Quick overview
- Spacious interior
- Great petrol engines
- Decent ride comfort
- Tailgate hinged on wrong side
- Dull handling
- Some low-grade interior plastics
The idea of a scaled-down Kuga held huge promise when Ford announced the Ford EcoSport in 2015. However, the reality did not live up to the promise as here was a small SUV designed and built for markets less discerning than those in Europe. It meant the Ford EcoSport got off to a difficult start in life where it was marked down for the poorly built cabin, below par handling, and a ride that just didn’t do much to soak up the bumps. Fortunately, a rethink in 2017 ushered in a facelift and did away with the boot-mounted spare wheel. It also gave the Ford EcoSport a much cushier ride, though the handling remains a chink in its armour.
Part of that update also saw Ford greatly improve the interior look and feel of its small SUV. It brought in the familiar infotainment screen seen in many other Fords, and there was a step up in the quality of the plastics. Again, though, the Ford EcoSport is far from a class leader in this respect and trails the likes of the Nissan Juke or Kia Stonic. What’s not in question is the amount of space you find in the Ford as it’s one of the most spacious in its class with room for four adults and luggage.
Access to the boot is via a side-hinged tailgate, where almost all of the Ford EcoSport’s rivals have boots that hinge from the top. Not on that, the Ford’s is hinged on the left, so it opens to leave access to the kerb on the left hindered by the door. This might be a problem unique to right-hand drive countries, but it’s frustrating nonetheless.
To counter this, Ford does provide the Ford EcoSport with some of the very best petrol engines you’ll find in any small car. The 125- and 140hp 1.0-litre Ecoboost turbo petrol motors are willing, smooth and easy on fuel.
Infotainment, comfort and practicality
It may be small, but the Ford Eco boost EcoSport offers all of the SUV seating position and good all-round vision you expect of this type of car. The front door opens wide and allows unfettered access to the seat, which can be adjusted manually for height. It also slides back a long way from the reach and height adjustable steering wheel, so even very tall drivers can feel at home in the Ford. The Titanium and ST-Line models have cloth upholstery, but the Active model gains part-leather trim for a more upmarket feel. In any of these models, the seats are firm but supportive. Further helping the driver’s time at the wheel is Ford’s excellent Quickclear windscreen that defrosts or de-mists in next to no time, and there are reversing sensors and camera to overcome the high tailgate window line.
The main dials are simple analogue items for speed and revs, and nothing at wrong with this set-up. In between them is a smaller digital display for trips computer information, and there are steering wheel buttons for the stereo, phone and cruise control that are all standard in every trim level of Ford EcoSport. In the centre console, there are easy to understand and use rotary dials and some buttons to work the heating, and a pair of USB charge ports.
Above this lies the Ford EcoSport’s 8.0-inch SYNC infotainment touchscreen that has DAB radio and can be hooked up to your phone via Apple CarPlay or Android Auto. While it’s not as cutting edge in style or functionality as some others in this class, the Ford’s screen is easy to read and the menus are easy to follow. It also responds in good time when you tap on an icon to switch screens or change radio station.
There’s nothing particularly fancy about the rear seat accommodation, which is far from a criticism. Instead, the Ford EcoSport concentrates on providing a reasonable amount of space by class standards for passengers back here and two adults can certainly travel in some comfort thanks to acceptable room for head and legs. The doors also swing open wide to help when lifting younger children into their seats, which are held in place by Isofix mounts on the two outer chairs. Seat pockets and door bins provide some storage.
Heading round to the boot, the Ecoboost has its one major stumble on the practicality front. This is the side-hinged tailgate, which open to the left. That’s great if you live in a country where left-hand drive cars are sold, but for the UK where we drive on the right, it’s a hassle. This is because, you have to walk all the way around the open tailgate every time you want to load or unload something rather than having the open door shelter you from the traffic on to the right of the car. Also, with this arrangement it requires you park with plenty of clear space at the back of the car to allow access to the boot. If it hinged from the top, this would not be an issue.
However, when you get past this, you find the Ford EcoSport’s boot is a generous size with 356-litres of luggage space when all the seats are in use. Tip the 60-40 split and drop rear seat back down and you can free up as much as 1238-litres of capacity. The rear seat doesn’t fold tumble completely flat, but there’s lots of room and the load sill is lower than a lot of other SUVs in this class.
2014 Ford EcoSport engines: how does it drive?
There are two engines offered in the Ford Is fix EcoSport depending on which trim you choose. They are both based around the superb 1.0-litre, three-cylinder Ecoboost turbo petrol motor and you can pick from 125- or 140hp units. There’s not a lot to choose between them when it comes to performance and the more powerful version is the quicker from a standard start to 62mph as you’d fully expect it to be. It takes 10.2 seconds to cover this sprint, with the 125hp version needed 11.0 seconds, so neither is the fastest in the class nor the slowest.
On the road, the Ford EcoSport feels much nippier than these bare numbers suggest as the peppy 1.0-litre engines pick up keen from little over tickover. The turbocharger comes in smoothly and the motors rev keenly when you want to get a move or need to pull into flowing traffic from a side road. Joining a motorway from a slip road holds no worries for either of these engines as they work just as well at a faster pace as they do around town or being worked up and down the slick six-speed manual gearbox on a flik-flak country road. Just remember the Titanium and the Active trims only comes with the 125hp motor, while the ST-Line is available with both engine options.
