Test drive Ford EcoSport
The crossover drove aggressively at first, but the climb up the sandy hill was given to him only on the third attempt. EcoSport tried to climb not up, but deep, actively digging holes with its wheels and launching sand fountains
The short nose crawled between the columns - without a spare tire on the tailgate, the Ford EcoSport easily squeezed between the Renault 4 with Portuguese numbers and the new Range Rover. The crossover with a length of just over four meters is ideal for traveling around Europe, but dimensions are not the main thing in the choice. Therefore, Ford tried to fit as many options as possible into the small car when updating it.
EcoSport was developed primarily for the Indian, Brazilian and Chinese markets. At first, the Europeans did not like the car, and Ford even had to carry out unscheduled work: remove the spare wheel from the rear door (it was made an option), reduce the ground clearance, modify the steering and add noise insulation. This revived demand: EcoSport sold 150 copies in three years. At the same time, for a segment that is growing at a frantic pace, these are small numbers. Renault sells over 200 Captur crossovers in just one year.
The kurguzi, small car will still make a lot of people smile, but the similarity to the Kuga added to its seriousness. The hexagonal grille has been raised to the edge of the bonnet, and the headlights now look wider and with LED chill. Because of the large fog lights, the front optics turned out to be two-story.
The interior of EcoSport is made in the style of the new Fiesta, which, by the way, is unknown in our country: in Russia they still offer pre-styling sedan and hatchback. From the former angular interior, only the air ducts at the edges and the door trim remained. The shape of the front panel is more rounded and calm, and its top is tightened in soft plastic. The protrusion in the center, similar to the Predator's mask, was cut down - in a small salon it took up too much space. Now in its place is a separate tablet of the multimedia system. Even basic crossovers have a tablet, but it has a smaller screen and push-button controls. There are two touchscreen displays: 6,5-inch and 8-inch top-end. SYNC3 multimedia offers navigation with voice control and detailed maps, and also supports Android and iOS smartphones.
The climate control unit was donated for the filming of the new Star Wars trilogy, and the polygonal dashboard was also sent there. The round dials, knobs and buttons of the updated crossover are perhaps too ordinary, but comfortable, understandable, human. In general, the interior turned out to be more practical. The niche for smartphones under the center console has become deeper and is now equipped with two outlets. A narrow but deep shelf appeared above the glove compartment.
The system for monitoring "blind" zones BLIS will warn of approaching cars from the side, but it will not be superfluous to come up with something similar for dangerous objects in front. Behind the thick triangles at the base of the struts, an oncoming car can be easily hidden.
The main gift for the updated EcoSport is the Banq & Olufsen audio system. Ten speakers, including a subwoofer in the trunk, are more than enough for a massive crossover. Young people - and Ford sees it as the main buyers - will like it because it sounds loud and voluminous. It is even scary to twist the sound knob - as if the tiny body would not be torn apart by the bass. However, there is no need to fear for its integrity - the power frame is mainly made of high-strength steel. And it has to stand not only the test of music: EcoSport performed well in the EuroNCAP tests, but now it has to protect passengers even better, as it is equipped with a knee airbag for the driver and wider side airbags.
The trunk in comparison with the Russian "Ecosport" loses a little in volume - the floor in the European version is higher, and a repair kit is located under it. In addition, the restyled crossover has got a massive shelf that can be installed at different heights. For a vertical and shallow luggage compartment, this accessory is just right. The rear seat folding mechanism has also changed. Previously, they stood up vertically, now the pillow rises, and the back rests in its place, forming a flat floor. This made it possible to increase the loading length and stack lengths without any problems. The button for opening the tailgate was hidden inside a niche, where it will get less dirty, and rubber stops appeared on the inside of the door, which will prevent the removable luggage rack from rattling on bumps. Another would be to modify the opening mechanism, if the car is tilted - the open door is not fixed.
EcoSport now lives up to its name: it's both sustainable and sporty. In Europe, only turbo engines remained - a liter engine that consumes less than 6 liters of gasoline, and a 4,1 liter diesel engine with an average consumption of 50 liters. Ecosport's lower weight also affected the economy. If we compare crossovers with similar motors and transmissions, then the updated one has become lighter by 80-XNUMX kilograms.
