The Ford EcoSport is the most talked about vehicle in the market today, and the expectations from it are huge. People have seen the EcoSport, of course, and many have felt it up close too thanks to Ford's aggressive pre-launch promotions. And though, it would be a little too soon to pass a judgement on its on road performance, we can still size it up on paper. And what better vehicles to put it up against than its immediate competition. Enter the Renault Duster and the Mahindra Quanto. Let the paper wars begin...
DOES SIZE MATTER?
It does, and more so in the SUV class. But equally important is the styling, the road presence and the butch appeal. And on this count, the Mahindra Quanto sees itself bringing up the rear. It has the height and width, no doubt; it also sits on a handsomely long wheelbase. But in a bid to avail excise benefits meant for small cars, its sub-4 metre length leaves it looking ungainly. The Renault Duster ticks all the right boxes in this regard. It has the butch styling, the presence and the size to lure in even the non-believers. No wonder it has taken the market by storm and has helped Renault register sales figures of over 5,000 units a month consistently.
The Ford EcoSport, like the Quanto measures less than 4-metres in length; if we were to ignore the tailgate mounted spare wheel, that is. With the spare wheel, the EcoSport measures 4241mm. Thankfully though the Ford designers have done a commendable job in making the EcoSport look both palatable and handsome. It also measures 2057mm (with the ORVMs) in width and stands 1696mm tall giving it a proportionate stance. To boot, the narrow headlamps combined with the large lower grille area, and flared out wheelarches help hugely towards competing a butch look. In terms of street creed then, the Ford EcoSport easily beats the Quanto and runs the Duster very close.
