Subcompact crossovers have really caught on the past few years, to the point that oractically every major automaker has one.
Ford’s entry in this segment is the EcoSport – and it appears that ‘eco’ isn’t pronounced the way you’d expect it, but more like ‘echo’.
Consumer Reports made this statement after paying $28,130 for their very own ‘EchoSport‘. That’s just $1,185 shy of the larger Edge in base form, so one might expect the subcompact model to be quite good. After all, it costs big bucks in this grade.
However, the reviewer found the entry-level engine to be quite underpowered. Moreover, the 2.0-liter four-cylinder that powers their car, making 166 horsepower, isn’t much of an improvement. As they point out, the EcoSport is neither ‘eco’ nor ‘sport’, and the transmission is not well-tuned either.
Still, it is surprisingly fun to drive, thanks to its limited body roll and quick steering. These make it feel somewhat like a sportier car and not a narrow and small SUV. They add that it can handle the occasional muddy trail, too, and can also tow up to 2,000 pounds (907 kg).
Ford facelifted the second-gen EcoSport last year and tried to bill it as a new model. It has a starting price of $19,995, whereas the 2018 Hyundai Kona, for example, is $995 more affordable.
As expected, due to its size, the cabin is very cramped. The driving position is odd, there’s not enough space on the rear bench for taller passengers and the cargo space is not that large. The tailgate swings out instead of up, so operating it when there’s another car parked behind your EcoSport could be quite of a challenge.
Finally, CR names the safety equipment “a big let-down”, stressing that one needs to pay extra to have certain features such as blind spot warning or rear-cross traffic alert. Others, such as automatic emergency braking and forward collision warning, aren’t available at all.