First Drive: Ford EcoSport

Prices for the new Ford EcoSport will start from €23,995

Ford has reimagined the term SUV as ‘smart utility vehicle’ for the new Ford EcoSport, which is expected in Ireland in mid 2014.

Built on the Ford Fiesta platform, the Ecosport is ‘an SUV for the city and for weekend getaways’ – and I got a chance to take it for a spin at its European launch in Barcelona.

Ford has a very specific buyer in mind for this car, namely young professionals in their early 30s, who like to stay connected.

The Ecosport has previously been available in South America but this is the first time Ford has brought the popular urban SUV to Europe – and it has been restyled for the European market.

On the outside, the Ecosport has a rugged SUV look (not at all like the Fiesta).

Our test car was a pre-production model so finishes will differ slightly from those available in showrooms, however, the cabin will be familiar to Ford drivers, with the test car having the same infotainment unit as the Fiesta.

As is to be expected from an SUV, the driving position is high and comfortable, and leg and headroom is good both in the back and the front. Two adults would fit comfortably in the back.

Ford says the car has 20 stowage spaces – I particularly liked the bottle holders in the front door bins, which allow 1.5 litre bottles to stand upright.

Connectivity is important to the EcoSport and when it hits the streets, the voice controlled Ford SYNC system will be enhanced with AppLink, which allows drivers to vocally operate smartphone apps such as music streaming service Spotify and TomTom satnav.

The interior of the Ford EcoSport will be familiar to Ford Fiesta drivers

Unfortunately, this wasn’t available to us on our test run, but as a regular Spotify user, I’m quite excited about its potential and I’m looking forward to trying it out.

The boot in this car is also quite large and it has a swingback tailgate, which houses a covered spare wheel at the rear.

I’m reserving judgement on the practicality of the tailgate until I get it in urban parking situations.

Just one trim will be available in Ireland, Titanium, with a choice of three engines – a 1.0litre EcoBoost 125PS petrol, a 1.5 TDCi 90PS diesel and a 1.5 TiVCT 110PS petrol.

All models will be front wheel drive only. Hill launch assist, automatic climate control and keyless entry are standard.

The Ford Ecosport is the first SUV to be offered with the 1.0 litre Ecoboost engine, and that’s what we were driving during our test run.

Our route in Spain took us through city streets and over the mountains surrounding the city and I really enjoyed my time behind the wheel.

Ford says that the 1.0litre engine offers performance ‘to rival a traditional 1.6-litre engine’ but with lower CO2 emissions and far better fuel efficiency. It comes in at 125g/km CO2 and fuel efficiency of 6.6l/100km.

The five-speed petrol model I was driving felt peppy and nimble in the city and strong and powerful on the winding mountain roads.

It handled well and I’m looking forward to getting it on Irish roads – I think it could be a lot of fun.

The boot in the Ford EcoSport is quite spacious, and the rear seats flip over to create even more space

Describing the new EcoSport as ‘economical, flexible and stylish’, Ford’s Nick Collins said the EcoSport ‘delivers a clever and connected small car for European customers’.

Meanwhile, Ford chief programme engineer for EcoSport, Nick FitzGerald is not overly concerned with the EcoSport’s Four Star EuroNCAP rating as it achieved a 93 per cent adult occupancy score.

He thinks the features it was marked down on – a lack of a speed limiter; no city safety, no seat belt reminder for the rear seats and no rear facing camera – will not affect sales.

Ford Ireland managing director, Eddie Murphy said he believes there is ‘quite a big appetite’ for SUVs in Ireland and he confirmed pricing would start at €23,995 for all three engines.

More detailed pricing and specifications will be announced closer to launch.

Visit the Ford Ireland website or its Facebook page for further details.