Ford Motor India’s latest offering, the compact SUV EcoSport, is all set for its Indian innings. The company has started taking in the bookings even before it is officially launched. With a lot of muscle and style quotient, will this compact SUV bring back Ford its lost glory? Ammar Alvi has more.
It was first showcased at the 2012 Delhi Auto Expo and since then the EcoSport has been on the most awaited list of models to be launched in India. After more than a year of hard work, Ford India seems to be finally ready to take the veil off this compact SUV. The company has announced to take the bookings of the EcoSport against a sum of `50,000.
The EcoSport will be available in four trims and will have three engine options: a 1.0-litre petrol EcoBoost plus the 1.5-litre petrol and diesel engines. All three engines come mated to the standard five-speed manual gearbox which you have seen in the Fiesta though the 1.5-litre petrol can also be specified with the six-speed Ford PowerShift automatic transmission. The EcoSport will be rolled out from its manufacturing facility in Chennai.
According to Ford Motor Company President and CEO Alan Mulally, “The EcoSport looks fantastic. The Chennai team together with our supplier partners have done an outstanding job in delivering customers a great looking, fuel efficient, safe compact utility vehicle, at a very affordable price.”
This sub-four metre compact SUV’s designers have worked hard to make this vehicle worth looking from every corner. You will find the right proportions and a lot of muscular appeal. Employing Ford’s kinetic design philosophy, the EcoSport is a good design. Inside there is a lot of space for driver and front seat passenger with adjustability for the driver. The steering wheel is well-designed with audio controls and brushed aluminum inserts. Ford claims a fuel efficiency figure of 18.9kmpl for the EcoBoost-powered version.
As far as the price goes, there is no word yet but we hope that it will be extremely competitive and would give enough reasons for customers to take it seriously.