Dec 08, 2014 08:46 PM
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This is a raised hatch, no doubt with that. This is no SUV that you can keep on driving on bad roads daily(read: Ecosport is no Bolero), but this is a sort of jack of all trades.
The first biggest benefit is you don't have to worry about speed breakers anymore- both in the city and in the rural roads. But there is a catch here- the stiff suspension means that you need to take it dead slow in the humps.
Else the spring doesn't react well and you hear a thud. 4 lane roads have better designed speed breakers, so a slowing down will be ok.
The point to note here is, being a Ford, the raising of the hatch did not alter the handling aspect. You can still take curves at 60, 70 speeds without waking up the passengers.
With a long final drive ratio, the tall gears results in good FE- I have got 23.xx with 4th/5th gear usage in 2 lane highways. Shift to 5th, only after 75-80 kmph.
So, don't hesitate a moment to shift down when you doubt the engine not providing enough torque to pull. In speed breakers, shift to 1st.
Service costs is comparative to Maruti. Ford engine oil is cheaper(1200 rupees) than Maruti(synthetic oil costs 3000). Each 10, 000 km service should cost from 6k-9k.
For the broken rural roads, for the hump filled cities(like Bangalore), for the occasional highway drives; and to transport people with decent comfort and reliability, this is an excellent choice.
The engine(1.5 tdci) is so smooth and quiet even from the outside, so you can imagine how it will be in the inside. Total silence.
The power is adequate- not excessive and not found lacking- just about sufficient. Those with the vento 1.6 tdi will not be satisfied though.
Good music system, but that is always a Ford trait.
Chassis feels sturdy- heavy parts used, so durable in the long run and for 3rd world usage. Once, I hit a dog at a decent speed(40 kmph)- I was expecting a bumper crack, fog lamp replacement and such (in hatchbacks, you can expect immediate ac condenser grill damage also), but not even a scratch!
The interior parts fitted are not so good- in this the Ikon still rules- 1L km and still not a vibration from the plastics in my old car.
The fiesta, I drove had an occasional creak from the plastics, and the Ecosport too has it's fair share of creaking sounds. But all this is nothing, in the leagues of Maruti- which is like a public transport bus.
The negatives that can be highlighted is the visibility- the thick A pillar hides a bit of road. Steering is excessively light- not as comfortable like the fiesta classic. But the steering, gives good road feedback though.
Diesel filter looks like the same as of 1.4 tdci(figo, fiesta) but this costs twice or thrice(~2500 per 30k km), It costs 1100 for the 1.4 tdci.
With SUV tyre (bigger than Innova or Tavera), and 1250 kg weight, the tyres should see at least 60-80k km mileage.
And a note for those who complain about the suspension- ford has stiff suspension and that means you can drive over road imperfections without losing speed- except for really huge potholes and humps, you don't have to slow down.
Given my experience with the fiesta classic(45k km), I can say that the alignment doesn't change much when driven over a speed breaker or rough roads at speed.
It is only the slow speed ride at city roads that will make you uncomfortable. Vehicle shakes and moves from side to side and thus the perception of uncomfortable ride- the springs and shocks are not working at all at this speeds.
Understand the vehicle, drive it like it likes to be driven, and you have a decent workhorse for a decade.
Although this formula works for all cars, ford is fairly a reliable manufacturer giving fun to drive (or at least, steer) cars to choose from the monotonous Marutis and the un-amussing Hyundais (though, Hyundai diesels are remarkable for their power).
Cheers and safe motoring.
