Ford EcoSport Crossover Facelift

The Ford EcoSport crossover has been around in India since 2013, after making its show debut at the 2012 Indian Auto Expo. Next year is about the right time for a mid life makeover for Ford India’s best seller. For Europe, a facelifted version, dubbed the EcoSport S, has already been showcased at Geneva 2015, with a launch expected to happen later this year. Here are a couple of speculative renders of the upcoming Ford EcoSport Facelift, which could hit car markets in 2016.

[Render: AutosSegredos]

The mid-life makeover for the EcoSport in India is likely to derive inspiration from the Ford Edge. A new front end with revised headlamps, bumper and grille could be the most prominent changes. A new alloy wheel design is likely to spruce up the profile of the crossover. While the EcoSport S variant meant specifically for Europe did away with the spare wheel on the hatch lid, the India-spec variant, even in facelifted guise, is likely to continue with the spare wheel at the rear.

[Render: RevistaAutoEsporte]

On the inside, new feature additions and slight cosmetic changes are likely. In mechanical terms, few changes are expected as the mid life makeover seems more like a cosmetic effort. An addition of a four wheel drive layout would give the EcoSport better cred in India. However, the chances of this panning out remain slim given the buyer profile of this crossover. The Ford crossover is doing quite well with its current line up of engines in both developed and developing car markets of the world.

The 1.5 liter TDCI turbo diesel motor equipped variants bring the bulk of the crossover’s sales in India. The 1 liter-3 cylinder EcoBoost turbo petrol motor serves in the flagship petrol variant while a 1.5 liter-4 cylinder Ti-VCT petrol that’s naturally aspirated serves on the more affordable petrol powered variant. The EcoSport is sold with a five speed manual gearbox as standard fare, with the 1.5 petrol variant getting a 6 speed twin automatic transmission option. All variants of the crossover that are currently sold in India are front wheel driven.