Ford EcoSport 2018 Review

Ford executives don’t talk a lot about the market performance of their small SUV, the Fiesta-based EcoSport (you know, the one with the spare wheel mounted on the tailgate).

Why should they, when the micro Ford, on current sales figures, sits in fourteenth place in its market segment, behind even the cheap-as-chips Chinese-owned MG brand’s ZS SUV?

In July 2018 the Ford EcoSport's year-to-date sales could be counted in the hundreds where its top competitors numbered in the thousands.

To be honest though, minuscule sales don’t give an entirely fair picture of the Ford EcoSport (and nor do they, for that matter, of its mid-size SUV sibling, the Escape).

True, the small-SUV segment in which the Ford EcoSport competes has been swamped lately by a deluge of significant, relatively-recent and tantalising newcomers. Consider the likes of Hyundai’s new Kona, Mitsubishi’s Eclipse Cross, Toyota’s C-HR and Subaru’s XV and Ford has a fair bit to deal with – especially when its car has now been on the planet, pretty unchanged, for more than five years.

An update has clearly been in order for some time.

And it finally came in December 2017, when Ford unveiled its reworked EcoSport, fronting up with minimally-revised but improved looks, a smartened-up interior and a revision of engine possibilities. The update also marked the dropping of the problematic dual-clutch gearbox that had plagued the EcoSport since its launch in 2013. Amen to that.

Ford’s latest EcoSport is marked by the availability of only one transmission – a return to a conventional six-speed automatic – and, as before, it remains as a front-wheel drive.

Also, the EcoSport is now a three-cylinder-only. It begins with a base, normally aspirated 1.5-litre version pumping out 90kW/150Nm (up on its four-cylinder 1.5-litre Duratec predecessor which produced 82kW/140Nm) and topping out with the familiar 92kW/170Nm 1.0-litre three-cylinder turbo, which was previously manual-only but now comes with the six-speed automatic.

The power and torque differences between the 1.0-litre turbo and the aspirated 1.5-litre are pretty minimal, although the smaller turbo engine is slightly thriftier and cleaner. More on that a bit later.

The controversial tailgate-mounted spare continues, for the time being,  but the seat-folding arrangements have been changed, supposedly to improve convenience and functionality. The Ford EcoSport remains a reasonably efficient load-carrier with the caveat that, like its competitors, its small size is always going to limit its capabilities.

The tailgate spare has its advantages – the tyre is at least full-size – but it does continue with the inconvenient and potentially dangerous left-side hinge that places those loading the boot in a precarious position close to the flow of traffic. With the spare wheel on board, the tailgate is pretty heavy too.

All that said, the EcoSport, according to Ford's specifications, is entirely competitive in its segment in terms of basic boot space. The overall, seats-folded area is claimed to be 1178 litres, leaving room for a dissembled mountain bike to go on board without difficulties.

The updated interior makes for a less bare-bones base Ambiente model. What with the new seats, a lift in perceived quality that comes courtesy of upgraded trim materials and a redesigned dash, the latest EcoSport – despite a dearth of soft-touch surfaces – feels more accessible and less subject to stylistic extravagances. The small storage bin with its lid forming an armrest between the two front seats is helpful too.

Apple CarPlay/Android Auto make sat-nav available even at base spec, and the adoption of Ford's SYNC3 system brings Ford’s Emergency Assistance function to help in the case of an accident or breakdown. DAB+ digital radio and Spotify music streaming are also on board.

For sure, the Ford EcoSport is a handy small SUV.

Headroom is helped by its tall profile (taller than a Mazda CX-3, Honda HR-V or the slinky Hyundai Kona) and there's space in the back seat for tall passengers with less compromise than you might think when negotiating a legroom deal with those riding up front. The raised H-point (road to seat cushion height) means it's easy to get in and out of too and, for the driver, there's a nice, 10.6m turning circle to help manoeuvring in tight spaces.

So the BL-series Ford EcoSport is competitively handy in terms of its packaging, comes with a slightly classier interior and, with its new corporate-look grille, looks better into the bargain.

Safety? Well, the Ambiente-spec Ford EcoSport does no better and no worse than most of its contemporaries: Although it gets seven airbags, a rear-view camera and a five-star ANCAP safety rating, there is as yet no autonomous emergency braking (AEB), lane-departure or blind-spot warning.

All that said, does the Ford EcoSport Ambiente drive better?

Putting aside Ford's claims with the original EcoSport that, helped by an impressive 200mm ground clearance and an ability to wade through water 550mm deep, it was a bit more off-road friendly than many of its peers, the EcoSport has always been quite handy on the road, where it is clearly intended to be.

It's pretty quiet at cruise speed, as low levels of wind and road noise are transmitted into the cabin. With its variable-assistance electric steering it points well too, although you're always conscious of its relatively high-riding, narrowish stance and the ride is affected by the short wheelbase which, at just 2519mm, is in arrears of its Mazda/Honda/Hyundai contemporaries. It's not a hard-edged ride though (205/60 tyres are wrapped around 16-inch steel wheels in the Ambiente EcoSport), and is not particularly prone to crashing on sharp-edged bumps.

The 1.5-litre three-cylinder engine delivers no more than its specifications suggest, but it's helped, more than hindered, by being one cylinder short. There’s a distant, but distinctive beat that's endearing rather than irritating and the extra power and torque, when compared to its four-cylinder predecessor, can't do anything but help its response on the road – although it still needs to be pushed hard maintaining speed on long uphill gradients.

The conventional epicyclic six-speed automatic contributes to a slightly thirstier (From 6.5L/100km to 6.9), higher-emission (from 154g/km to 159) 1.5-litre Ford EcoSport.

And it actually drives well, without any noticeable loss of performance and delivering a generally smoother operation free of any of the familiar dual-clutch foibles. For that added peace of mind, the incremental consumption/emissions downgrades are, at the very least, acceptable.

Acceptable might not be enough in this feverishly fought-after market segment though. The Ford EcoSport might be a worthwhile improvement over its pre-update forebear, but it still faces a clearly well-credentialled, super-successful set of competitors.

It's hard to escape the feeling however that it should be rating a fair bit higher than fourteenth spot in the small SUV category.