Ford EcoSport First Drive and Review

Ford has marched into the compact SUV market with the all-new EcoSport. Nicely styled, practical and with an engine choice which includes the reigning “International Engine Of The Year”- the 1.0-litre, three-cylinder EcoBoost - the EcoSport ticks all the boxes for buyers in this competitive segment.

Price is one of those boxes and, with the range starting at $20,790, Ford’s all-new EcoSport certainly commands attention.

Previous generations of the Ford EcoSport have been sold exclusively in South America but, with global sales of compact SUVs sky-rocketing, the all-new version is a global model. Australia is very much part of the action – SUV sales here are up by 8.0 per-cent this year and now account for 29.3 per-cent of our total new car market (and compact SUV sales have grown a staggering 22 per-cent so far this year).

Ford EcoSport Overview

EcoSports for the Asia-Pacific market come from Ford’s giant plant in Chennai, India – but that’s just part of this international vehicle’s story. While the 1.5-litre, four-cylinder engine is made in India, the 1.0-litre, three-cylinder EcoBoost engine is assembled in Romania and the six-speed PowerShift automatic transmission is manufactured in Mexico.

Ford EcoSport is a five-door compact SUV with some significant off-road ability – ground clearance is 200mm and it can wade through water 550mm deep.

The newcomer is available in Ford’s usual model range – entry-level Ambiente (exclusively 1.5-litre, four-cylinder engine), mid-grade Trend (1.5-litre and 1.0-litre engines) and range-topping Titanium (also 1.5-litre or 1.0-litre).

The full range is

Ambiente manual $20,790

Ambiente automatic $22,790

Trend 1.0-litre manual $22,290

Trend 1.5-litre automatic $24,290

Titanium 1.0-litre manual $25,790

Titanium 1.5-litre automatic $27,790

Ford EcoSport Engine

Ford’s turbocharged, 1.0-litre, three-cylinder EcoBoost petrol engine has been the ‘International Engine Of The Year’ for the last two years for good reason – its remarkable engineering delivering real-world benefits in terms of fuel consumption and performance. No wonder Ford has 125 global patents on it.

One of those is its balance. Normally three cylinder engines are unbalanced (with two pistons heading one direction and one piston heading opposite) but Ford has cleverly offset that imbalance by altering the balance of other components to suit - so it is impressively refined.

With direct fuel injection and a small turbocharger to minimize lag, the 1.0-litre EcoBoost delivers maximum power of 92kW at 6000rpm and the torque curve is very flat – 170Nm from 1400-4500rpm. Best of all, combined cycle fuel consumption is rated at 5.7l/100kms (the EcoBoost is only offered with a five-speed manual transmission).

Ford EcoSport also comes with the 1.5-litre, four-cylinder petrol engine driving via either a five-speed manual or six-speed Powershift automatic. Maximum power is 82kW at 6300rpm, peak torque of 140Nm arrives at 4400rpm and combined cycle fuel consumption scores 6.5l/100kms.

Yes, that’s correct, the diminutive three-cylinder offers more grunt and reduced fuel consumption that the 1.5-litre engine. However with a cast iron block compared to an alloy block in the 1.5-litre engine, the three-cylinder actually tips the scales a few kilos heavier.

Ford EcoSport The Interior

There’s a Ford family similarity about the EcoSport’s interior with a slick dashboard design and nice driving position (steering wheel adjusts for rake and reach). The cars we drove were all finished to a very high quality with some soft-touch materials and plastics finished in geometric ‘square flex’ rather than the usual imitation leather.

Ford SYNC infotainment connectivity is standard across the range and includes emergency assistance. We’ve heard this was graphically illustrated at the EcoSport’s global media launch in Goa, India when an international journalist was involved in a major crash and Ford SYNC’s emergency assistance had an ambulance on the scene within 10 minutes.

Entry-level Ford EcoSport Ambiente and mid-grade Trend run cloth trim, while range-topping Titanium adds leather seats and leather-wrap for the steering wheel and gear lever.

Rear seat passengers sit high and leg-room is on-par with others in this segment. A nice touch for family buyers is a rear-seat power socket (youngsters need to keep their phones and iPods charged on the road too).

Luggage capacity is 346-litres with all seats in-place but Ford EcoSport runs multiple fold-flat options which can boost this capacity to 705-litres.

Ford EcoSport Exterior And Styling

Nick Eterovic, from Ford’s Asia-Pacific styling team was on-hand for the EcoSport media launch and he explained the challenge when designing compact SUVs to be strong and purposeful – the result can be a ‘cartoon’ version of larger SUVs. Not so the Ford EcoSport which successfully blends compact proportions with some Ford ‘SUV Family’ cues from the larger Kuga and Territory models.

