NEW MODEL, NEW MOTIVATION
Meet Lisa O’Neill, New Zealand’s very own motivational speaker, author, and esteemed stylist. She’s brought us three books, spoken to thousands of people at hundreds of events, and is a content powerhouse for her online courses. In short – she’s busy.
Released in February, her newest selfdevelopment book The Lickable Third has taken her on a nationwide book tour, promoting her teachings of living life to the fullest and embracing one’s personal style.
Ford decided to make the Central Otago leg of her book tour significantly smoother by giving her the new 2018 EcoSport to test- drive around Queenstown, Wanaka and Alexandra.
Functional enough to load up with books yet luxurious enough to make the drive over the Crown Range a breeze, the latest EcoSport represents the ‘crossover’ car concept that adapts to both the urban scape and the open-road. The perfect vehicle for Lisa’s demanding schedule.
As a self- development guru, she’s extremely practiced in the long days of public appearances, signings, and meeting her readers. Her clients rave about her energy, passion and ability to connect with people from all walks of life.
“Every tour is different, and I still get so excited when I meet people that have followed by work and read my books.”
The Lickable Third focuses on the theory of making our lives 33% better by focusing on the best bits of life.
Ford appears to have followed the same principle with its newest upgrades to the EcoSport.
With the latest in touch-screen communication technology integrated into the dashboard, Lisa could utilise the voice activation capabilities; having her texts and emails read out loud to her.
“It was like having a best friend with me on the road – it’s absolutely state- of-the-art. Not only is it a time-saver but I had so much fun playing with its capabilities.”
As the car name suggests, fuel- efficiency is at the forefront of the EcoSport’s design (an impressive 6.4L/100kms), and the environmental conscience of the ‘ Urban SUV’ extends to its aerodynamic modelling. Thankfully with a 6-speed auto transmission, the EcoSport has also prioritised its safety with car-wide airbags to boot.
And if we’re talking driving specifics, the EcoSport hosts EPAS (electric power-assisted steering), making the car lighter in slow traffic and heavier in high-speed areas for ultimate control.
Having book signings at every stop, fitting multiple boxes of The Lickable Third in the customisable boot was achieved with ease.
“As you can image, it’s no easy feat carting around a travelling bookstore. You’d never think a mid-size car would have a boot that big.”
The incredible storage capabilities even extend to the chilled glovebox to keep all manners of driving snacks and drinks.
As if the Central Otago terrain and chilled glovebox didn’t make for a nice enough drive, Lisa says the heightened seating and arm support made the driving just that little bit better.
Still a prominent player in NZ’s fashion industry, Lisa will forever have an eye for detail and styling. It did not go unnoticed that the ‘Canyon Ridge’ coloured exterior reflected the rustic beauty of Autumnal Central Otago.
As for the future, readers have their fingers crossed a fourth book is on the horizon; possibly in time for the 2020 Ford EcoSport release.