The soon to be launched EcoSport, looks striking in flesh and is a mid-life update. It offers the car an all-new face and interiors have been completely redone. In this segment, EcoSport would compete with the more established rivals like the Maruti Brezza, which is also the best seller, and the Tata Nexon which has managed to woo the buyers so far, pretty well. So, would the new EcoSport be a hit? We do a specification comparison and find out.
Design and Exterior
The Nexon looks striking whichever way you look at it. The wide grille of the Nexon has a family signature and resembles other products from the Tata family. The Ford EcoSport too, which now has a completely redesigned front end, manages to look quite fresh. EcoSport gets redesigned and wider headlamps, a single, wide grille. Turn indicator, now find a place on the bumper beside the fog lamps.
The high-set lamps at the front and flared wheel arches give Nexon a lot of character. Other notable design features are the sloping roofline and plastic white highlights along the window line, at the back and around the fog lamps which make the car look quite distinct. The Brezza, by all means, look understated and extremely plain in comparison to the other two. Even EcoSport has a SUVish stance and manages to look quite butch with its tailgate-mounted spare wheel (which the other two do not offer).
| Dimensions and Capacities | Tata Nexon | Maruti Vitara Brezza | Ford EcoSport |
|---|---|---|---|
| Length | 3994 mm | 3995 mm | 3998 mm |
| Width | 1811 mm | 1790 mm | 1765 mm |
| Height | 1607 mm | 1640 mm | 1647 mm |
| Wheelbase | 2498 mm | 2500 mm | 2519 mm |
| Ground clearance | 209 mm | 198 mm | 200 mm |
| Boot capacity | 350 litre (up to 690 litre) | 328 litre | 352 litre (up to 1178 litre) |
All three cars offer projector headlamps, ORVMs with integrated turn indicators and a good amount of ground clearance (coveted by all in this segment). Nexon sits 209mm from the ground is most capable when it comes taking a bad tarmac, it’s further helped by the shortest wheelbase of 2498mm.
Nexon, however, is widest of them all at 1811mm and is heaviest too. EcoSport and Brezza too sit quite tall with the ground clearance close to 200mm. Since you don’t get a 4x4 option in any of these cars, so, you really can’t do serious off-roading in any of them.
Interiors and Features
When it comes to Tata Nexon interior, its cabin is equipped with a 6.5-inch touchscreen display, climate control system and rear AC vents. It offers an outstanding eight-speaker music system from Harman that takes the cake. Other segment first features include umbrella holder and driving modes that let you choose between Eco, City and Sport. Nexon’s cabin is also smartly designed and offers lots of places to keep your odds and ends, the boot, in particular, can accommodate 350 litres of luggage which is superior to Brezza which can accommodate only 328 litres. Nexon is now even more capacious and has upped the capacity from 346 litres to 352 litres.
EcoSport offers six airbags with the top of the line variant and has an edge over the others in terms of safety. Common features like parking sensors with camera, Bluetooth connectivity, steering mounted controls, start-stop button etc. are present in the case of all of these cars.
| Features | Tata Nexon | Maruti Vitara Brezza | Ford EcoSport |
|---|---|---|---|
| Airbags | 2 | 2 | 6 |
| ABS | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Cruise Control | ✘ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Infotainment System | Touchscreen + Bluetooth + USB + Android Auto + AUX + Navigation | Touchscreen + Bluetooth + USB + AUX + Navigation + Android Auto + Apple CarPlay | Touchscreen + Bluetooth + USB + AUX + Apple CarPlay + Android Auto |
| Brake Assist | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Tyre Pressure Monitoring System | ✘ | ✘ | ✔ |
| Sensing wipers | ✘ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Rear-AC vents | ✔ | ✘ | ✘ |
While you get rain sensing wipers, cruise control and automatic headlamps in the case of the Brezza and EcoSport, the Nexon gives all of them a miss. EcoSport is also the first car in this category to offer a TPMS (Tyre Pressure Monitoring System). Vitara Brezza interior look plain, the infotainment system, however, supports Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.Nexon also offers support for Android Auto to start with and will add Apple CarPlay later on. The new SYNC system in the case of EcoSport offers support for Android Auto as well as Apple CarPlay, and a total of 7 speakers all-around provide great sound quality too.
Engine and Transmission
EcoSport has the same 1.5-litre diesel motor and a 1.5-litre petrol motor on offer, however, 1.5-litre petrol is a three-pot motor now instead of four and gets the codename ‘Dragon’. The diesel pumps out 100PS of power and 205Nm of torque.
While you don’t get an automatic in case of Nexon as yet, EcoSport offers a torque converter with 1.5-litre petrol. Nexon employs a 6-speed MT for both the motors and has an edge when it comes to high-speed cruising.
Nexon uses a new 1.5-litre, four-cylinder diesel motor that puts out a healthy 111PS of power and 260Nm of torque. Petrol motor in case of the Nexon also utilises a three-cylinder construction like the EcoSport. Nexon’s motor also employs a turbo which lets it put out 111PS of power and 170Nm of torque despite the smaller 1.2-litre capacity. Still, the petrol isn’t as powerful as the EcoSport motor that puts out an impressive 123PS of power and manages without a turbo. However, Nexon’s petrol motor develops 170Nm of torque while EcoSport develops 150Nm.| Engine and Gearbox | Tata Nexon | Maruti Vitara Brezza | Ford EcoSport |
|---|---|---|---|
| Engine capacity | 1.5 L (D) / 1.2 L (P) | 1.3 L (D) | 1.5 L (D) / 1.5 L (P) |
| Gearbox | 6 MT / 6 MT | 5 MT | 5 MT / 5 MT & 6 AT |
| Power | 111PS / 111PS | 90PS | 100PS / 123PS |
| Torque | 260Nm / 170Nm | 200Nm | 205Nm / 150Nm |
| Mileage (Kmpl) | -- | 24.3kmpl | 23kmpl / 17kmpl MT & 14.8kmpl AT |
Vitara Brezza neither gets a petrol and nor does it offer an automatic at the moment. It gets a Fiat-sourced 1.3-litre diesel motor that’s been tuned to put out 90PS of power and 200Nm of torque, it comes coupled with a five-speed manual transmission, and since Brezza has a weight advantage, the motor performs better than what you would expect.
Verdict
Nexon comes across as a great overall package, it looks smashing and bold. Perhaps, therefore, it has been able to position itself rather well among competitors within no time. But credit where it’s due, it’s the Tata’s price that’s the key to its success and Nexon clearly offers great value among all. However, it does have some weak points, lack of cruise control system is one of them.
Brezza despite being a great product in terms of sales may not be immune for long since competition now has really capable products on their hands. Lack of automatic and petrol motor make it further vulnerable. Overall, if you are in the market, and do not wish to compromise on features and are willing to spend a little extra, the EcoSport is the best option you can go with. It’s loaded with equipment, drives well and is the last word when it comes to safety. If you are on a somewhat tighter budget, we would suggest you go with the Tata Nexon in that case.
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