Car Of The Week: Ford EcoSport

Bangalore: This might easily be one of the most anticipated compact SUVs in the country. After its introduction in 2012 Auto Expo, it took around 18 months for Ford to launch its EcoSport in India. The only reason for this is apparently the ‘localization program’ pushed by Ford. As a result, almost 70 percent of this futuristic looking SUV is made in India.

Ford will have to pay for the delay, as in the mean time Renault had introduced Duster, which became a sensation in the compact SUV range, topping the sales charts. But let’s hope Ford will be able to justify and recover the delay with this superbly designed SUV.

Exterior:

Ford EcoSport sports a design, which is not-so familiar to the Indian roads. The compactness of the SUV can be felt from the design statement itself. The dimensions barely cross that of a premium hatchback and the difference peeks only in the 200mm ground clearance, which will add to the road presence and of course a blessing when driving through the water clogged roads in monsoon.

The front grill is probably the most prominent detail in this SUV, which adds to the look of an off-roader. Apart from that the roof rails, use of rugged material under bumpers and doors, the chunky wheel arches and the rear mounted spare wheel adds to the look of the car. However, the 16 inch wheels are a letdown in looks as it looks small under the body.  For many, the design may look a bit over-rated but Ford has stood true to almost 90 percent in design compared to the concept model.