Ford Ecosport is the longest-running compact SUV in the Indian market and since then it has seen its ups and downs. What remained constant are the powerful engines along with its solid platform, a great ride and enjoyable driving experience. Yesterday, this premium compact SUV completed 7 years of existence in India.
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At the time when India was new to the subject of compact SUVs, Ford launched the Ecosport at just Rs 5.59 lakh till Rs 8.44 lakh, ex-showroom, Delhi. The pricing of the Ecosport was so much aggressive that it crossed more than 30,000 bookings in no time. The Ecosport was placed in between premium hatchbacks like i20 and sedans like Honda City. In no time, the sales jumped and it became one of the popular compact SUVs.
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Another reason why the Ecosport was instantly loved by the Indian market because, at that time, it didn't have any other competition. Also, the punchy 1.5L diesel motor. This one still comes in the current-gen Ecosport and churns out 99 bhp with a peak torque of 215 Nm. The engine is mated to the same 5-speed manual gearbox and most sales are for the diesel Ecosport only.
Another reason was the availability of a 1.0L Ecoboost petrol engine. Along with a 1.5L engine, this direct-injection 1.0L petrol was targeted who wanted performance (it made 123 bhp) with their compact SUV. This one delivered a claimed ARAI mileage of 18.9 km/l. So performance and fuel efficiency did go hand in hand. However, Ford discontinued this engine ahead of BS6 emission norms.
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Feature-wise, the newer Ecosport is improved and it offers ABS with EBD as standard across all trims. Also, it carries a larger 8.0-inch touchscreen with modern-day connectivity features like Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Ford sells the current-gen Ecosport in Ambient, Trend, Titanium, Thunder and Titanium+. It also gets Ford 3 SYNC command, rear child safety lock as standard, projector headlights with LED DRLs, reverse camera, rear parking sensors and much more.
Currently, the prices of Ford Ecosport range from Rs 8.04 lakh and the top model fetches till Rs 11.61 lakh, ex-showroom, Delhi. It now competes with Maruti Suzuki Brezza, Hyundai Venue, Tata Nexon and Mahindra XUV300.
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