India-bound Ford EcoSport facelift revealed

Ford has taken the wraps off the updated EcoSport SUV. The 2017 Ford EcoSport was revealed ahead of its North American debut at the ensuing LA auto show 2016. The refreshed vehicle will make its way to India late next year.

As predicted in our computer-generated rendering a few days ago, the 2017 EcoSport gets all-new front styling. The grille is now a one-piece hexagonal unit as opposed to the two-piece design in the older model. The headlamps and the fog lamps get new design, so does the front bumper. The new-look EcoSport's styling now brings it more in line with the modern-day Ford SUVs such as the recently-updated Ford Kuga, which is on sale internationally.

The new EcoSport carries on with most of its current design elements when viewed from the sides, save for the new-look alloy wheels. Moving to the back, the North American-spec car gets similar styling to the European model, with no spare wheel mounted on the tailgate. The tailgate-mounted spare wheel is a popular feature in India, and is likely to stay on Asia-bound models of the car.

The interior too gets a noticeable makeover. Ford has revised a lot of the control surfaces around the cabin. The basic design of the dashboard is similar to that of the old car, but now features a new layout for the centre console, a new instrument cluster and steering, and a body coloured inserts – the current car features silver-finished surfaces inside the cabin.

The revised centre console is crowned by Ford’s SYNC 3 touchscreen infotainment system – a big departure from the current button-operated screen in the car on sale in India. The centre air-con vents are now positioned lower on the centre console, while the centre-stack gets revised air-con controls along with an asymmetrical design.

Mechanically, the EcoSport will be offered with the familiar 1.0-litre three-cylinder EcoBoost engine alongside a larger 2.0-litre four-cyinder unit paired to a six-speed automatic gearbox. The biggest talking point here though, is the inclusion of an all-wheel drive system for the larger engine. For India though, the engines are likely to remain unchanged from the current car.

With this update, Ford aims to regain its share in the booming compact SUV market, where you also have rivals like the Vitara Brezza and the Mahindra TUV300.