Ford EcoSport 2017 India launch price 7.31 lakh design interiors all that has changed

Launched in 10 variants -- five with petrol and diesel each -- pack a slew of new features and looks across variants.

Ford India today launched its new 2017 Ford EcoSport in the country at a starting price of Rs 7.31 lakh for the petrol manual variant. The updated model is available in 10 variants – five are petrol and five diesel.

Two of the petrol variants offer six-speed auto transmission, while the diesel versions are only available in manual transmission. However, all models pack a slew of new features across variants.

What’s changed with 2017 Ford EcoSport?

Credited with bringing the compact SUV trend to India in 2013, Ford is now faced with stiff competition from the likes of Maruti Vitara Brezza, Tata Nexon, Mahindra TUV300 and others in the sub-4 metre compact SUV space.

In order to counter the challenge posed by contemporaries, Ford has put in a great deal to improve upon the EcoSport’s looks and has added more features and given the petrol variant a new engine.

In terms of looks, the 2017 EcoSport has packed in new projector headlamps, grille, fog lamps and bumper. Besides the front, the top-end variant gets 17-inch alloy wheels with low profile tyres.

The interiors are where the maximum effort appears to have gone. The new Ford EcoSport has a redesigned dashboard, all-black interiors with leather upholstery and redesigned seats, and more flexibility of storage space added to the boot as well as some cubbyholes in the cabin.

Besides, Ford has given the EcoSport a new instrument cluster and 8-inch touchscreen infotainment system, which has a range of functions from ambient lighting to Apple Car Play, Android Auto and Ford's SYNC 3 system.

The new EcoSport also has a reverse camera and more functions like tyre pressure monitoring, automatic lamps, daytime running lights, automatic wipers, cruise control and speed limited added to it. It retains goodies like keyless entry, push-button ignition and power-folding mirrors.

On the safety front, all models get ABS and airbags, with the top-end models sporting six airbags, traction control and hill-assist as well.

The diesel sports the tried-and-tested 1.5 litre, four-cylinder engine that puts out 100 PS of power and 200 Nm of torque, mated to five-speed manual transmission with a fuel efficiency figure of 23 kmpl.

The petrol EcoSport gets an all-new 3-cylinder, 1.5-litre, naturally aspirated engine that puts out 123 PS of power and 150 Nm of torque, mated to either a six-speed torque converter automatic transmission or a five-speed manual transmission.