Ford (Eco)boosts the EcoSport

Thursday, 3 January 2019

The Ford EcoSport keeps its cute 'I'm a real SUV' looks, but ditches the troublesome DCT and tired old engine.

FORD ECOSPORT TITANIUM

Base price: $29,990

The new dash is a massive improvement, as is the build quality, but hard plastics still dominate.

Powertrain and performance: 1.0-litre petrol inline three-cylinder turbo, 92kW/170Nm, 6-speed automatic, FWD, Combined economy 6.7 litres per 100km.

Vital statistics: 4325mm long, 1664mm high, 2519mm wheelbase, luggage capacity 743 litres (to roof), 17-inch alloy wheels with 205/50 tyres.

We like: Brilliant little 3-cylinder turbo is charismatic and eager. Impressively comfortable and practical. Far better than it was.

We don't like: Lacks expected safety features. Hard, cheap interior plastics.

Ford's entrant into the competitive baby SUV segment was a half-hearted attempt right from the beginning. With poor build quality, dismal engines and a problematic dual clutch transmission, the EcoSport has deservedly languished at the bottom of the sales charts. But now Ford NZ has taken a razor to the price, as well as adding in a new six-speed conventional automatic transmission and the 1.0-litre EcoBoost engine that has won its category in the International Engine of the Year awards every year since it first appeared in 2012.

Impressive ground clearance, but the EcoSport is only available locally in two-wheel drive form.

Does a new engine and transmission help its dismal build quality?

Well, obviously not, but the EcoSport's build quality has improved drastically since its first appearance here and it is actually now more than acceptable in that regard.

**READ MORE:

The new 1.0-litre three-cylinder turbo engine is a a brilliantly charismatic unit that is well-matched to the new six-speed auto.

* New Ford Fiesta ST baby hot hatch gets three-cylinder power

* Why the Seat Arona is our Top Small SUV of 2018

* Ford NZ lost in transmission over Australian class action**

It's interior is now nicely put together, with a new design that drops the old Nokia mobile phone look that wasn't even close to still being cutting edge when it came out for a more modern layout with a large touchscreen that sits high on the dash, no doubt offending some, but putting it nicely in the driver's eyeline.

Our top-spec Titanium model came with some nicely comfortable leather seats and a great driving position, making it surprisingly comfortable both around town and on longer open road hauls.

The much-maligned rear-door mounted spare wheel is gone, but the rear door still opens the wrong way.

But while the build quality is good, the material quality is still questionable - hard plastics dominate the cabin, and while they are generally kept away from the major contact points, they are still unavoidable and drag down the interior ambience somewhat.

Why do manufacturers insist on calling these things SUVs?

Well, the EcoSport does have a rather handy 209mm of ground clearance (as well as 24.7 and 29 degree approach and departure angles) which would actually make it useful off road. Except that it is only available in New Zealand in FWD form…

So while it won't be tackling the bush here anytime soon, it does provide a surprisingly commanding SUV-style driving position that is remarkably useful around town and, with the large and open glasshouse, makes you feel like you are in a far larger vehicle than the EcoSport's Fiesta-based proportions suggest.

Something that the supreme practicality and sheer space of the interior back up as well. Although as you can immediately tell from the EcoSport's slightly dorky (but, come on; endearingly dorky) proportions, this comes from its height more than anything else.

No LEDs here - the EcoSport Titanium does get automatic headlights though.

So it's tall then. Does that mean its awful on the road?

Actually, no it doesn't.

The EcoSport is lucky enough to sit on the same platform as the brilliant Fiesta and while the added height (and associated weight) means it isn't as agile or outright fun as the Fiesta, it does hold its own and is one of the more entertaining steers in the baby SUV segment. Our Titanium model even had paddle shifters on the steering wheel - just like a proper car!

It is the transmission - a traditional torque-converter six-speed auto - and the brilliant 1.0-litre three-cylinder turbo engine that have transformed the EcoSport from a dismal also-ran to something far more competitive - and actually enjoyable to drive - in the segment.

Like all small triples, the 1.0-litre EcoBoost needs to be kept on the boil to get the best out of it on the open road - but it is happy with that and the transmission is nicely capable of being in the right gear at the right time - while it is also nicely torquey and flexible around town.

Oh yeah - it also sounds brilliant too, with a gruffly cute little three-cylinder grumble that is always present, but never coarse or intrusive.

So it's a far better thing than it was. All sweetness and light then?

While it is a massively better thing than it was, and has actually become rather endearing and likeable with its charmingly awkward 'look at me; I'm almost an SUV' shape and brilliant little engine, there are still problems.

The crappy interior plastics are the most obvious fault (but then it is a small Ford, so those are almost a tradition), but the EcoSport's biggest sins are its glaring lack of modern safety systems when compared to the competition.

While it has the baseline essentials like emergency brake assist and brake force distribution, that is where it stops. By way of comparison, the Seat Arona comes standard with active cruise control with front assist, blind spot monitoring, rear cross traffic alert and after-impact braking (to avoid further collisions after an accident).

And this highlights the EcoSport's other glaring problem - its pricing. While Ford has made it far more competitive - and it does undercut the opposition by quite a degree (in most cases) - it's still not quite enough, particularly given the lack of safety features. The Arona mentioned above starts at the same money as the top spec EcoSport Titanium ($29,990), but effortlessly out muscles it in equipment terms, even in base model form.

And regardless of your attitude towards the 'electronic nannies' as some of the wittier critics like to call them, getting less for the same money is never a particularly good thing.

Any other cars I should consider?

The EcoSport undercuts baby SUVs like the Holden Trax, Honda HR-V, Nissan Juke, Toyota C-HR and Hyundai i20 Cross in terms of price, but not in equipment for that money.

The glaring exception to this is the Kia Picanto X-Line at $21,490, but then you are lumbered with an underpowered 64kW engine and an awful 4-speed auto.

However, that previously mentioned and remarkably excellent value-for-money Seat Arona that is packed with equipment and comes with an equally excellent three-cylinder engine with more torque (200Nm) is the biggest argument for not buying an EcoSport, even if it lacks the Ford's endearingly quirky nature.

But if you are a committed Ford buyer, then you are probably better off buying a Fiesta Sport with the same engine for a grand less.