FORD ECOSPORT (2013-2017)

MODELS COVERED:

5dr SUV (Petrol - 1.5, 1.0 EcoBoost / 1.5 TDCi diesel)

By Jonathan Crouch

Introduction

The Ford EcoSport takes the underpinnings of the brand’s Fiesta supermini and reworks them to better tackle the urban jungle. Back in 2013, this was a late arrival in the small Crossover class, but it brought the segment something different in a cute but rugged package that many target buyers liked. Compromises were made with this model’s design approach, but if you’re city-bound but adventurous at heart, there’ll be plenty to like here.

The History

Back in 2002, Ford did something very unusual. It missed an opportunity. The occasion was the launch of a model called the Fusion, a kind of Fiesta-on-stilts that offered a trendier, chunkier, more practical, yet more stylish take on Britain’s best selling car. More than a decade on, in 2013, we were given the model that vehicle should – and could – have been. It was called the Ford EcoSport.

You might recognise the kind of car this is. There are, after all, plenty of them about these days, supermini-based so-called ‘Crossover’ models offering SUV style and attitude in a trendier, more versatile small package. Back at the turn of the century, the Fusion could have brought the market exactly that – and done so nearly a decade before segment-defining small Crossovers like Nissan’s Juke came along. Ford even presented it in trendy 4x4 regalia in motorshow concept form, but shrank back from selling the car that way in the showrooms, where it was merely presented as a slightly bigger, slightly more versatile kind of Fiesta.

That mistake wasn’t of course made with this EcoSport which, like its class counterparts, was marketed from the start with the full ‘urban jungle’ treatment. It doesn’t have 4WD because the city streets and school run pavements of its natural habitat don’t need it, but its raised driving position and chunky looks offer up a bit of Amazonian attitude, even if in truth, this car is more CBeebies than SAS in its take on hostile streetlife. The tall sides, faux-4x4 undertrays and big bumpers all suggest something originally intended to be an SUV but whose designer thought better of it at the last minute.

This though, is what the market wants. Every mainstream manufacturer today either offers a supermini-based Crossover car of this sort. Indeed, Ford could still have entered this segment earlier if it had brought us the first generation version of this car that was designed and engineered solely for the South American market. Wisely perhaps, the Blue Oval chose not to. Just as with its larger Kuga Crossover model, the approach instead was wait, watch the opposition then try and come up with something better. Whether this EcoSport represented just that was debateable. It was updated with suppler suspension and various interior embellishments in 2015 and 2016 and a 140PS version of the 1.0-litre EcoBoost petrol engine arrived in the range in 2015. Ford fundamentally facelifted the car in early 2018. It’s the re-facelift versions though, that we’re looking at here as a potential used buy.

What To Look For

We found lots of satisfied EcoSport customers but inevitably, our survey revealed quite a few issues too. One owner complained of a transmission shudder. Another found his audio system completely shutting down. In one instance, the airbags failed to deploy. And a few owners have recorded start-up problems. It’s extremely unlikely that this car will have ventured beyond a paved surface, so you’ll just need to look for the usual scratched alloys and evidence of child damage in the back. The cabin plastics mark easily, so check them carefully; this could be grounds for a small price reduction. As usual, check that the service book is fully stamped up to date. Some ex-fleet models may have missed out on garage visits.

On The Road

The news that this car is based on a Ford Fiesta should certainly set you off in a positive frame of mind when it comes to the drive on offer. The issue though, is one of exactly what would happen to a Fiesta if you gave it a lofty 190mm ride height, a bit of extra weight and a chunky high-riding body. After all, even Ford’s chassis engineers aren’t miracle workers.

In the event, it seems like they’re pragmatists. From their point of view, though it would have been nice to have been able to give this car the sweet handling sharpness of a Fiesta or a Focus, that would have entailed ride quality firmer than most typical small Crossover segment buyers would probably want, people with no need and even less desire to throw their cars about. So the EcoSport development team chose instead to put their efforts into ride and refinement.

There are actually four engine options, the least powerful unit of the quartet, the 90PS 1.5-litre TDCi diesel, offering the most pulling power, though even there, we’re only talking about a modest 203Nm of grunt, which probably won’t be sufficient if you were thinking of doing a bit of serious towing. Here, 62mph is 14s away from rest en route to a maximum of just 99mph.

Most EcoSport buyers will want one of the petrol options. Perhaps that’ll be the normally aspirated 112PS 1.5-litre variant that manages 62mph in 13.3s on the way to 107mph. This is the only unit you can have with optional 6-speed Powershift automatic transmission, though bear in mind that if get a car fitted with that option, the weight that your EcoSport can potentially tow will fall from 750kg to a mere 400kg.

Overall, the best engine option is probably the one most original buyers chose, a 125PS 1.0-litre EcoBoost petrol model which manages to be significantly more economical than the base petrol variant whilst still managing to improve upon that car’s performance figures – here 62mph from rest occupies only 12.7s on the way to 112mph. If you want to go faster, a 140PS version of this unit was made available in 2015. Either way, there’s about 30kgs less weight in the nose with this smaller three cylinder engine fitted, which means that turn-in to corners feels a touch sharper.

Overall

The EcoSport goes against the grain, things like the high ride height, the side-opening tailgate and this car’s refusal to prioritise ‘sporty’ handling all mark it out as a different way to go. In truth, all of these things were forced upon this design by the fact that, despite the ‘global car’ claims, this model was first and foremost developed for a South American market rather than a European one.

The EcoSport is good looking, fashionable and practical. Ride and handling aren’t great but it’s very well equipped across the board. And the SYNC connectivity AppLink system is just brilliant for a car of this era. In short, we can see why you might like one.