Ford EcoSport Review 2024

The EcoSport is Ford's smallest SUV. It's pitched at buyers who would otherwise be looking at a supermini such as the Fiesta, but want the chunky looks, high driving position and (theoretical) practicality of a 4x4.

This is no mud-plugging off-roader though. While it was available for a period with four-wheel drive on the most expensive diesel model and an automatic gearbox, most EcoSports have two-wheel drive and a manual transmission. 

That means if you don't want to change gears by yourself (and plenty of urban drivers don't) or live far out in the countryside and need genuine utility during the winter, there are better alternatives at this size and for similar money. It'll suit people who don't want to fork out too much on a family car, but if running costs are a factor then rival SUVs are cheaper and more able.

The incredible popularity of small SUVs like the EcoSport means that if you're looking for this type of car you'll be spoilt for choice. Almost every brand produces its own version of a chunky, tall-bodied, urban SUV. 

Buyers looking for a budget SUV with the option of four-wheel drive will be better off with the cheap and cheerful Dacia Duster. It's more practical than the Ford (and a little more basic inside) but far better value. 

For a comparable price, you could get a SEAT Arona, Peugeot 2008 or Renault Captur. The French duo is stylish, and feel really plush on the inside too, while the Peugeot is also available with pure electric power.

If comfort and practicality are of paramount importance (If you're a family buyer - why wouldn't they be?) the Citroen C3 Aircross has a much bigger boot than the Ford, and soft, supple suspension that's great in town.

Finally - if it simply has to be a Ford - then the newer Ford Puma is a more accomplished SUV in every respect.

Interior quality was one of the Ford EcoSport's weakest areas prior to its mid-life refresh. Bone hard plastics, flimsy feeling buttons and switches, and a generally poor level of finish all marked it out as a budget option.

Ford worked hard to turn things around, and the later model felt like a massive step forward. Softer dash materials, a less cluttered centre console, and nicer steering wheel are major plusses. It feels plusher inside than a SEAT Arona, for example, but lacks the premium polish of rivals like the Peugeot 2008.

Small details like having clearer text on the analogue dials, soft pads in the front door armrests, and better seat fabrics made a huge difference to perceived quality, and you'll appreciate the improvement.

Investigate lower down though, and there are still some harder, scratchier plastics to be found in the Ford EcoSport. Large panel gaps and creaky trim pieces also don't make it feel nearly as robust or durable as the best cars in this class.

Zetec versions of the Ford EcoSport have cloth seats and gloss grey plastics around the central stack, gearstick and on the grab handle above the glovebox. In Titanium cars, you get partial leather seats, and a handy central armrest with extra storage that covers up the base car's cheap-looking cupholders. ST-Line spec livens things up with a lot of red stitching on the leather seat panels and steering wheel, metal pedals, and glossy black cabin trim. The off-roader-ish Active has rear privacy glass and part-leather seats with blue stitching.

Every version of the Ford EcoSport came with the same impressive 8.0-inch touchscreen display as part of Ford's SYNC infotainment system from the 2018 facelift. The only difference between the more affordable models and higher trims is that the entry-level car comes without navigation - all the other features are identical, and it's an impressive list. Prior to 2018, a 6.5-inch infotainment screen was used.

Six speakers, DAB digital radio, Bluetooth, Android Auto and Apple CarPlay connectivity and two USB ports with later cars mean you can keep your phones charged, and use your favourite navigation and music apps on the move.

The 8.0-inch screen does look plonked on top of the dash instead of neatly integrated with the rest of the cabin, but this 'floating' design has its advantages; mostly that it's easy to read and press the large on-screen icons. There's also a row of shortcut buttons underneath, making it easier to skip tracks or turn up the volume.

True, the graphics and touchscreen response are not quite as snappy as in some rivals, but the menus are intuitive, and you can pinch and zoom into maps, or use two fingers to swipe across, just like a smartphone.

