Ford EcoSport [2015-2017] User Reviews

Exterior

Attractive exteriors, 2nd best in it's class & Price range. Rear Bumper applique is quite childish. Needs improvement. Paint quality is not good, as compared to VW. Head-lights should be at least projector-type & with better power. At Highway, you can't drive this car easily without the HIDs.

Interior (Features, Space & Comfort)

Poor plastics, as usual with Ford technology. Smoke interiors dont impress like Beige. Rear A.C. vent is required at least in this car. 

Engine Performance, Fuel Economy and Gearbox

The most disappointing thing in the car. 90% of the customers won't go for it, if the dealer provides a test-drive.

Although up-to-date with the specs (1500cc, 103BHP, Dual Clutch Gear-box, Sports-mode), still the Engine disappoints largely on Pick-up & Mileage.

I own this car since 10 months, but couldn't click even a single pic, as it couldn't make me happy for even a single day.

Ride Quality & Handling

Very Good. You won't get tired very easily. But the rear seat needs at least an A. C. vent.

Final Words

Poor performance, backed by poorer service backup.

Areas of improvement  

Engine, Transmission & Above all, the Company should have at least some intention to satisfy the Indian customer. You will be mainly at the disposal of Dealer & the Jr. Executives of FORD INDIA customer care. Ford Sr. Engineer / Management never talk even in the worst scenarios.

Exterior Looks good, perfectly designed no doubt about even though the back end looks a bit abrupt . Also the ground clearance very good.

Interior (Features, Space & Comfort) Interior the plastic is of really poor quality but considering the price thats expected. Altough i think they should have kept power windows for the back windows too.

Engine Performance, Fuel Economy and Gearbox Engine is beautifully designed responses very well but the problem I faced was the car on this version that is 1.5l TiVCT MT has no mileage the company says 16km/l but im getting an average of 9-10 km/l which is very poor. 

Ride Quality & Handling Ride quality is good, the turning radius is a bit too big and hinders especially on the indian roads.

Final Words Good car to buy if you are willing to spend a fortune on the petrol bills or i would prefer to spend more money and go for the duster or the upcoming honda br-v.

Areas of improvement MILEAGE, MILEAGE AND MILEAGE.

Exterior

I have swift VDI, VW polo and Santro. So my review will be comparitive.

Build quality far succeds many Maruti's lot. Sturdy build (except for 2 back doors, which also succeds Swift). Appealing design even though it is 3 years old now. Nice chrome grill which gives it a road presence. Poor visibility in A piller, you have to sometimes drive on assumption. Night luminance not good, recommend Philips headlamps with fog lamps. 200 mm ground clearance to tackle road conditions.

Interior (Features, Space & Comfort)

 Dashboard is okay but certainly not cheap plastic as some said. A/C is powerful for Indian conditions, more than swift and polo. Audio system is proprietary, so you cannot change with sony or JBL. Sound is poor, not great as some have put here. Recommend replacing OEM door speakers with Sony etc and use of woofer with Amp (Warning: Most car shops cannot do this job seamlessly)

Space is bit more than hatchback, only with higher sitting position but enough for a family with luggage. Comfort wise not great (diesel as pertrol has different suspension setting since its engine is lighter). Sometimes you can get thrown around in cabin on low speed bumps like you are in tata sumo (Recommend using alloy wheels (either aftermarket or stock) to mitigate this). But if road is good, thats not an issue. Feels planted on high speeds like polo.

Engine Performance, Fuel Economy and Gearbox

 Engine is sluggish at first 5K-7K run. Then it opens a bit. Recommend using 25 percent speed diesel with normal diesel to mitigate this issue. Engine can feel out of breath after 200 km straight streach. Clutch padel is heavy and gearbox is sluggish as compared to swift. Fuel economy is 16-18 kmpl but i like that at low rpm engine produces enough troque to scale elevation. This is main issue with swift. It cannot scale mountainous terrain from standstill, power surges only after turbo kicks in.

Not as smooth as swift but good for both highway and city travel. For quick acceleration, shift to top gears instead of revving high on lower gears. Top speed is around 150 kmph plus/minus 10 kmph.

Ride Quality & Handling

 Ride quality is okay. Driving will take a toll on your body travelling in traffic jam in this vehichle. Steering movement is precise and light for car of this size. It has huge turning radius. Also its not available in 4x4 variant, so front tires can loose traction only in muddy or mountaineous terrains.

Final Words

 Good vechile for city and highways, recommended only for people with 20-50 years bracket. 

All in all, Only good as a package as it has both pros and cons.

Areas of improvement  

 Suspension, Infotainment needs nav, Clutch padel.

I own a Ford Ecosport (Titanium 1.5 litres TDCI) since May 2016 and this review is based on my first-hand driving experience of more than 7 months.

