Ford India has commenced road-testing of another update to its EcoSport compact SUV. The refreshed EcoSport will most likely see a price announcement later this year. We bring you the expected updates.
- Another styling update for EcoSport to come later this year
- Will get spruced up interiors and more features as well
- No mechanical changes are expected
Ford EcoSport facelift: What to expect?
Fresh spy images suggest the EcoSport will get a major rework to its nose. While the test-mule seen in these spy pictures is still heavily covered, what it clearly shows is that the front bumper and grille will get styling updates. The updated Ford EcoSport's front bumper now somewhat mimic the one that is available on the larger Territory crossover sold overseas. It gets triangular fog lamp housings that will continue to come with round fog lamps but will have angular LED daytime running lamps surrounding these units. These LED lamps will also serve as turn indicators. The refreshed EcoSport's grille will get minor styling tweaks too, while the grille shape will be more or less the same, we expect the inserts to be of different design, there could be more than one option, depending on the variant. The headlamps are expected to remain the same however they could get some re-profiling too.
On the inside, we expect Ford to spruce up the SUV's interior with newer textures and more features. There are no mechanical changes expected on the facelifted EcoSport, which means the 1.5-litre petrol and the 1.5-litre diesel engine will continue to solider on. A 1.2-litre turbo-petrol from Mahindra was on the cards however those plans are now shelved thanks to the fall out between Ford and Mahindra's strategic partnership earlier this year.
The EcoSport has been around since 2013 and has received a long list of features, equipment, styling and mechanical updates every now and then to stay competitive in the ever-growing compact SUV market in India. While the SUV is almost a decade old, it still remains one of the important products for the Ford brand globally, and more so in India which is one of the mother plants for the EcoSport. The made-in-India EcoSport is being exported to multiple markets including North America. Ford recently began exporting the EcoSport to Argentina as well where the model seems to continue to be in high demand.
The refreshed EcoSport that we see in these spy shots could make it to Ford showrooms sometime later this year and will also be exported to other markets.
Key rivals to the EcoSport will include the recently updated Hyundai Venue, Tata Nexon, Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza, Toyota Urban Cruiser, Kia Sonet, Nissan Kicks and the Renault Kiger.
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