No joy in rugged pretence
Ford have based a mini-SUV looking car on the Fiesta but it feels a bit cheap and unworthy writes Campbell Spray
FORD have come quite late to the mini-SUV market and even so it is with mixed results. In fact it seems more intent on putting down a marker than being a serious challenger.
However just as the Kuga became a really good vehicle with its own strong personality and niche then the EcoSport, which is in essence a pumped-up Fiesta with a spare wheel on the side-opening back door, should eventually have the resources and nous to become a real player and offer an alternative in a very interesting market.
As it is it looks rather thrown together, reminding of old Suzukis and Toyota Rav4s. Even from the front it looks if the designers didn’t know when to stop by putting grille on grille in a mismatch of styles.
Yet the basics are good as they should be. The Fiesta is a great car to drive and most of this excellence is carried over to the EcoSport even if it stands considerably taller. The car also benefits from having the 1.0litre EcoBoost petrol unit. It claims to be the first SUV to be equipped with an 1.0 unit.
I think the company’s memory is short, but there is no doubt that the EcoBoost is a great engine which is International Engine of the Year this year, as it was in 2012 and 2013.
It struggles a bit with the extra weight of the EcoSport, but as this isn’t really a proper SUV, there isn’t even a 4WD option at the moment, it isn’t a deal-breaker. The EcoSport is looks over substance. There is also a very fuel efficient 1.5 diesel available.
Ford make much of the fact that the car is one of the first vehicles in Europe to be equipped with Ford Sync with AppLink that “not only lets you access your favourite smartphone apps, you can also make and take calls and control your music just by using your voice. When you receive a text, just say the word and your car will read it to you.”
Aagh! To me all this is wrong and encourages distractions rather than save you from them.
Ford have had a long time to get the EcoSport right. At first I thought I would make apologies on their behalf that this was, after all, a first generation vehicle.
In fact it isn’t, the EcoSport has been around for nearly 10 years in one form or the other mainly in South and Central America. The latest version is built in India and there is a definite feel of cutting costs in a pretty poor cabin finish. It needs more attention because the EcoSport isn’t cheap to buy and shouldn’t be of the same standard as the Dacia Duster.
Prices start at just short of €24k and the Titanium trim model I was driving with a few options came in at €500 more before p&p. The pluses are its driving dynamics, good boot space and a nicely elevated view. The five-year warranty is also very welcome.
The brand generally is doing very well and was the top-selling marque in July.
It’s a bit pretentious to be driving a rugged-looking car for the school run, but, hey, that’s what was just another nauseating side of the Celtic Tiger. Now that we are getting boomier once more, Ford are trying to cash in and there’s a large SUV called the Edge on the way, which is already doing very well in the USA. They could have done better with the EcoSport. I’d advise letting it stay sitting on the showroom forecourt. Buy an ordinary Fiesta at around €18k, or the Focus or B-Max; all are better buys.