Models of compact Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV) segment are said to be the flavour of this festive season as they have a high level of practicality to offer. Until few years ago, the concept of compact SUVs was not much familiar with the Indian buyers mainly because there was no better substitute in the market. Buyers with a budget of sub-Rs. 10 lakh had just few options, like Mahindra Scorpio and Tata Safari, which are full fledged utility vehicles. Industry experts are of a view that average dynamics and big dimensions kept buyers at bay from such vehicles. Thereafter, Indian auto market witnessed the rise of compact SUVs at the 2012 Auto Expo, wherein Ford, Renault and Maruti Suzuki represented EcoSport, Duster and XA Alpha, respectively. While the country's largest passenger car maker is still planning to launch its first compact SUV, Nissan introduced the badge engineering model of Duster, named as Terrano. It must be noted that Ford EcoSport, Nissan Terrano and Renault Duster are three popular compact SUVs of the market, and therefore a comparison has been made to ascertain a winner.
Before comparing these models in terms of performance, Ford EcoSport will be awarded as the winner, in case of petrol powered model. The much acclaimed 1.0 litre EcoBoost engine of EcoSport is much superior than the 1.6-litre petrol engine of Terrano and Duster. Also, this is the main reason that one could hardly find a petrol powered Duster or Terrano on the Indian roads. If the buyer is on a budget, the 1.5-litre Ti-VCT version of EcoSport can be considered as it is relatively economical and better equipped. Also, EcoSport is the only model in the three which features an automatic gearbox option, which too with a brilliantly engineered 6-speed PowerShift technology. It must be noted that Duster and Terrano are largely being offered in the diesel version, which can be cited as one of the reasons that both the auto makers offer only petrol versions with base trims.
In terms of styling, Renault Duster started a new era, since its launch in 2010. However, Terrano is undoubtedly a Duster underneath, which can be clearly seen at its side profile and exteriors dimensions. But the changes made by Japanese auto maker in Terrano seems to have paid great dividends, especially in the styling department, as the vehicle looks quite appealing and delivers a masculine stance, unlike EcoSport, which somehow comes as an oversized hatchback on steroids. Although Ford EcoSport bears an aggressive styling, the elements of Nissan Terrano do make it stand out on road. Owing to its bigger dimensions and off late entry, Nissan Terrano can be termed as a favourite pick in the styling department.
For many, it appears like a tough choice for zeroing in on any of these highly capable compact SUVs. As none of the models bears off-roading capacity, each will offer an extremely comfortable journey during normal city driving, owing to performance oriented engines, compact dimensions and small turning radius. Undoubtedly, Nissan Terrano and Renault Duster have bigger size, thus offer more space at interior. However, EcoSport comes packed with a number of features and offer better engine options than its rivals. Also, Ford EcoSport is the cheapest car in this league. Coming to sales of all the models, Ford India managed to report 50,000 booking in a mere span of 3 months, which clearly shows the value of low pricing in a country like India. The French auto maker has also faired well in the market with 50,000 units being sold in 10 months of its official launch. Also, it must be noted that Ford has maintained a better dealership and server network in India, than the two. Interestingly, Nissan has more number of outlets than the French auto maker, however the latter has advantage in after sales support.