Exterior: -

1. Beautiful styling

2. Nice overall finish

3. Balanced curves

4. Decent height

5. Spare wheel at the rear adds to the style quotient

6. More of a premium hatchback rather than a SUV

Interior (Features, Space & Comfort)

1. Voice command is a good feature but it rarely recognizes what you say

2. Armrest really provides support but then obstructs the bottle holder's space

3. Steering wheel adjustment (tilt & telescopic) and driver seat's adjustment is a real boon

4. Decent headroom and legroom for all the passengers

5. Steering mounted audio controls are a bit hard to operate

6. Automatic AC functions well but again the adjustment knob needs a little refinement

7. Seats are overall comfortable but could have offered a little more thigh support

8. Should have got rear parking camera instead of parking sensors

9. Thick A-pillar does create a blind spot so you have to be a bit careful while crossing roads

10. The music player offers a nice output quality but the sync hangs at times (especially when the USB port is in use)

11. Two charging points (one at the rear) are a good inclusion

12. A lot of information like distance to empty, engine temperature, mileage, average speed, etc is available at the odometer space

Engine Performance, Fuel Economy and Gearbox

1. The engine offers an overall smooth operation but rarely you may experience jerks in the 2nd gear

2. The torque and power are proportionately distributed while driving under various road/traffic conditions

3. The mileage on highways is decent (approx. 20 KMPL) but falls drastically in city (approx. 13 KMPL)

4. Gearbox is ok but needs some minor improvement in order to offer a smooth experience when changing the gear from say 3rd to 1st

5. Driving in hilly areas is definitely not amongst the strengths of this car but it manages it well

Ride Quality & Handling

1. Offers a very comfortable and sturdy riding experience

2. A very stable car on both highways and in city traffic

3. You feel like having a complete control

4. Steering, clutch, brakes and accelerator are efficient and responsive (though ABS has its own pros and cons)

Final Words

Overall, this car is a clear winner when you compare "what you pay and what you get in return". Nothing is perfect in this world so do not expect everything from any single car. In this case, if you need a powerful car with pure driving pleasure, comfort, nice built quality, optimal ground clearance, safety features like airbags, decent exteriors/interiors and you can compromise a bit on mileage (vis-a-vis Suzuki Vitara Brezza), then you should definitely go ahead and book your Ecosport. It won't let you down.

Areas of improvement  

1. Rear parking camera is must

2. Microsoft Sync (music player) hangs at times and doesn't recognize voice command

3. Steering mounted controls need some refinement 

Exterior Good.

Interior (Features, Space & Comfort) Poor.

Engine Performance, Fuel Economy and Gearbox Ok.

Ride Quality & Handling Ok.

Final Words The ac works for about 15 to 20 mins then it starts to become hot & uncomfortable in side,ford"s engineer is suposed to contact but no response even after 15 days, ford does not like negative feedbacks. the pronlem is with the temp sensing device which switches of whwn required but does not switch on , they need to look into this , the service outlet cannot rectify this. 

Ford will have to look into this problem & replace the temp. sensor. I have been making this complaint from 5000 km service period to now 22000 km , (past 1 year).

The fitting of the vechile is poor, the driving confort is poor on long distance drives you legs & hands stsrt to ache (not so in the swift) i take breaks every 3 to 4 hrs, have travelled 650 km in a day

Areas of improvement Better service @ transperant prices.

1. It's OK.

2. Good.

3. Looks: Good, Performance: New vehicle but very bad experience. When cruising on highways around 100/110. Got a yellow color warning light(power train) and also engine warning light. I was shocked and worried about my new car and very much disappointed. Suddenly after this warning lights turned off the engine and stopped the vehicle for 1 hour on highway. Again after some time I had started the engine from then onwards the engine light is displayed. (Just driven 1200 kilometres) Now no Idea how deal with it. It's a 1.5 L engine should easily go till 140 speed. Also very bad experience from ford service (Tristar ford- AP) Maruti & Hyundai are much better than ford.

Purchased Ford Ecosport in Aug 2013 and drove 26,000 kms till now. Longest drive in a day is 1100 kms with top speed of 170 kmph (average speed is 130 kmph) with two halts of 1 hr each. Had been to may long (above 500 kms)  & short trips (approx 300 kms) and always enjoyed the drive. This is my first car and had a great and lovely experience each km i drove it.

Exterior Highly satisfied.

Interior (Features, Space & Comfort) Highly satisfied. I am a tall guy (6' 2") and this car suited me in all aspects. During day time, display is not visible due to its angle.

Engine Performance, Fuel Economy and Gearbox Very good. Except pick-up in 2nd gar when driving within city. 12 kmpl in city, 14 kmpl highway with speed >130 kms, 18 kmpl highway with speed 80-120 kmph.

Ride Quality & Handling Very good.

Final Words Best car when compared to many other cars.

Areas of improvement 2nd gear pick-up, Head light intensity.

Exterior Good nice look.

Interior (Features, Space & Comfort) Good but cheap quality - but ok for the price.

Engine Performance, Fuel Economy and Gearbox Good to drive, nice pick up, CLUTCH is getting tight after 50,000Kms, paining in my foot on a city ride for more than 1 hr.

Ride Quality & Handling Very good.

Final Words My car was serviced every 10,000 kms at FORD only, last two services the engine oil indicator came from just 3000 kms drive after the service, complained to the ford service, just ignored me, I topped it up with MOBILE oil and drove. in the next service same compalint given and gave me back the car. again within 2000 kms engine oil indicator came up. reported to the service center - now been told ENGINE NEEDS CHANGING and now I am without the car for the last 20 days. pathetic.  

More than three times the engine refused to start. ABS indicator came up and no ignition. called the service personal more than 4 occasions. later i pushed the car myself to start the car felt a drag reported to the service center - kept the car on 3 occasions for 3 days each without any loner car and at the last visit they canged the entire software and hardware module to solve the issue. 

Need to change a battery once.

Areas of improvement Change the engine or change FORD.