The highly anticipated production version of the ford Ecosport was unveiled at the Beijing motor show. The SUV maintains most of the styling cues that we saw on the concept car that was unveiled at the 2012 Delhi Auto Expo, except it nope comes with conventional headlights, tail-lights and mirrors. The interiors, which were revealed for the first time, focus on space efficiency and it’s no surprise that dashboard design is almost identical to the Fiesta. The rear seats have an upright seating position with legroom that is better than Fiesta’s. The boot is not particularly generous by SUV standards, with luggage space that is only marginally more than in a hatchback. An interesting detail is the electrically operated boot release housed in the left tail lamp cluster.
It is now confirmed that the EcoSport will duck under the sub-four-metre bar to avail of crucial excise benefits. Despite its small size, the muscular wheel arches, large trapezoidal grille, black cladding, chrome roof rails and high stance give it an SUV look. However, the 16-inch tyres look quite small in proportion, and Ford has deliberately not offered chunkier tyres in the interest of fuel efficiency. But it is likely that 17-inch ones will be offered on some versions.
The EcoSport will be powered by Ford’s new 1.0-litre, three-cylinder Ecoboost turbo-petrol engine, capable of developing power similar to a conventional 1.6-litre motor. The small capacity promises class-leading fuel economy. Taking into account the demand for diesel cars in India, Ford also plans to offer the 1.5-litre TDCi engine from the Fiesta in the EcoSport. Now what’s left to see is Ford prices the EcoSport competitively, as this will ultimately decide the car’s success. We expect it to be priced in the Rs 6-8 lakh price bracket.
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