The Ford EcoSport came over for a quick test recently and it was like meeting an old friend.
I’ve driven every possible model in the range, but I was deeply impressed with the EcoBoost 1,0-litre we had on test.
With this engine, Ford has proven that it’s way ahead in the lead when it comes to small engine technology. This three-pot’s engine block is small enough to fit on a piece of A4 paper, but it deliver 92kW and 170Nm of torque. That’s a staggering achievement.
The engine has character as well. It makes a lovely three-cylinder off-beat grumble, which makes it seem a lot more powerful than it really is.
The other upside of this splendid engine is its low appetite for unleaded. Ford claims a figure in the low fives, but we could only average somewhere in the region of 8 ℓ/100km. That’s some way off the claimed figure, but still acceptable given the fact that the EcoSport is basically an SUV.
On the inside it has every toy imaginable; from voice recognition, to cruise control. The seats are very comfortable and the clutch is light. It’s a very easy car to live with, but it has one big drawback we simply can’t ignore.
The build quality seems to be below par and it rattle as squeaks ferociously when you drive it on a gravel road. That’s not the kind of build quality one would expect on a R250 000 car.
Other than that, I don’t have any complaints.
We’ll be pitting the EcoSport against the new Peugeot 2008 in the next edition, so if you want to know more about this car, remember to pick up a copy.