Imagine the predicament of god of for that of a matter that predicament of car manufacturer
when its devotees the customer want religiously just about everything from the car.
How do you please an audience that wants not just best of both the worlds but the best of the universe!
Well! "Ford Eco Sport" here seems to have the answer ready!
This is the all new Ford Eco Sport!
It's made a grand entry in to the Indian market and it's under four metres
So, that means its friends with the Indian tax Bulldogs.
That means it enjoys excise benefits which means it got mouthwatering price tag attached to it.
Its a futuristic design that promises to turn heads like nothing else in its segment.
and it will come in a total of ten variants, three engine options and two transmissions to choose from.
Now this one is a 1.5 litre diesel engine but before we get into all that lets first have a look at
interior ergonomics.
Which begins by facing the fact that the best part of SUV's is the ease with which you get in and out.
Now! In the Eco Sport you just walk into the cabin without really having to crouch or duck
and that's a real good thing.
Press the clutch peddle in, power button ON, cranks up the engine, door gets closed
and the first thing you notice is the front seat space for the occupants its really good
Now the seats are set high up so there is a good visual angle of watch a head of view on the road
and seats also feel plush which is helped by the amazing lateral support on the seat
Ample of head room once again and it is helped by the tilt steering which is also telescopic that is good
lastly comforts added even more by the comfortable armrest between the two front seats.
Now! the leather upholstery fells really nice good quality
and then the red stitching out here with the red perforations
well thats adds the sporty touch to the entire cabin.
Now this is the Ford and usually, generally in a ford the driver seat is the place to be in
In this car Eco Sport its no different.
Between 2000 to 2750 RPM
you experience a handsome dash of two hundred and four newton meter of torque
that renders this car absolutely drivable in the city as well as on the highway
as the turbo lag is quite controlled.
Power delivery after that is absolutely linear. So, you don't really get the turbo hit.
Which i quite actually enjoyed in my Ford Figo,gear shifts are really slick and positive the clutch is light,
the torque in lower RPM is quite adequate so you are not really constantly slotting this car into
first gear in bumper to bumper traffic thats an advantage
and then overall to summarise the drivability of this car
it will suffice to say that from speed breakers speeds right till 90Kmph
you can conveniently let this car just in the second gear.
and those of you who come from Ford Figo or classic Fiesta well the steering on the eco sport
is whole lot differ to that steering as that one hydraulic. The one in Eco Sport is electrically assisted
and not just all that comes with some more technology, that supposed to filter out all the noise from the feedback.
Does the Eco Sport really feel like you driving an SUV? and the answer is a slow no
it feels like a front wheel driven hatch back everything is pretty direct in the Eco Sport their is no plained steering.
and if you find yourself approaching big bumps or pot holes you have to slow down unlike in an SUV,
The cars chassis roll is well in check and the car doesn't really wallow around
when you are driving it in your favourite ghat section.
So, on the whole the Ford Eco sport is again typically Ford, a good handler.
Now! The storage space inside the cabin in
Ford Eco space is a plenty and you will surprised to know it has nine beverage and bottle holders.
and I'm about to show you just that!
All right so the first bottle this one goes right in to my door pocket on to the right hand side.Matter solved!
Another well this too shall go in to the right door pocket.
four more bottles of water.
Wah! after six water bottles i have got three more in my hand
and that's again no problem at all because their is space for three more!
My I pad! well, where does that this go underneath the front seat that's where this one goes.
The Glove box well it is split in to two. The top one holds all the manuals for the car
and the bottom one is the chilled compartment and has a pen holder.
Six beer cans!
Now no drinking and driving this one for me to get back home
and drown myself in sorrow as today is the last day of reviewing this car and sorrow it is when i part with the car.
Now! its a diesel engine its a rev happy diesel engine
and so this car will do about 120 to 130 Kmph very easily
and anything upwards that may seen like a uphill climb that's not to say that the car feels under powered it doesn't.
Its just that the car feels much more suited for long distance, relaxed tours
To me personally the cabin is relatively silent for a diesel engine, seems well insulated, but if you're not gonna be
happy with it, well then you have an option, switch on the audio system because Ford gives you speed volume
compensation feature. which means when you up your speed it will also increase the volume to
cut out the noise, and vice-versa.
Which brings us then to the audio system, its a good sounding audio system the buttons are nicely laid out
and i have gotten a picture along with me as to how they are laid out. Its looks much like the Nokia Engage.
Its next to impossible to change this unit but there is a k watt, the speakers the tweeters rather
out here on the door they are dummy tweeters they don't really work there is nothing inside there,
but then there is Microsoft SYNC command the car with 150 voice commands,
You can call the person you want you can choose the favourite track list with the name and it all works
seamlessly which is the most surprising part of it all.It basically let you do this! Double tap this button.
please say command! Call Charles Penny Father. Calling Charles Penny father. Thank you!
Hi Rohan! Hi There Charles! Guess what I'm driving the new Ford Eco Sport and you are not!
Oh yeah!
what what is it!
Now i know i was teasing Rohan about him being in the Eco Sport and me being in the Duster
but frankly i would rather be in the eco sport. You see the eco sport's interior just fells little better put together and
its like any other Ford which means that there are no major economic faults, but again the duster just is modest
to be like, it doesn't look us small it really isn't a small in the inside, you can seat five in comfort in the Duster
and when you have potholes even in big one's you can go through them with the Duster,
Duster is available with 110 horsepower diesel engine mated to a six speed gear box
and that means in a straight line the Duster which weighs about a hundred kilos less than the Eco Sport
will just leave it well, eating its dust, but Ford does hit back but its with the petrol engine.
Yes its the same size the same number of cylinders as in an Alto but it also has a turbo charger
which means that from the tiny one liter engine you get 120 horsepower and that made it to a
five speed manual gear box means that you've got really good performance and really good fuel economy.
What you saw was a car chase! And what we have set up out here is Indian motoring first car chess!
All right then Charles the game begins! The Eco Sports lot more beefier much more attractive right!
So,
How much water wading the Eco Sport can do!
Ah!!
550mm.
You are at 350
so i go a head again!
Now! i got 3.5 display screen do you have any? Mine is larger at 5 inc. So!
for next few set of features i need to refer to this. Now! the petrol version of the Eco Sport gets reclinable seats,
The duster doesn't. The rear seats. Good! So i take you off!
The boot space i got 362 litres the Duster is bigger so please go a head do the honour.
Okay! turning radius for the Eco sport 5.3 metres for the duster 5.2 so really not worth take it. Okay! What els! Ah!
yeah! my bluetooth, the eco sports bluetooth a lot more advanced what have you got?!
A simple bluetooth system. Yeah ! i take three of your pieces away for that.
As you see the Ford Eco sport has arrived at the battle field with a much bigger army! And better equipped.
Now! its gonna be an uphill battle for the Duster to go against the Eco Sport but I'm not saying that it may not win it
But then even after hundred plus battles with an under man and under equipped army
even the great conquerer Napoleon had to concede defeat at Waterloo.
Ladies and gentlemen then will the Eco Sport be the Renault Duster's Waterloo!