Ford's global engineering manager, Klaus Mello, said that the refreshed EcoSport's behavior was sportier: the springs, shock absorbers, ESP and electric power steering were revised. In addition, a special ST-Line styling is available for the crossover - a two-tone paint job with 17 body shades and 4 roofs, a painted body kit and 17-inch wheels. The steering wheel in such a car from Focus ST is cut along the chord and with stitching. Sport runs like a red thread on the combined seats.
Against the backdrop of sleepy Portuguese traffic, the EcoSport rides briskly, a comical growl of a 3-cylinder turbo engine. Even the most powerful 140-horsepower version barely leaves from 12 s to "hundreds", but the crossover takes character. Elastic and sonorous like a ball, Ecosport jumps merrily into turns. The steering wheel is filled with artificial weight, but the crossover responds to its turns instantly. The suspension is a little stiff, but let's not forget that there are 17-inch wheels. In addition, its energy capacity is quite enough for driving on a country road. Interestingly, for a tall car, the EcoSport rolls moderately and, despite its short wheelbase, keeps a straight line well.
Four-wheel drive does not surprise us, but for the European market it is offered for the first time and only in combination with "mechanics" and a turbodiesel with a capacity of 125 horsepower. Plus, such a machine has a multi-link suspension instead of a beam at the back. The all-wheel drive system is new, but its structure is quite familiar - the rear axle is connected by a multi-plate clutch and up to 50% of the traction can be transferred to it, and electronic locks are responsible for the distribution of torque between the wheels.
Diesel EcoSport drives energetically, but the ascent up the sandy hill is given to it on the third attempt, and the crossover is trying to climb not up, but deep, actively digging holes with its wheels and launching sandy fountains. For some reason, the electronics are in no hurry to slow down the slipping wheels, and the motor is not very suitable for moving through the sand - at the bottom it has very little moment, at the top - a lot, which causes the clutch to burn out. Surprisingly, the front-wheel drive crossover with a 1,0-liter petrol and automatic transmission crawls on the sand more confidently and skillfully uses electronics, although this is a typical city car.
Of course, a small EcoSport is a dubious candidate for off-road raids, but a trip to the Kola Peninsula showed that an all-wheel-drive crossover is capable of crawling through where the single-drive Coogie fails. At that time, Ecosport had a slightly different all-wheel drive with forced locking of the clutch and it worked better off-road.
Perhaps the clue is that the European EcoSport with four drive wheels has been on test as a prototype - such cars will go on sale in the summer. By that time, they will be easily adjusted. However, European history does not really concern us. In Russia EcoSport is available exclusively with gasoline aspirated engines and the situation is unlikely to change dramatically. Moreover, we produce not only a crossover, but also a 1,6-liter Ford engine.
So for us, the new EcoSport will be a mix of the old powertrains and a spare wheel on the door with a new interior and multimedia system. There is no clarity on the suspension settings yet. It's not a fact that our market will receive an ST-Line version, but it's a pity: with a painted sports body kit and large wheels, the car turned out to be very nice. Still, crossovers assembled in Russia have acquired European transmissions - a convenient "automatic" and a 6-speed "mechanics" that allows you to save fuel on the highway. Options exotic in Portugal like heated windshield and washer nozzles will also be in demand in Russia. And all this together should warm up the attitude towards Ecosport.
| A type | Crossover | Crossover |
| dimensions (length / width / height), mm | 4096 (without spare) / 1816/1653 | 4096 (without spare) / 1816/1653 |
| Wheelbase, mm | 2519 | 2519 |
| Ground clearance, mm | 190 | 190 |
| Cargo space, l | 334-1238 | 334-1238 |
| Curb weight, kg | 1280 | 1324 |
| Gross vehicle weight, kg | 1730 | 1775 |
| engine's type | Gasoline 4-cylinder | Gasoline 4-cylinder |
| Working volume, cubic meters cm | 998 | 998 |
| Max. power, h.p. (at rpm) | 140/6000 | 125/5700 |
| Max. cool. moment, Nm (at rpm) | 180/1500-5000 | 170/1400-4500 |
| Drive type, transmission | Front, 6MKP | Front, AKP6 |
| Max. speed km / h | 188 | 180 |
| Acceleration from 0 to 100 km / h, s | 11,8 | 11,6 |
| Fuel consumption, l / 100 km | 5,2 | 5,8 |
| Price from, USD | Not announced | Not announced |
