One of the original fire starters of the Compact SUV segment in India, it was the Ford Ecosport’s success which made others come up with competing products. In an effort to regain its popularity and take on improved and increased competition, a refreshed Ford Ecosport will make its debut in India during the upcoming festive season.
It is no longer a secret that the fascia and some other parts of the Ecosport have undergone minor changes. The design as a whole is still unmistakably similar to the original, and that’s not a bad thing because the Ford Ecosport still looks trendy and can hold its own against the competition. Inside, the new Ecopsort will get some new bells and whistles, along with a different layout for the centre console and a new infotainment system.
However, the big news is that the facelifted model will be squeezed with some 3-cylinder, petrol powered zing that will replace the existing 4-cylinder, 1.5-litre petrol unit. One of the motors from Ford’s new ‘Dragon’ series, India has been selected as the Global manufacturing base for the new power plant range. Initially, the ‘Dragon’ range will consist of a 1.5-litre and 1.2-litre, 3-cylinder petrol powered engines. The former is said to be good for nearly 120 bhp and will propel the new Ecosport as well as a new Honda City rival that is in the pipeline.
The 1.2-litre motor will help Ford’s bread-and-butter models to gain tax benefits meant for cars powered by small capacity motors. It could also power the upcoming Ecosport’s lower variants and fit itself in the bays of the Aspire and Figo facelifts which are still a long time away. Both motors are said to be state-of-the-art and will be designed to meet stricter emission norms of the future. The all-aluminium range of engines will be manufactured at Ford’s Sanand plant in Gujarat and are said to be 10% lighter than the current gen ‘Sigma’ motors they will replace.
Source: Autocar