2016 Ford Ecosport model discards tailgate mounted spare wheel

The Ford EcoSport is India’s highest selling compact SUV. The vehicle is sold in many other countries as well. At the ongoing Geneva Motor Show, Ford has showcased the 2016 EcoSport that comes with many small yet significant changes. While cosmetic changes are far and few, there are some important mechanical updates. Also, the most important change is the fact that the EcoSport now misses out on a tailgate mounted spare wheel. 2016 onwards, the spare wheel will be placed in its usual position, i.e. under the boot. The rear number plate also moves its position from the rear bumper to the tail gate. The compact SUV now looks like a large hatchback.

The 2016 Ford EcoSport comes with a host of changes in the interiors. The instrument cluster now gets a tweaked design with chrome surrounds and light dimming function. The power window switches to get chrome surrounds now. The pedals are now installed around tighter seals while Ford has made use of thicker damping materials for the doors and bonnet. Apart from all this, the new EcoSport gets a SatNav system and a rear view camera. Some other new features include heated windscreen, heated ORVMs and heated seats and these features are unlikely to make it to Indian models.

As far as mechanicals go, the suspension of the Ford EcoSport has been tweaked and it gets a retuned rear twist beam and new spring and damper rates which help give better stability to the chassis. The ground clearance is now decreased by 10 mm. The power steering system and Electronic Stability Control (ESC) system have also been optimised for better performance now. The engines have been upgraded to Euro 6.1 emission standards and hence the TDCI diesel engine produces an extra 5 PS of power. The updated Ford EcoSport will be launched in India too and prices might be hiked by a small amount for all variants.