Ford India has launched the alll-new EcoSport compact SUV at a starting price of Rs. 6.79 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi). The new car retains the assertive front-end but now gets revised head-lamps with day-time running LEDs.

Though the upcoming car’s design and dimensions remains largely unchanged, the list of other changes on the new EcoSport include a refurbished design for the skid plate and 17-inch alloy wheels. Most importantly, the SUV will retain its ground-clearance of 200mm and the spare wheel mounted on the rear door. The cabin preserves the current model’s design, but sees the addition of a handful of new comfort and convenience features like the electrochromic mirror that automatically deflects a beam of light from trailing vehicles to minimise obstruction to drivers.

Ford India will also introduce a new trim-level in the 2016 Ford EcoSport line-up – Trend+. Furthermore, the Titanium (O) variant will be renamed to Titanium+.

“With more than 200,000 proud owners and counting, Ford EcoSport has successfully created a benchmark and continues to be received extremely well for its quality and value package across the globe,” said Nigel Harris, president and managing director, Ford India. He further added, “Ahead of the festive season, we have made our clever, compact SUV even more stylish with a host of smart features and enhanced power to delight consumers.”

The new EcoSport will be available in a new colour called Golden Bronze with 7 others including Mars Red, Diamond White, Panther Black, Kinetic Blue, Moondust Silver, Chill Metallic, and Smoke Grey.

Moving on to the new Ford EcoSport’s engine options, the carmaker continues to offer the compact SUV with a choice of 3 options: the 1.5-litre TDCi diesel, the 1.0-litre EcoBoost petrol, and the 1.5-litre Ti-VCT petrol. While the performance numbers of the petrol motors are the same, the diesel engine has been retuned to deliver improved performance.

This slightly different tuning of the diesel engine affects its mileage too; the new model’s ARAI mileage is 22.27Km/l, whereas that of the old model was 22.67Km/l. As far as EcoSport’s transmission options go, a 5-speed manual is the standard provision with the option of a 6-speed Powershift on the 1.5-litre Ti-VCT petrol.