In the city, the Ford EcoSport’s suspension is supple enough to deal with urban potholes and surface cracks, while on more open stretches it’s also just as adept at glossing over them in a controlled manner. While it’s not quite as smoothly confident as a Skoda Kamiq, the Ford EcoSport still deals with all manner of imperfections in a way that doesn’t leave you jiggling about in your seat or wishing for the phone number of a good chiropractor. Driving on faster roads, the Ford EcoSport does a capable job of keeping the cabin quiet from wind, road and engine noise.
However, it’s not all good news as the Ford EcoSport’s handling is, at best, mediocre. The steering doesn’t feel like it’s in much communication with the front wheels, and there’s too much lean in bends. It results in you approaching corners at a slower pace than you would in a Nissan Juke or Renault Captur, and it takes away some of the fun of being at the steering wheel of a compact car. Not even the St-Line’s sports suspension helps very much in this area. Around town, though, the Ford EcoSport has a tight turning circle and all-round vision is good for the driver, plus you get rear parking sensors and reversing camera in every model. There’s also cruise control and intelligent speed limiter, but if you want front parking sensors you need to add the Driver Assistance Pack that also comes with blind spot warning and rear cross traffic alert.
Value for money: how much does a 2014 Ford EcoSport cost to buy and run?
The Ford EcoSport range gets off to a start with the Titanium model that costs from £23,435. Move up to the ST-Line trim with the same 125hp engine as the Titanium and you’ll pay a list price of £24,235, so £800 more than the entry-point model. To have the more powerful 140hp engine in the ST-Line, it costs £24,635, adding £600 on top of the price of the 125hp version. At the top of the line-up sits the Active model that uses the 125hp engine and it costs from £24,510. It pays to shop around for the Ford EcoSport as there are savings on new cars ranging from £1000 to a substantial £4000. If you’d rather look at a nearly new EcoSport, you can save around £5000 for a car up to a year old with little more than delivery mileage on the clock. Or, a three-year old EcoSport with average miles can be had from £12,000.
With the Titanium trim of EcoSport, you get 17-inch alloy wheels, Ford’s Quickclear windscreen, electric windows all-round, and rear parking sensors and reversing camera. There are roof bars, automatic emergency braking, and cruise control, but no model comes with lane keeping assistance. The Titanium also has automatic headlights and wipers, air conditioning, and Ford’s SYNC 8.0-inch touchscreen infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto to pair with your phone. You can add the X-Pack to this and other EcoSport models for £600 that adds a Bang and Olufsen stereo, keyless entry, rear privacy glass, and power folding door mirrors. Next in the EcoSport line-up is the ST-Line trim that comes with dark-painted alloy wheels, its own body kit with front and rear spoilers, and sports suspension. The Active has its own design of alloy wheel and its roof painted in black to match the plastic wheelarch trims.
Whichever of the two engine options you choose, they both return the same official combined fuel economy of 45.6mpg. Depending on which trim level you choose, carbon dioxide emissions vary between 141- and 143g/km, so Vehicle Excise Duty and company car tax bands remain the same. If you select the optional 18-inch alloy wheels, CO2 output creeps up to 154g/km.
Verdict: Should I buy a 2014 Ford EcoSport?
The small SUV class is packed with a lot of talented contenders for your attention and money, and the Ford EcoSport has its positives. The raised driving position, front seat comfort and vision, and a well stocked list of standard equipment make it appealing. There are also the lively 1.0-litre EcoBoost petrol engines that are fun and frugal in use.
However, there are a couple of clouds that loom over the Ford. For starters, there’s the rear tailgate and how it opens that compromises practicality just too much to overlook it. Then there’s the poor handling of the Ford which just leaves it too far behind on the road and in competition with key rivals for it to be a frontrunner in this sector.
What could I buy instead of a 2014 Ford EcoSport?
Nissan Juke
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There are few more striking cars to look at in the small SUV class than the Nissan Juke. It’s more well-stocked handsome than its predecessor while still retaining a distinct look, while inside the Juke now offers plenty of space and lots of safety equipment included with every model. There’s a hybrid model to broaden the engine line-up, but the Juke has a firm ride that means it’s only average for the class when it comes to driving pleasure and comfort. Still, Nissan has priced the Juke very temptingly.
SsangYong Tivoli
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While not the most overtly styled small SUV, the SsangYong Tivoli has enough of a presence to bear comparison with the main players in this field. The restrained styling will also appeal to those who’d rather slip through traffic rather than trying to make a statement. Inside, however, the Tivoli isn’t shy about the amount of standard equipment it comes with as standard, especially given its strong value for money. There are some corners that have been cut to achieve this, notably with the look and feel of some of the interior plastics, and the SsangYong is not the most entertaining or engaging car to drive in the class.
Hyundai Kona
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Distinctive looks set the Hyundai Kona apart from most of the others in the small SUV sector, and it also comes with a long list of standard equipment. As well making the Kona a comfortable and interesting car to live with, the amount of kit also makes it good value. Added to this is Hyundai’s excellent five-year, unlimited mileage warranty. Kona customers have a choice of petrol, electric or hybrid power, and the Kona is good to drive. It’s a pity the cabin doesn’t provide as much space for passengers as some others in the class and, like the Ford Ecosport, the ride and handling are only average for the sector.
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