Maruti Vitara Brezza vs Ford EcoSport comparison

A mere two days after Maruti launched the Vitara Brezza and the compact SUV became the talk of the town, rival Ford did the best (or worst?) thing to divert some of the attention back to its own EcoSport.
It cut prices. And by no small measure, mind you. Diesel EcoSports, for instance, cost a whopping 
Rs 1.12 lakh less than before. The new pricing means there’s little difference between EcoSport and Brezza prices now. The top-spec Ford EcoSport 1.5 diesel Titanium+ costs Rs 9.75 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi) while the fully loaded Brezza ZDi+ comes in at Rs 9.68 lakh.

We picked the Ford EcoSport as our Car of the Year 2014 and know it’s a brilliant package. Mechanical and cosmetic updates for 2016 have made it better still. Question is, could a cheeky Ford and its EcoSport spoil the well-rounded Vitara Brezza and Maruti’s party? There’s only one way to find out.

Valley run

The duo come together for the first time on the serpentine roads that lead up to Aamby Valley City near Lonavala. And in the very first few minutes, the EcoSport takes the lead on the scoring sheet. If you’ve been a regular Autocar India reader, you’d know why. The EcoSport’s sharp steering, agility and excellent body control have always brought a smile to our faces and things are no different today. It’s an exciting compact SUV to drive with a level of driver engagement you just don’t get on the Vitara Brezza. Sure, the Maruti turns into corners with confidence, grips well and there’s no undue body roll to report of, but the Brezza is simply no match for the Ford on steering feel and front-end bite. The duo is evenly matched on ride comfort and both have an underlying firmness. However, on the rougher bits of road, it’s the EcoSport’s suspension that has mildly more compliance.

The Ford also has the slight advantage on the uphill and low-speed sections of the drive. Its updated 1.5-litre diesel engine that now makes a strong 100hp at 3,750rpm and 205Nm from 1,750-3,250rpm pulls that crucial bit better at low revs. There’s a wider spread of power, which is delivered in a more linear and progressive manner and this greatly helps in town. The net effect is that at slower speeds, you don’t have to constantly work the slightly mechanical-feeling five-speed gearbox to stay in the powerband.

Gearshifts are no better on the Vitara (though it has the lighter clutch) but drivers will have to pay more attention to being in the right gear at low revs. There’s not much power to play with under 2,000rpm and the 90hp and 200Nm 1.3-litre diesel engine doesn’t feel as alert as the Ford unit when starting out. However, when you rev past the 2,000rpm mark, the engine comes alive. The mid-range is strong and what’s more, there’s a proper 5,000rpm-plus top-end too. This makes overtaking on the highway more effortless than in the EcoSport whose engine neither revs as quickly nor as hard. In fact, the mid-range surge in power is the reason why the Vitara is marginally quicker from 20-80kph in third gear and 40-100kph in fourth gear despite its slower initial/low rpm responses. The Vitara is the faster of the two compact SUVs in the 0-100kph dash too, taking 12.96 seconds to the EcoSport’s 13.67 seconds time. What undoubtedly helps the Vitara’s performance everywhere are its more favourable power-to-weight and torque-to-weight ratios. It may be 10hp down on the EcoSport, but the Vitara also weighs a substantial 95kg less. Unfortunately, the Vitara feels lighter too. The body doesn’t give the same impression of solidity as the EcoSport’s structure.

SUVs they may be, but with power channelled solely to the front, this pair won’t manage to go too far off-road. Still, it’s reassuring to know they have plenty of ground clearance.