American carmaker Ford has been working on a facelift version of its compact SUV EcoSport for about a year. Test mules of the purported version have been snapped a couple of times in Brazil and the global unveiling was expected on November 8 at the Sao Paulo International Motor Show. However, Ford didn't bring the vehicle for the show.
Emerging reports indicates Ford reserved the new EcoSport's unveiling on November 14 in the US. The compact SUV will mark its entry to the homeland of the manufacturer on the same day. The new version will be limited to US market initially while India launch can be expected in mid-2017.
The design of the new EcoSport will be a blend of Ford's Edge and Kuga SUVs. Jeremy Schofield, manager of SUV communications at Ford, already stated that the new version of the compact SUV will have a similar face to its larger siblings. New EcoSport will get a revised large front grille with sharp edges that will be flanked by newly designed sweptback headlamps. The headlamp unit will also flaunt integrated daytime running lamps limited to top variants. The rear door mounted spare wheel, one of the highlights in the design of the current EcoSport will stay intact for South American and Asian regions, whereas the Euro-spec will do away with it.
The basic design of the dashboard will remain the same, while the instrument panel will get a new inlay. New steering wheel design, instrument panel and centre console can be expected. The SYNC 2 infotainment system will be updated to a more advanced Sync3 infotainment technology.
A new 1.5-litre "Dragon" three-cylinder naturally aspirated petrol engine has been linked with the new EcoSport. For India, current powertrains are expected to continue. EcoSport in India is sold with a 1.5-litre TDCi diesel engine, which is tuned to dish out 99bhp of power. The petrol mills are a 1.5-litre Ti-VCT and the 1.0-liter EcoBoost engine. An interesting addition will be all-wheel-drive system. Many reports say new EcoSport will have an off-road friendly version that will be equipped with 4WD system.
