VIDEO: Ford EcoSport review
The latest addition to Ford’s line-up in South Africa is a compact, 'urban' SUV called the EcoSport. Oh, and it’s not “Eeeko”sport, apparently, it’s “Echo”Sport.
The vehicle is essentially a Fiesta wearing sports kit - they’re calling it an “urban” SUV because it’s not a 4x4; it’s a front wheel drive.
What you get is a vehicle that looks like an offroader, but is essentially a hatchback with excellent ground clearance, good approach and departure angles and a very lofty ride height, something which motorists, especially women, are increasingly keen on - all the better to do battle in the traffic.
So while it wouldn’t be advisable to head into the bundu on very soft sand in this EcoSport, what you can comfortably tackle are the urban obstacles: pavements, potholes, speed bumps, “tar surface failures” - that sort of thing.
It’s built in India, and any car which can handle those roads is perfect for SA.
Here’s a bit of a quirk: Ford proudly reveals that this non-4x4 has a wading capability of 550mm - that’s about up to just below the side mirrors. That may seem a bit pointless on a car like this, but having been caught in a flash flood in Virginia one terrifying night last year, I have to say I find that quite a reassuring feature.
THE ENGINE
The big story of this car is under the bonnet - there are three engine choices but the most significant of them is the one in this model, the three-cylinder 1 litre turbo petrol which has won International Engine of the Year for two years running.
Yes, 1-litre. The same engine can also be found in the Fiesta EcoBoost, with a claimed average consumption of just 5.7 litres per 100 kays.
For an SUV, that’s remarkable.
And despite that tiny sounding engine, the EcoSport drives more like a traditional 1.6 litre, putting out 92kW of power and 170Nm of torque - far more impressive performance than that of the four cylinder 1.5 litre naturally aspirated engine.
There’s also a 1.5 litre turbo diesel in the range.
THE DRIVE
This little engine is mated to a five-speed manual gearbox, and behind the wheel it's very easy to get why this engine trumped all others to win that international award.
It is phenomenal!
I can’t bear underpowered engines which are hard work to drive and make you feel vulnerable in that you don’t have the power to overtake safely. But this is not one of those - it’s quite remarkable.
HANDLING
Despite its ride height, it doesn’t feel unstable in the corners. It’s got great electric assist power steering and an excellent turning circle and that, added to its compact proportions, makes it very nimble indeed, and great for getting into urban parking spaces.
LOAD SPACE
For a compact SUV, it’s got a lot of load space, a lot bigger, for example, than that of its direct competitor, the Nissan Juke.
Ford claims that a washing machine can fit in the back, and while I can’t claim to have put that to the test I can say that my two medium sized dogs were comfortable back there.
The load space is helped by the fact that the spare is bolted on to the back. The downside of that side opening tailgate, however, is that you need a lot of space behind the vehicle to get it fully open. So reversing into parking spaces is not recommended if you’ll be needing to load stuff in the back.
INTERIOR
The dash is very Fiesta like - that is, very busy. I had a good laugh at a comment posted by a reader on a car website - he said the dashboard “looks like pieces of Darth Vadar’s old helmets”, and he’s got a point.
But it’s all very functional, and packed with high-end spec such as Ford’s Synch system, which allows for Bluetooth smartphone integration, and reads your incoming emails aloud.
Given the general contents of my inbox, that’s not a perk.
The EcoSport also has the latest must-have fuel saving feature - stop-start, plus a cooled cubbyhole and a handy storage drawer under the front passenger seat.
The spec list also includes steering wheel mounted audio controls, cruise control with steering mounted controls, rain sensing wipers and a fuel/trip computer.
COST
This 1-lire Titanium model is R245 000, the entry level 1.5 Ambiente is R200 000 and the top of the range Diesel Titanium is R250 000.
VERDICT
A very well conceived, well priced vehicle, tapping perfectly into many motorists’ need for a tall, sporty looking car without all the major bundu bashing capability - easy to drive and park with ample power and really low fuel consumption.
I can’t see how it could fail.
THE NUMBERS
Engine: 1-litre turbo-charged, 3 cylinder EcoBoost engine Maximum power: 92kW @ 6000rpm Maximum torque: 170Nm @ 1400 - 4500rpm Fuel consumption: 5.7L/100km
CO2 emissions: 131g/km
PRICES
1.5 Ambiente - R199 000
1.0 EcoBoost Trend - R224 000
1.5 TDCi Trend - R229 000
1.0 EcoBoost Titanium - R244 000
1.5 Titanium PowerShift - R244 000
1.5 TDCi Titanium - R249 000
- Wendy Knowler