Ford Joins the Compact SUV Market with the EcoSport

Thank Ford was going to let Nissan and Mazda corner the compact SUV market? Think again. In response to the growing demand for compact SUV’s (or crossovers in the UK), Ford has unveiled the EcoSport, a car that’s designed to appeal to young families and individual motorists looking for something a little bit different.

So, what are the details?

Well, the EcoSport, like its competitors the Nissan Juke and Peugeot 2008, drives extremely well and has plenty going for it – sweet looks, low running costs, solid equipment, and a good range of engines. The car will be built in India and go on sale across Europe. It will first go on sale in the UK, Germany, and Austria, before opening up to the rest of Europe. Interestingly, the EcoSport sold in Europe will have 300 different parts to the one sold in India… so the question is, which one will get parts from the bin?

We’ll have to test the cars back to back to figure that out. Whatever the case, at least the engines are strong. The car will be available with a 1.0-litre EcoBoost, 1.5-litre TDCi and 1.5-litre petrol. All engines have been revised to suit the dynamics of the EcoSport and maintain good economy.

A standard feature in the EcoSport is Ford SYNC, a system that pairs your phone to the car and allows you to control it through voice commands – very handy for anybody who is busy. Standard equipment in the lowest specification model will include air conditioning, heated front windscreen, Ford SYNC, Bluetooth, iPod . MP3 connectivity, alloy wheels, and heated electric mirrors. It is expected that, like all Ford, the most expensive and best-equipped specification will be Titanium X. This will likely include leather upholstery, heated front seats, and a panoramic sunroof, going by other cars of the Titanium X specification>

Macklin Motors think that the EcoSport is a great alternative to the fun – but ugly – Vauxhall Mokka, a car which has proved popular in early 2014.

So what else is there to know?

The EcoSport will cost less than it’s bigger brother, the Ford Kuga. Prices are likely to start from around £14,500 and go up to £22,000. Ford recently updated the Kuga with a new trim level – Titanium X Sport, so it is likely that the EcoSport will benefit from this in the future. That trim adds satellite navigation a a rear facing camera.

Overall

The EcoSport is a good looking crossover that will take sales away from the Vauxhall Mokka, so long at it is priced right. We are won over by the design and the SYNC system, so it’s up to Ford now to decide how much their customers will be willing to pay for it… I just hope that satellite navigation is not an optional extra on mid-spec cars (a gripe I have with many cars in this day and age, not just this class or Ford’s).