We particularly like the bold front-end and blacked-out B-pillars (makes the glasshouse look larger). Some may question the external spare wheel at the rear but that’s very popular in Brazil which is EcoSport’s biggest market and does provide extra cargo space.

And the curved shape is aerodynamic with the latest EcoSport scoring a drag cD of 0.37 (10 per-cent better than the previous model which was not sold here).

Entry-level Ford EcoSport Ambiente runs a black-finish front grille and 15-inch steel wheels. Mid-grade Trend steps-up with front fog-lights, 16-inch alloy wheels, satin-finish front grille and black roof rails, while range-topping Titanium is identified by a different design of 16-inch alloys, chrome front grille and silver-finish roof rails.

Ford EcoSport On The Road

Despite being front-wheel-drive, a 4WD model is sold in Brazil so the Ford EcoSport presents some surprising off-road ability. As well as the previously mentioned 200mm ground clearance and 550mm wading depth, Ford's compact SUV affords an approach angle of 25-degrees, ramp breakover angle of 25-degrees and a departure angle of 35-degrees.

Also useful when off-road - but just as handy when all you're conquering is the car-park at the local mall - is Ford EcoSport’s tiny 10.6-metre turning circle.

Front suspension is McPherson strut while the rear runs a semi-independent twist beam design.

During one day on a mixture of Melbourne’s suburban and rural roads, including some dirt sections, we tried Ford EcoSport with both 1.0-litre and 1.5-litre engines. Our favourite was definitely the grunty turbocharged 1.0-litre, three-cylinder – so unless you absolutely must have an automatic transmission, EcoSport 1.0-litre is the pick.

With the three-cylinder, apart from ‘International Engine Of The Year’ bragging rights with your mates and that handy 5.7l/100kms fuel consumption, you’ll enjoy strong pulling power through the gears and handy acceleration when overtaking – all accompanied by the purposeful exhaust growl which is a three-cylinder hallmark.

When mated to the six-speed PowerShift automatic, the 1.5-litre is still sprightly but did look for frequent ratio changes when we hit some hills.

Ford says much time was spent improving the NVH of the EcoSport for international markets and there’s no doubt this compact SUV was impressively quiet on all road surfaces however tyre noise was a little noticeable on coarse-chip bitumen.

Using a modified version of Ford’s Fiesta platform there’s no surprise ride and handling was safe and predictable and the Ford EcoSport did a good job isolating the interior from potholes and corrugations (certainly not surprising for anyone who’s driven – or should we say tried to drive – in Brazil).

Ford EcoSport Challenges

EcoSport comes with seven airbags and an impressive suite of safety features including the latest emergency brake hazard warning (some cars costing three times the price don’t have that) as well as anti-lock brakes, stability and traction control. But there’s no reversing camera available.

Ford EcoSport Verdict

If you’re in the market for a compact SUV, the Ford EcoSport must go straight onto your list of contenders. Price alone makes that decision as Ford’s global newcomer undercuts rivals with its $20,790 starting sticker.

Moreover, it’s got the looks – a very slick design from Ford’s very slick design team (Fiesta, Focus, Mondeo, Ranger and let’s not forget the U.S. market Taurus and Explorer…there’s a trend for handsomely-styled Fords which we like). And it’s got that remarkable three-cylinder EcoBoost powerplant.

And families especially will appreciate the interior which not only has lots of storage bins, it also looks like it can handle the rough stuff from youngsters.

Ford EcoSport The Competition

Holden Trax has the performance edge with its 103kW/175Nm 1.8-litre engine, but its 7.0l/100kms fuel consumption is a worry. And at $23,490, the Trax is suddenly looking pricey.

Nissan Juke has arrived in Australia on the back of hot sales and enthusiastic reviews from back home in England. Juke’s quirky looks are a plus, but its 86kW 1.6-litre, four-cylinder engine doesn’t match the 92Kw of Ford’s mighty three-cylinder EcoBoost. Starting price of $21,990 is $1200 north of the EcoSport.

Here’s a surprise – a price-competitive European compact SUV – the Peugeot 2008 (although $21,990 is, like the Nissan Juke, $1200 more than the Ford EcoSport’s starting price). The ‘Pug’ also runs a three-cylinder engine (1.2-litre) but its 60kW/118Nm output is outclassed – again! – by Ford’s 92kW/170Nm EcoBoost. Peugeot gets the fuel consumption gold star with the 2008 good for 4.9l/100kms.