can be made and even messages can be read via this system. But the most amazing feature is that if the user is taking a call on the phone and has to leave the car, the system automatically disconnects the car connection and shifts the call to the phone without disconnecting the call.
So the Ford EcoSport has a potential to become a very smart option as an urban SUV which ticks all the right boxes. It is compact enough to use and park in the city and has the performance for the highway and can tackle bad roads thanks to its 200 mm ground clearance. The Ford EcoSport will also feature Traction Control System, push button start, hill launch assist as standard on the top-end variant.
Now many of these features are not present on its closest rival, the Renault Duster. So if Ford equips lower variants with many features, the pricing is bound to go on the higher side. So should Ford offer stripped down entry level variants for a cheaper price or offer some features (front airbags and ABS) throughout the EcoSport range for a slightly higher price?
