Ford India has officially introduced a new variant – the Thunder – to its EcoSport line-up and has reduced prices of all other variants of the compact SUV; prices now start at Rs 7.69 lakh and goes up to Rs 11.33 lakh. Autocar India had reported on the upcoming Ford EcoSport Thunder and the re-jigged variant line-up a few days ago.
Concerning the price drop, Ford claims that an increased level of localisation has helped reduced the overall prices, the benefits of which have been passed to potential customers. The table below has the revised variant-wise prices:
| Ford EcoSport variant-wise prices (ex-showroom, Delhi) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Variant | New EcoSport | Old EcoSport | ||
| 1.5L TiVCT Petrol MT Ambiente | Rs 7.69 lakh | Rs 7.83 lakh | ||
| 1.5L TiVCT Petrol MT Trend | Rs 8.49 lakh | Rs 8.57 lakh | ||
| 1.5L TiVCT Petrol MT Titanium | Rs 9.28 lakh | Rs 9.57 lakh | ||
| 1.5L TiVCT Petrol MT Thunder | Rs 10.18 lakh | - | ||
| 1.5L TiVCT Petrol MT Titanium+ | Rs 10.18 lakh | Rs 10.53 lakh | ||
| 1.5L TiVCT Petrol AT Titanium+ | Rs 11.08 lakh | Rs 11.37 lakh | ||
| 1.0L TiVCT EcoBoost S | Rs 10.83 lakh | Rs 11.38 lakh | ||
| 1.5L TDCi Diesel MT Ambiente | Rs 8.19 lakh | Rs 8.43 lakh | ||
| 1.5L TDCi Diesel MT Trend | Rs 8.99 lakh | Rs 9.17 lakh | ||
| 1.5L TDCi Diesel MT Titanium | Rs 9.78 lakh | Rs 10.15 lakh | ||
| 1.5L TDCi Diesel MT Thunder | Rs 10.68 lakh | - | ||
| 1.5L TDCi Diesel MT Titanium+ | Rs 10.68 lakh | Rs 11.05 lakh | ||
| 1.5L TDCi Diesel MT S | Rs 11.33 lakh | Rs 11.90 lakh | ||
Nonetheless, the timing of the drop in EcoSport prices is suspicious, especially in light of the recently launched (and quite well priced) Hyundai Venue. Whether this gambit will help Ford EcoSport’s sales in the long-term is yet unknown.
Here’s how the 2019 Ford EcoSport compares to its compact SUV rivals on price:
| 2019 Ford EcoSport vs rivals: Prices | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EcoSport | Venue | XUV300 | Nexon | Brezza | |
| Petrol-MT | Rs 7.69-10.83 lakh | Rs 6.50-10.60 lakh | Rs 7.90-11.64 lakh | Rs 6.49-9.35 lakh | - |
| Petrol-AT | Rs 11.08 lakh | Rs 9.35-11.11 lakh | - | Rs 7.84-9.95 lakh | - |
| Diesel-MT | Rs 8.19-11.33 lakh | Rs 7.75-10.84 lakh | Rs 8.49-12.14 lakh | Rs 7.49-10.20 lakh | Rs 7.68-10.65 lakh |
| Diesel-AT | - | - | - | Rs 8.84-10.90 lakh | Rs 8.70-10.43 lakh |
Coming to the Thunder variant, it is technically a replacement for the now defunct Signature trim and is priced at Rs 10.18 lakh for the petrol model and Rs 10.68 lakh for the diesel.
While the EcoSport Thunder looks nearly identical to higher-spec variants of the compact SUV, it also gets dark inserts on the headlamp cluster, blacked-out fog lamp bezels, grille and wing mirrors, new 17-inch alloy wheels, a dual-tone bonnet, and decals on the doors.
The interiors of the new variant are also slightly different – the dual-tone cabin sports cognac (brown) accents on the front seats, door panels, central console and instrument panel. In terms of features, an electric sunroof and a 9.0-inch infotainment system are standard. While Ford’s excellent Sync3 system is not available on this infotainment system, it does get embedded navigation, voice commands and other in-car connectivity features.
Under the bonnet, Ford offers either the 123hp, 1.5-litre petrol or the 100hp, 1.5-litre diesel engine option. Unlike the EcoSport Titanium and S variants, the Thunder does not get an automatic option or the 125hp, 1.0-litre EcoBoost turbo-petrol motor.
All prices, ex-showroom, Delhi
*Mahindra and Hyundai prices are ex-showroom, India
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