Having sold my previous car, a Linea - I was left without a vehicle for my daily commutation and the urge being a desire to go for a small sporty car after having experienced the burden of maintaining a low slung, underpowered medium sized sedan.
The initial instinct was to go for a hatchback at the premium end, so I decided to test drive the Honda Brio - the experience sadly turned out to be a damper, as the vehicle with its relatively powerful engine for a small car appeared to be hardly able to drive the vehicle into any sort of expected speed in the 2nd and 3rd gear. On the contrary, my expectations out of it was a very nimble and powerful car. So more out of disappointment than sheer will I headed straight to the nearest Ford dealer(the company having never impressed me with the reputation that it had acquired amongst its customers - except for a few) where I had already test driven the ford ecosport right from the stage it was launched in India, atleast 4 times.
The 1.5 diesel had always caught my attention as an adequately powered vehicle, with good handling. The sales man at Kairali Ford was very enthusiastic and generous - especially with the recent dip in sales noted with the Hyundai Creta and other competitors like the S-cross about to be launched this month. He allowed me to cover a distance of more than 10 kms along the highway and even stretches of badly maintained - pot hole ridden and water logged areas.
The first thing that brought the thrill into me being the snug looking cabin with firm but comfortable front seats - black leather ones with red stitching that was standing out exuding a sense of luxury and the well laid out front console with the array of buttons and round meters surrounding the central odometer, all appearing well within reach and like a cockpit. Strapped in I felt very much at home with the racked front windshield and the high seating position providing a very commanding presence for the driver. The space at the back appeared to be less compared to the sedan I owned with two big sized adults only appearing to fit in comfortably in the seat at the back - no rear ac vents being another missing factor in a car priced quite high. The window area at the back being small - could end up as being claustrophobic to the smaller kids seated at the back. I noticed that there were no hand grips on the roof in a car which was supposed to be tested on rough terrain, off road tracks as well. The boot space is too less with two suitcases alone going in with the few other nick nacks that the family would need for a journey, which is a downside too.
On cranking the engine into life - noted the powerful growl of the 1.5 diesel and the gear slotted in well though at times the 2nd and 3rd gear shifts appeared to be a bit on the stiffer side. It looked to adequately powered as I drove down the highway, having enjoyed the long test drive through a whole variety of roads, the large sized tyres affording a good clearance of 200mm plus making the ride very comfortable and smooth. The second gear didn’t look like providing the same pull away effect that the 1st and the third gear provided. The turbo kicking in often during the 3rd gear shift really made the car pull away quickly beyond what was expected, The high road clearance does cause some bobbing motion in the ride with a very faint body roll, which is to be expected, I guess - I got back to the showroom and had a detailed run down of the car, as the manager also had joined us by then(a person whom I had known earlier - that made things a lot easier to come to a decision). I straight away booked the vehicle paying 10k - initially going for a white titanium diesel, but later on changning my mind to a silver titanium option diesel, which comes with push button start(giving it an up class feel) with 6 airbags including the side curtain airbags and plush black leather seats. The 16 inch alloys with good year shod tyres 205 sized appeared to look good on the vehicle, with me preferring a naked spare tyre at the back without a cover - providing it that rough and tough look that I had yearned for. I got the vehicle in 9 days time, a delay by 3 days because I myself had changed over my decision to go for the silver colour. The delivery process was very smooth and polite from the dealers side, the familiarity with the manager helping me to a large extend. I just went in for the minimal extras - with an 3M underbody weather coat and floor scuff at the front doors - which comes illuminated with “ecosport” showing in the dim lit state.
I am entering this review of mine almost 12 days after I took delivery of the vehicle - did a 500 kms long drive the very next day on receiving the car, having driven to my home town on the highway - the monsoon having played havoc on many stretches of the road - the mini SUV, if you could call it that appeared to take things in the stride, manoeuvring through those patches with ease. The seats compared to the Linea being more firm and upright - provided less comfort to the co passengers but on the drivers part this appeared to be an advantage. Not looking into the fuel consumption at this stage as it would take a few thousand kms to have a clear perspective regarding the mileage the vehicle would deliver. On the whole I am very satisfied with the car - especially with the city drive having turned out into a breeze, with the high riding position and the good visibility that it affords all around - the side claddings providing a sense of protection from the fear of rubbing against any other vehicles which suddenly could turn out to be intimate on the road - this appears to protect against the water logged areas on the roads during monsoons too.
1year later(10th July 2016): nearly a year after having owned this beauty or rather the beast - I am still in love with it. Never let me down - as far as the riding comfort, reliability and toughness is concerned. I have clocked nearly 17000 km on the odometer(may be just 100 km shy of it) and it almost is as good as new with the suspension and the ride quality showing no signs of giving way inspite of some spirited driving through the bad highways of kerala. Often touching 140 ams on good stretches while travelling to Coimbatore - the stability at that speeds as well as the secure nature of the drive is commendable, though these can’t be compared to a sedan like the Linea that I had ahead of it. Mileage as most of you would like to know is above 17-18 km/lt on the highway and maybe around 14 km in the city. Have not yet spend much on the servicing that I had to do(3 times since I took delivery of the car). To sum it up - I JUST LOVE THIS BEAST ON 4 WHEELS. Treat it right and it would reciprocate the same way to you as well.