Ford launched the EcoSport facelift in November last year and we thought that would be the last update that the sub-4m SUV will receive before the next generation arrived. But it seems Ford has different plans as an all-new Titanium S variant of the EcoSport has been spotted at a dealership in Kerala.
The changes include the addition of a sunroof along with a front grille finished in dark grey and a dual-tone front bumper. The SUV also gets a blacked-out roof and rides on new 17-inch 5-spoke alloy wheels finished in grey. On the inside, there’s a new dual-tone dashboard with orange trim and seat upholstery with orange highlights. The rest of the interior remains the same as before, which includes a floating touchscreen infotainment system, a three-spoke multi-functional steering wheel and the rather plain looking twin-pod instrument cluster.
We spoke to a couple of dealers in Kerala to know if Ford is planning to introduce a new variant above the Titanium and Titanium+. However, all the dealers we contacted said that there were no plans for such a variant and that the car in the spy shots could have been an export-spec model that might have been procured for display purposes. However, dealers in Delhi said that a new Titanium S variant with a sunroof and 9-inch touchscreen unit is, in fact, on the cards and could be launched later this month or early-May.
However, what’s more interesting is that the car in the picture sported a 6-speed manual gearbox. The India-spec EcoSport is only available with a 5-speed manual with both the petrol and diesel engine options, whereas the UK-spec version gets a 6-speed manual mated to the 1.5-litre TDCi diesel engine and an all-wheel drive system! Now, that would be a cracker of a car to drive, wouldn’t it? If you are still looking for an SUV with a sunroof and a reasonable price tag, we suggest waiting for the updated Hyundai Creta, which will definitely pack this much sought-after feature.
In other news, Ford has hiked the prices of the existing model by Rs 5,000 to Rs 10,000 as it has added more features across variants. For example, all variants now get rear parking sensors, speed-sensing auto door lock and passenger seatbelt reminder. Apart from the base Ambiente, the Trend, Trend+ and Titanium variant now get a larger 9-inch touchscreen infotainment system and a rear parking camera. Earlier, the Trend and Trend+ variant featured a 6.5-inch touchscreen unit, whereas the Titanium got an 8-inch unit. The Titanium+, on the other hand, features the smaller 8-inch screen. Sadly, Ford has removed features such as SYNC 3, Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, ambient lighting and Ford My Key features that were earlier available with the Titanium variant. These features are now reserved for the top-spec Titanium+ only.
In India, the Ford EcoSport gets two engine options - a 1.5-litre, 3-cylinder petrol that puts out 123PS of power and 150Nm of torque, and a 1.5-litre, 4-cylinder diesel that produces 100PS and 205Nm. It competes against the Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza, Tata Nexon, Mahindra TUV300 and the Honda WR-V, among others.
Source: ZigWheels.com
