Ford EcoSport 2017 facelift spotted in India, rear-mounted spare wheel still intact

The new 2017 EcoSport is expected to be launched in India later this year. The EcoSport 2017 will be priced slightly higher than the current model in the market.

The launch of the new EcoSport SUV facelift is likely to happen only towards the end of the year, but the US auto Major Ford has already sent out the model for testing. What has come our way are probably the first spy shots of the new EcoSport in India.

From the images shared by Oncars.in, contrary to a widely held view, the new avatar of the compact SUV will still sport the tail-mounted spare wheel even though the auto maker has ditched the same in its new avatar in the global market.

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The EcoSport, which has had a runaway success in the Indian market, will boast a number of changes inside out in its facelifted avatar. From what we have known so far, the EcoSport facelift will get new front grille, replacing the current split grille, while the headlamp will remain as it is. There will also be reworked front and rear bumpers. The new EcoSport is expected to get upmarket interior with new infotainment system, with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto commands, new dashboard and steering wheel.

As far as the engine is concerned, the EcoSport facelift is likely to carry over the same engine from the current model. The EcoSport in India is currently powered by 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.

Recently, Ford launched a new platinum edition of the EcoSport in India with a price tag of Rs 10.39 lakh. The EcoSport new edition gets dual-tone exterior with black roof, 17-inch alloy wheels with wider tyres and front and rear bumper appliques. The highlight is the 8-inch touchscreen infotainment system with satellite navigation and a reverse-parking camera.