Photo: Guido ten Brink/SB-Medien
The EcoSport is quite a strange affair for Ford, as well as for the subcompact crossover segment in general. Designed and built with India and Brazil in mind, the EcoSport went official in 2012, only to fail miserably as far as sales are concerned. With the mid-cycle update for 2018 and especially in ST-Line flavor, Ford hopes the little utility vehicle becomes more enticing to customers, including those in Europe and the U.S.
While the U.S. will get the redesigned EcoSport in early 2018 from the automaker’s Chennai plant in India, markets in the European Union will rely on the Ford Craiova factory in Romania. The EcoSport indirectly replaces the slow-selling B-Max multi-purpose vehicle, with both models riding on the Fiesta’s chassis.
Presented at the IAA 2017 in ST-Line attire, there’s no denying the EcoSport looks the part with the go-faster visual package. The front end has a little bit of Edge to it, whereas the rear is akin to the Escape/Kuga. Moving on to the interior, the materials and quality have gone up from the pre-facelift, with the crossover adopting the dash design and infotainment system of the Fiesta Mk8.
Interestingly for this segment, Ford offers the EcoSport with AWD. Beyond the standard manual and PowerShift automatic transmission, the engine list consists of three- and four-cylinder plants, including the all-new 1.5 EcoBlue. The turbo diesel offers 125 PS (123 horsepower) on full song, though the 1.0 EcoBoost is more enticing thanks to its maximum output of 140 PS (138 horsepower). Lesser variants of the three-banger are also offered, packing 100 and 125 PS (99 and 123 hp), respectively.
The size of the EcoSport pits it squarely against popular crossovers in Europe, including the likes of Renault’s Captur, the Peugeot 2008, and Opel Crossland X. Bearing in mind its biggest rivals aren’t available with all-wheel-drive, Ford’s contender has an ace up its sleeve in the eyes of prospective customers.
“We’ve enhanced the quality, technology, and versatility of the new Ford EcoSport to deliver more of the confidence and control that compact SUV customers want,” explains Gary Boes, B-car vehicle line director at the Ford Motor Company. “Drivers will feel more comfortable and self-assured than ever at the wheel.”
Presented at the IAA 2017 in ST-Line attire, there’s no denying the EcoSport looks the part with the go-faster visual package. The front end has a little bit of Edge to it, whereas the rear is akin to the Escape/Kuga. Moving on to the interior, the materials and quality have gone up from the pre-facelift, with the crossover adopting the dash design and infotainment system of the Fiesta Mk8.
Interestingly for this segment, Ford offers the EcoSport with AWD. Beyond the standard manual and PowerShift automatic transmission, the engine list consists of three- and four-cylinder plants, including the all-new 1.5 EcoBlue. The turbo diesel offers 125 PS (123 horsepower) on full song, though the 1.0 EcoBoost is more enticing thanks to its maximum output of 140 PS (138 horsepower). Lesser variants of the three-banger are also offered, packing 100 and 125 PS (99 and 123 hp), respectively.
The size of the EcoSport pits it squarely against popular crossovers in Europe, including the likes of Renault’s Captur, the Peugeot 2008, and Opel Crossland X. Bearing in mind its biggest rivals aren’t available with all-wheel-drive, Ford’s contender has an ace up its sleeve in the eyes of prospective customers.
“We’ve enhanced the quality, technology, and versatility of the new Ford EcoSport to deliver more of the confidence and control that compact SUV customers want,” explains Gary Boes, B-car vehicle line director at the Ford Motor Company. “Drivers will feel more comfortable and self-assured than ever at the wheel.”
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