The American car manufacturer, Ford Motor Company, is all set to roll its much hyped EcoSport compact Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV) in the Indian auto market next month. The car maker will start taking booking requests for the same in the month of June 2013. This all-new SUV will be coming with the cutting edge 1.0 litre Ford EcoBoost powertrain that has been hyped as its USP. However, the new model comes replete with various top draw features, along with a good mileage figure that makes it a complete package.
The upcoming EcoSport compact SUV from the house of Ford will be coming with the Emergency Assistance system, which already comes pre-installed in over 5 million Ford vehicles. The feature is provided to the owners of Ford vehicles without any cost and is designed to send a voice message to emergency operators in case of an accident. However, it will provide the driver or passengers a window of 10 seconds to cancel the call in case of a mistake.
The SYNC technology used in Emergency Assistance system also lets the owner connect their smartphones and digital media players for seamless connectivity. Other bells and whistles of the Ford EcoSport include Anti-lock Braking System (ABS) and Hill Launch Assist. This compact SUV also has low rolling resistance tyres that ensure an improved mileage of 18.9 kmpl.
In India, the new model will be offered with three variants powered by a 1.5 litre diesel motor, 1.5 litre petrol and the much anticipated 1.0 litre EcoBoost petrol engine options. The American car manufacturer will launch the EcoSport across with manual transmission gearbox and an option of automatic transmission in its 1.5 litre petrol unit. According to sources, the EcoSport will be available in four trims viz. Ambiente, Titanium, Trend and Titanium Optional. It is expected that the top-end variants could come with 6-speed automatic transmission. On the other hand, the powertrains on Ambiente and Trend models will be mated with the 5-speed manual transmission.
Coming to the features front, the base model of the EcoSport Ambient will come minus features, such as ABS and airbags. The EcoSport Trend will come sans airbags, however, it will feature ABS and Electronic Brakeforce Distribution (EBD). At the same time, the Titanium EcoSport will come equipped with power windows, automatic air conditioning system and steering mounted controls. Ford EcoSport Titanium Optional, which is the top variant, will be equipped with keyless entry, push button start, leather seats as well as side and curtain airbags.
Upon its launch on the Indian turf, Ford EcoSport would compete against the likes of Renault Duster, Premier Rio and Mahindra Quanto. Industry experts have opined that EcoSport could lure buyers away from the current segment leader- Duster.
