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If you’re looking for a small SUV that’s great value and doesn’t cost much to run, the Ford EcoSport could be ideal. You get plenty of standard features and the engines can give you excellent fuel economy, especially the diesels. It’s enjoyable to drive and spacious enough for a young family. Oh, and the name is pronounced ‘echo-sport’, according to Ford, not ‘ee-co-sport’.
The EcoSport has been sold in the UK since 2014 when it was introduced as a brand-new model, filling the gap for a small SUV in Ford’s range. The model was updated in 2017 with a larger front grille and new lights. Inside, the dashboard was upgraded to one that’s all-but-identical to that of the latest Fiesta.
There’s a selection of petrol and diesel engines to choose from. They all give decent acceleration around town but models with more than 120bhp are the best option if you regularly do motorway journeys because they’re better able to maintain 70mph. The 123bhp 1.0-litre EcoBoost and 1.5-litre petrol engines are available with an automatic gearbox and the 123bhp EcoBlue diesel has four-wheel drive.
There are plenty of trim levels to choose from including the entry-point Zetec, the upmarket Titanium, the sporty-looking ST-Line and the more rugged Active.
All EcoSport models have air con, Bluetooth, four electric windows and electrically adjustable door mirrors. The 2017 update brought a touchscreen-controlled infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity. Titanium and ST-Line models also have cruise control and – from 2017 – sat nav, rear parking sensors and a reversing camera.
According to official figures, petrol EcoSport models can give an average fuel economy of up to 44mpg in models with the 1.5-litre engine and up to 60mpg with the 1.0-litre ‘EcoBoost’ engine. Diesels can give as much as 68mpg. Carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions are pretty low, so annual Vehicle Excise Duty (car tax) charges don’t cost much. In some cases, you’ll pay as little as £30. Insurance and servicing costs should also be very affordable.
Other small SUVs you might want to consider include the Dacia Duster, the Vauxhall Crossland, the Fiat 500X and the Nissan Juke. The Ford isn’t as spacious as the Dacia or the Vauxhall nor as distinctive as the Fiat or the Nissan. But the EcoSport comes well equipped, has low running costs and offers great value.
You’ll find generous enough leg and headroom in the front of the EcoSport, however, it’s quite a narrow car so it might feel a bit tight if you’re broad-shouldered. It’s an easy car to get into, though. The doors open wide and the seats are at the right height for most people to simply step inside, without having to climb up or bend down.
In the back seats, there’s space for two average-size adults to sit behind people of similar height. Younger children should have plenty of space, and the relatively large windows let in lots of light and give everyone a good view out.
Unusually, the boot lid opens to the side of the car, like a house door, rather than lifting up. That won’t be an issue if you drive front-first into a space in a car park, but access could be tricky if another car is parked close behind yours. The boot itself is a good size, big enough to hold a family’s weekly food shopping or a couple’s holiday luggage.
The boot floor is height-adjustable. At the higher level, there’s less of a lip between the floor and back bumper. At the lower level, there’s more capacity and the extra depth is useful for carrying taller loads. The back seats fold down if you need to haul anything bigger and bulkier. There are also some clever storage spaces – including a drawer under the front passenger seat.
The EcoSport is Ford’s smallest and most-affordable SUV model. The Puma is only slightly bigger, but it's slightly more high-tech and is aimed at less-price-conscious buyers so it costs quite a lot more. Much larger still is the mid-size Kuga SUV and the large Edge SUV (which Ford sold in the UK from 2016 to 2019). Compared with Ford’s non-SUV models, the EcoSport is about the same footprint as the Fiesta, albeit much taller.
Safety organisation Euro NCAP gave the EcoSport a four-star safety rating when the car was assessed in 2013. It scored high marks for protecting occupants in the event of a crash, but lacked some of the driver-safety features that Euro NCAP looks for. Those features were added when the EcoSport was updated in 2017 to include automatic emergency braking, traffic-sign recognition and a speed limiter.