Ford has officially announced the Ecosport facelift at the Geneva Motor Show 2015. The upgraded Ecosport, now in the middle of its life cycle will largely retain its power- and drivetrain but will benefit from a whole bunch of changes on the inside and out.
Engine and gearbox
The changes made to the drive-train include reduced gearbox torque truncation in lower gears for better availability of torque for both EcoBoost and TDCi diesel. The powertrains have also been upgraded to EU6.1 norm. As a result, the upgraded diesel engine on the new Ecosport now produces 5 more PS of power.
Exterior changes
To start with, the rear mounted spare wheel, one of the characteristic styling features of the Ecosport, will no more be offered as standard equipment. The spare will now be offered as an option to the customers. The rear door design has been changed to allow easier part-opening of the tail gate in cramped spaces. The rear door also gets Ford badging on the space vacated by the wheel. Those are pretty much all the changes on the outside, except for the fact that there would be a new S variant in the Ecosport line-up.
Click here to read about all the new cars showcased at the 2015 Geneva Motor Show
Ecosport S
The new Ecosport S trim, making its debut at Geneva, will be available only by the end of 2015. Shown here in these images, the Ecosport S variant is painted in a new Deep Impact Blue shade. The S variant will also have additional styling elements such as a black roof with the roof rails taken out. More features include sportily styled 14 spoke black alloys, a rear diffuser and tinted window glass.
Interior changes
It’s on the inside where the Ecosport has the most amount of changes made. The instrument cluster has been redesigned with chrome elements. The window switches, too now have chrome tips and the cabin gets a light dimming function.
The reworked cabin gets a new 4-inch color display above the center console. The lower instrument panel, center console and door pads have now been finished in charcoal black. The handbrake lever positioning has also been optimised for accessibility. Seats on the top-of-the-line Titanium variant get partially upholstered in leather. In addition, changes have been made to the cabin to reduce NVH levels. These include thicker sound deadening materials in the doors and dashboard, as well as tighter seals around the pedals.
Ride and handling
In addition to all those cosmetic changes, the new Ecosport is claimed to be a better machine to drive, too. The suspension has been retuned, with the rear twist beam having been revised and damper rates for chassis optimised. The Euro spec version also sees a reduction of 10mm in ride height for better composure around corners. Electronic Stability Control and power steering systems have been reworked, too.
For cold countries, Ford is offering an optional Winter Pack with heated windscreen, heated mirrors and heated front seats. Going forward, Ford also wants to introduce sat-nav and Rear View Camera to the model
The changes made to the Euro-spec version will make it India in a couple of months. You may want to put your plans of buying the stylish compact SUV on hold, depending on whether you like that rear mounted spare wheel or don’t.