Spec Comparison: Ford EcoSport Vs Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza Vs Tata Nexon Vs Honda WR-V

The Ford EcoSport is no longer the lone wolf in the compact SUV/crossover segment. So, we're pitting it against its competition in this contest called Four Under Four.

Dimensions

The competitors here are all equally long but not equally wide. The Honda WR-V is the narrowest of the bunch while the Tata Nexon is the widest. A wider body usually results in better shoulder room, and the Nexon is the best here at accommodating three in the rear seat.

The Tata Nexon continues to impress with its ground clearance. Under its own weight, it maintains a clearance of 209mm from earth. The Honda WR-V once again disappoints with its lowest ground clearance.

The WR-V bounces back with the longest wheelbase and hence, packs the most amount of legroom. In this department, the EcoSport manages to deliver the least amount of space for your knees despite having a longer wheelbase than the Vitara Brezza and the Nexon.

The Brezza and the WR-V are the lightest of the lot, and it shows in their fuel efficiency figures. The WR-V also has the biggest boot but the smallest fuel tank. The petrol variants will need to stop quite often for a fill-up.

Bigger shoes help deliver an imposing stance, and the WR-V once again falls short as it has the narrowest contact patch. The Nexon has the widest tyres while the EcoSport gets a middle-of-the-road rubber width around the biggest alloy wheels.

Engine

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In the petrol land, the EcoSport makes a mark with its new 1.5-litre motor that replaces the older 1.5-litre and the turbocharged 1.0-litre EcoBoost engine. It delivers good power and torque figures but the Nexon's smaller turbocharged mill makes the most torque quite low in the rev band. That makes it an easy car to drive around in the city.

The WR-V's lighter weight is not enough to cope with the limited power and torque figures coming from the normally aspirated 1.2-litre petrol engine. Honda claims to have tweaked the lower gears for better pep at city speeds, which certainly helps to a great extent.

The EcoSport is the only one here to offer an automatic, and a 6-speed one at that. The dual-clutch box has made way for the more polished and reliable torque converter unit. But, don't expect a healthy efficiency figure from this combo if you're planning to spend time with it in crawling traffic.

The Nexon has the longest legs (6-speed) that complement its flat torque curve. It requires fewer gear changes in the city and is a capable highway cruiser. The Nexon is also the most affordable here, and by a healthy margin. It's difficult to even justify the WR-V's price tag since it has the least amount of power and the highest starting price tag.

A 1.2-litre petrol engine would not have done justice to the Vitara Brezza while the 1.4-litre motor would've made it pricier. Maruti Suzuki is, of course, aware of that and therefore made the Brezza available with only an oil burner. It feels underpowered below 2000rpm but offers strong acceleration once the turbo kicks in. A lighter body also helps it deliver a healthy fuel efficiency figure that's second only to the WR-V.

Similarly, the EcoSport and the WR-V have a familiar feel and adequate performance. The WR-V’s lightweight body and 6-speed gearbox help it record an impressive fuel efficiency figure of 25.5kmpl. The Tata Nexon's brand new engine dishes out the best power and torque and it also comes with a 6-speed gearbox. It only falls short in the efficiency department but makes up for that with its aggressive price tag.

Features

The top trims of all four contenders have dual airbags, ABS, climate control, cruise control, front armrest, reversing camera, tilt steering, keyless entry and push-button start. It must be noted, though, that only the top trim of the WR-V with the diesel engine gets the cruise control, keyless entry and push-button start/stop. The petrol engine is not a mile muncher, so we understand why it doesn't get cruise control. But why Honda didn't give it the convenience of getting in and rolling off without reaching for the pocket is beyond us.

A touchscreen infotainment system is also common between the four but the size varies. The WR-V and Brezza have a 7.0-inch display; the EcoSport has the biggest screen measuring 8.0 inches diagonally while the Nexon's display is the smallest at 6.5 inches.

The WR-V also misses out on Android Auto, Apple CarPlay, parking sensors, projector headlamps and a rear armrest; all of which are available in the other three cars. (The Nexon will soon get Apple CarPlay with a software update.) It does get a telescopic steering and an electric sunroof. Considering our climatic conditions, whether punching a hole in the roof and covering it up with a slab of glass makes sense or not is a debate we'll have to postpone. But we can all agree that it gives the car an upmarket appeal, no matter which side of the glass you look at.

The Nexon's list of exclusives includes rear AC vents and an 8-speaker Harman audio system while the others settle with six speakers. Both the EcoSport and the Brezza get automatic headlamps and wipers, but out of the two, only the American crossover here gets puddle lamps, auto-dimming mirror, telescopic steering and six airbags.

Verdict

The Honda WR-V is the underdog in this race as it appears to offer less for more. Not only is its feature list the shortest, but it also packs an underpowered petrol engine and the narrowest body that also sits closest to the ground. Its diesel engine is clattery but frugal and easy to drive. Besides that, the sunroof is its only saving grace.

The Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza ticks all the right boxes that are in line with what consumers want and expect out of a car in this class. It also seems underpowered standing among its peers but it delivers adequate punch above 2000rpm while also giving phenomenal fuel efficiency. An extensive dealer and service network along with powertrain sharing with pretty much all of Maruti's lineup makes it the car that's least likely to wait for spares and never too far from an authorised service station. It's easy to see why it instantly became the champion of the compact SUV segment.

The new Ford EcoSport is the one with most features while its design is already a hit among buyers. Both its engines are now equally capable, and we get all of that without a price hike. Yay! It'd have been easier to recommend the Ford EcoSport if it wasn't for the Tata Nexon.

None of these cars is actually an SUV; these are hatchbacks on steroids. Tata knows that it's competing against crossovers, and the Nexon is the only one not trying to look like an SUV. It just gives us more of what we want and packs the best-in-class ground clearance. This is crossover done right.

At least on paper, the Nexon delivers way more than what its price tag would suggest. A futuristic design, pair of powerful engines, spacious cabin, fairly long list of features and a price tag that's hard to resist makes it the winner of this spec comparo.