Sometime back, we reported that Ford is readying an ‘Active’ variant of the Ecosport SUV for certain European markets. For the uninitiated, the Active suffix is a new nomenclature from Ford which is applied to its higher-riding, crossover variants of its regular cars. We witnessed the same stuff happening with the Hyundai i20 as well. Although there is no word regarding the Ford Ecosport Active’s India arrival as of yet, we assume that it would prove to be very beneficial for Ford India to introduce the Active variant here as well.
More details
As expected, the Active variant of the Ecosport is off-road inspired and features some cosmetic as well as mechanical changes to make it stand apart from the standard variants.
Changes
The Active sits at the top of the range and is aimed at helping “adventure-loving customers get the most from their active lifestyles”. Cosmetic changes include black cladding around the wheel arches and bumpers, a new look for the 17-inch dual-tone alloy wheels and Active badging. The black treatment to the roof, outer mirrors and grille have carried over from other variants of the Ecosport. To improve its off-road credentials, Ford has also included a subtle suspension lift which will offer improved ability over rough terrain.
Interior tweaks over existing trim levels are minimal, with the new variant marked out primarily by its leather seats with ‘Active’ badging in the backrest. As an option, buyers can choose the Active X pack, this adds a Bang and Olufsen sound system, keyless entry and go and auto-folding outer mirrors. Further options include a full suite of advanced driver assistance systems, projector headlamps and so on.
Powertrain options
The UK-spec Ford EcoSport is available with a 1.0-litre 3-cylinder EcoBoost petrol (125PS/140PS) and a 1.5-litre diesel (100PS) engine. Both engines are paired with a 6-speed manual transmission.
Talking about the Ecosport that we have here, it comes with both 1.5-litre 3-cylinder petrol engine as well as a 1.5-litre 4-cylinder diesel engine, to choose from. The petrol engine is capable of producing 120bhp of power and 149Nm of peak torque. While the diesel engine can produce 99bhp of power and 215Nm of peak torque. The Ford EcoSport comes with a 5-speed manual gearbox and a 6-speed automatic torque converter gearbox, which is only available with the petrol engine.
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The BS6 compliant Ford EcoSport is offered with six different variants, which includes- Ambient, Trend, Titanium, Thunder Titanium+, and S. The Torque Converter Automatic option is only available with a petrol engine, while the diesel comes with a 5-speed manual gearbox. Ford India recently hiked the prices of the Ecosport. Starting from 1st October 2020, all the variants of the EcoSport have become costlier by Rs 1,500. After the price hike, the revised price for the Ford EcoSport starts from Rs 8.19 lakh for the base variant and goes up to Rs 11.73 lakh (ex-showroom). This is the second price hike on the EcoSport this year. The carmaker had previously increased prices of the BS6 EcoSport by up to Rs 13,500, in July this year. Apart from the EcoSport, Ford had also increased the price of its premium full-sized SUV- Endeavour by up to Rs 1.20 lakh, in the month of August.