EcoSport facelift unveiled

Words by Yash Sunil

Ford has unveiled the facelift of its compact SUV, the EcoSport at the 2016 Los Angeles Auto Show.

The current EcoSport and new variant have major differences in the exterior like a completely reworked front-end with new bumpers which integrate the large signature Ford grille, a new headlamp design and fog lamps mounted horizontally, following the lines of the Endeavour and the Kuga. The side profile remains as it was and the mounted wheel has been removed. Although, Asian markets are expected to get the spare wheel mount, thanks to the popularity. At the rear, the rehashed bumper gets an addition of a faux skid plate, everything else remains unchanged.

The interior of the current car gets a huge revamp with the old centre console being replaced with a sleeker 8-inch touchscreen Ford SYNC 3 infotainment system that gets Apple CarPlay and Android Auto while the knobs for the climate control have also been changed. The AC vents are now smaller are placed much lower on the dashboard. The design for the steering wheel has been changed and a grab rail has been added on the dashboard while the silver inserts on side AC vents have been discarded. The display cluster of the car has also been changed from two individual pods to a singular pod unit. The new EcoSport also  gets a dual tone interior with a mixture of black and orange compared to the black and silver interior of the current vehicle.

Currently, the EcoSport comes with a 1-litre Ecoboost turbocharged petrol engine making 123bhp and 170Nm, a 1.5-litre petrol engine making 110bhp and 140Nm and a 1.5-litre diesel engine making 98bhp and 205Nm of torque. Ford hasn’t disclosed if the car will get new engines or will carry on with the same engines, when it comes to India. The EcoSport currently comes in three variants: Ambiente, Trend and Titanium.

Expected to launch in India in the fourth quarter of 2017, the EcoSport facelift will be an important car for the American manufacturer, as the competition is always moving forwards in the compact-SUV segment. Currently ruled by the Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza, the compact-SUV segment is populated by the likes of Mahindra KUV500 and Mahindra Nuvosport.