Am I the only irked that its pronounced as "Echo"sport but their engines are pronounced "Eeco"boost?
One day, maybe next week, maybe in a few decades, we’ll all be able to reflect upon a time when Ford offered cars–like, traditional cars. For now, at least, the future–and present–is all about SUVs, CUVs and other sorts of UVs.
One of those new UVs is the new-for-2018 EcoSport.
And here’s some foreshadowing for the review part of the review, as Ford’s media site kicks off the introduction with little mention of the vehicle’s attributes as an actual vehicle: “Fun, capable and connected, the all-new Ford EcoSport can be customized with 10 available colors, six interior choices and ambient lighting options.”
So what is it? The EcoSport is a tall, five-door little ute. The standard engine, as found in our tester, is the 1.0-liter EcoBoost backed with a six-speed auto. A 2.0-liter inline-four is optional. The rear door is hinged on the side.
The EcoSport line starts at $19,995, with our top-spec Titanium model carrying an MSRP of $25,880.
I wrote a cute intro but deleted it. I’ll just cut to the chase: I didn’t enjoy this one. And I’m usually the half-full one around here.
The driveline can best be described as jerky and lackluster. And down on power. Need to pull into traffic? Better time things just right, captain.
Putting the shifter in S smoothens out the transmission’s operation, though, as D is just too quick to engage a tall gear. If you’re in D and need some boost, better put the pedal to the floor and wait a few ticks.
The brakes feel grabby. Something’s up with the steering, too. Too much caster? I can’t remember the last time I had to fight a wheel from self-centering this much. It gets tiring.
Around town, the EcoSport’s ride feels okay. It’s a small car that will get you from Point A to Tab B. On the highway, though, it feels downright nervous. The confidence that an emergency situation could be managed at speed just isn’t there.
And at that price point, I think that there are better options. Two of my faves? Subaru Crosstrek and Hyundai Tucson. This one just needs some more development.
Am I the only irked that its pronounced as "Echo"sport but their engines are pronounced "Eeco"boost?
so....this is basically a Fiesta that they just stretched vertically?
Fun....but not as fun as a Fiesta
Capable....of going slower than a Fiesta and getting poorer fuel economy?
Connected....just like literally every single other car on the market today.
Ford managed to get back to coolness in the 2010-present timeframe with a handful of cool cars. Now it's going back to the "dorky appliance" lineup last seen during the Tempo/Topaz/Taurus/Escort days. I don't get this jacked-up compact car thing - they are just compromised compact hatchbacks that do everything worse and are less fun.
If its a lifted fiesta, lets use parts of it lift an actual fiesta!
Give it a good beating for us. We are thinking about one for the wife once she’s driving again. I like the rear mounted spare so she can her knit a cover for it.
RossD said:If its a lifted fiesta, lets use parts of it lift an actual fiesta!
better yet, let's use fiesta parts and lower this thing back down :D
Ah. It’s the regularly scheduled ‘let’s bash auto makers for building what people want to buy rather than what enthusiasts who rarely buy new cars think they should build’ thread. Got it!
Given the powertrain options, I think it's more a Focus than a Fiesta. But that's just a guess- I've never seen one in person. Sadly, I expect it to be my last lease car as I round out my career. I'd much rather have another focus. It sucks that the rest of the buying public don't like the same cars I do. But seeing other companies do the same thing, well...
In reply to alfadriver :
Nope. IT's a B class on the same architecture as the Fiesta. The Kuga/Escape is the C class Focus architecture.
In reply to Adrian_Thompson :
Ok, so just the powertrain options are more Focus, then. (the 1.0 is available in both, but IIRC, the 2.0 isn't in any of the Fiestas)
Odd that the actual size of the vehicle is more the up sized car- as our Escape isn't nearly has short as our Focus. Doesn't make that much sense to make it that small- especially since the FE targets are wheelbase length based- so making it a little longer lowers the target.
Body of a fiesta, grill of a Chevy truck
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