Ecosport AT Review

Ecosport AT Review

My drive is an Ecosport Automatic 1.5L. I have owned this for around 3 years now with cumulative mileage of roughly 20,000 Km. I would describe usage to be largely for local commute and occasional week-end drives outside city. In terms of looks, this is a stunner and by far the best looking compact SUV and the spare wheel at the back further accenuates the looks. The SUV looks good from the front as well as back. The rear door does not open upwards like that of hatch-backs, but opens from right to left, a slight irritant for the RHD market such as India. The interiors are well appointed. The central display screen for the media as well as messages adds further premium-ness to the looks. The AT comes in grey fabric upholstry, which contrasts well with the black piano finish on the centre console. The 15 inch alloy wheels on the AT look good on the car. The doors close like a tank, unlike any other car. This appears to be a little nuisance for ladies and children, but probably helps a lot from safety aspect. My review focusses on the Auto, as this has not been reviewed as frequently as the other variants. The Dual Clutch Auto is a breeze to drive in the crowded streets of Mumbai. Most of my 3-4 KM daily commute is on roads with bumper to bumper traffic, and therefore the automatic is a great boon. The take-off from stand-still is a bit sluggish, which does not lead to very good 0-60 figures. But post that the gearbox is fun to drive and shifts happen as per the driver's style. The fun is from 10-80, or from 20-100, etc.. The Sports mode provides manual mode for shifting gears through buttons on the gearshift instead of paddleshifts. Downshifts can also be induced by sharply pressing the accellerator even in normal driving mode. The best fun to be had is on ghat sections, where the car shifts to optimal gears automatically and it is a stress-free ride. Upshifts and downshifts are pretty fast and without any jerks. Passengers would not even feel them. This particular variant is also well endowed with safety and comfort features such as 6 airbags including curtain air bags. The car comes with Hill hold asist, ABS, EBD, ABS, etc. Overall, I am satisfied with the car, but have a few peeves. Firstly, the suspension is too stiff for day to day city driving at low speeds. This is a boon on highways and at higher speeds the handling is superb, The second peeve is that the side mirrors do not have the auto-fold capability. Thirdly, I have a few paint chip-offs from door edges and from body panels. I have not encountered anything similar from my previous 2 vehicles from Hyundai or Maruti. This seems to be specific to Ford. Overall, I am satisfied user. The size is just about adequate for my family of 2 adults and 2 children. Space for luggage is also more than adequate. The external stepney frees up lot of useful space at the back.