FORD ECOSPORT 1,0T ACTIVE 6/AT
Driver: Gareth Dean Garethd_carmag
12 224 km 7,98 L/100 km
Just over halfway through its tenure in our long-termer fleet, the Ecosport continues to find favour among the CAR team. This month, I spent a couple of weeks sampling an interesting feature some may not be aware of.
I’ve driven many variants of Ford’s compact crossover since their arrival on our market 10 years ago and it was great to reacquaint myself with the model. My last stint was at the helm of the stylish, leisurely, modestly equipped 1,5 Ambiente Black derivative in August 2021. Our Active’s 1,0-litre turbopetrol unit continues to set the standard. The 92 kw and 170 N.m render it one of the strongest performers in its segment. Allied with proven Ford B2E platform underpinnings, light but responsive controls and a well-considered six-speed auto transmission set-up, the Ecosport is engaging to pilot. In addition to a handy 8-inch touchscreen infotainment system and smartphone connectivity, the Active’s Trend specificationbased equipment list includes functionality for Fordpass.
This system features in Ford’s Everest and Ranger models, so its inclusion in the budget-focused Ecosport (Trend and Titanium spec models) is a surprise. It adds a layer of connected services to existing onboard diagnostics and introduces some nifty convenience features.
Once you’ve paired the app with your car, you can access modules that reveal information such as fuel level and vehicle health checks and any errors that arise, and it informs you of any incidents that triggered the alarm as well as upcoming service and maintenance notifications.
There is also a Gps-enabled vehicle tracker in case you want to keep tabs on another driver using the vehicle, or if you’ve forgotten where you parked. There’s some remote accessibility woven into the app; it enables you to lock and unlock the vehicle via your smartphone. The app even allows you to remotely start the vehicle, which is handy in summer, as you can pre-activate the air-con when you’ve parked in the sun. The system is a neat way of granting the long-standing Ecosport some longevity while adding features usually the preserve of higherspec models.