It even has voice control, and 'Ford Connect' (an integrated sim-card that gives you access to online services via the 4G network) that can also turn the car into a Wi-Fi hotspot if you need to use this as a mobile office.

The Titanium model has sat-nav and a reversing camera, but since you can just use your smartphone to guide you to your destination, it's not a deal-breaker with other trim levels.

Aside from the higher ride height, the Ford EcoSport's dimensions are broadly similar to a Fiesta. It's 4096mm long (that's without a spare wheel on the back) and 2057mm wide (including the door mirrors). The overall height – including roof rails – is 1713mm.

A raised driving position is the key feature all SUV buyers want and, with 190mm of ground clearance, the EcoSport gives you a better view out than a supermini would. The taller body and roof line also mean headroom is better for adults sat in the back. Yet in other areas, it falls well short of offering the kind of versatility these kind of cars are meant to provide.

For one, the Ford is quite narrow, so shoulder-room is tight in the back, and sitting behind a taller driver effectively removes the decent knee-room on offer. You can't slide the rear seats to increase boot volume like you can in some smalls SUVs, any anyone sat in the middle will feel pretty squashed after 20 minutes there.

The back doors don't open very wide - limiting access when fitting a child seat or get a toddler belted in - and are obstructed by the rear wheel arch. It seems like a minor detail, but one that can also cause daily frustration.

However, these minor niggles pale in comparison to the EcoSport's biggest issue: its side-hinged boot door. It opens outward and means you need to leave a metre of clearance to be able to get inside the loading bay. It's a nightmare for parking in tightly-packed multi-storey car parks, on a busy road, or even the garage at home.

That shouldn't necessarily put you off buying the car completely, but it's worth bearing in mind since it's a disadvantage around town that other small SUVs owners simply won't have to deal with on a daily basis.

The boot itself is below average for the class. It features a moveable floor, and a 354-litre capacity once set in its lowest position. Set it higher (to create two separate compartments) and you'll have 334 litres worth. With the seats dropped, the Ford EcoSport can accommodate up to 1238 litres of luggage.

That's enough to swallow a stroller and a few shopping bags, but not much else. A SEAT Arona has room for 400 litres of family gubbins and the Citroen C3 Aircross 410 litres - and both offer a wider, squarer shape as well.

Fold the rear bench down and this expands further, giving you enough room but the seats don't lie totally flat, leaving a hump in the floor that makes it harder to slide heavy stuff like suitcases or book boxes into the car.

Although some previous versions of the EcoSport were available with four-wheel drive or an automatic transmission - 4WD came with the 1.5 TDCi diesel, most only offer front-wheel drive and a manual gearbox.

Since most mini-SUV drivers are likely to spend a lot of their time doing short trips in town (nipping to the shops, doing the school run or driving to the station) the 1.0-litre EcoBoost petrol will be the best choice.

It has a turbocharger to help make up for its small capacity, and comes in three states of tune, depending on the trim you go choose: 100PS, 125PS and 140PS. It's eager to rev and reasonably flexible, but it doesn't pull with the same urgency as this motor does in the Fiesta - so the lower-powered versions feel pretty weedy.

Not as slow as the 1.5-litre EcoBlue diesel though. Plainly speaking, it's a gutless engine that really struggles to build any forward momentum, especially in its lowest 100PS guise. You'll find yourself needing to go down a gear or two to keep up with traffic on the motorway, and takes what feels like an eternity to reach 60mph. A Citroen C3 Aircross or any Volkswagen Group SUV fitted with a 1.6-litre TDI will be quieter and feel quicker.

Naturally, the diesels have lower fuel costs, but they're also coarse and vocal around town, making them less enjoyable to drive in stop-start traffic. Only consider one if you'll regularly be driving long distances.

The six-speed manual has a reasonably positive shift, so it's undemanding to use. This is good news since you'll be making constant changes to get it moving, no matter which engine you pick. Mind you, some drivers will find the heavy clutch tiresome. As for the automatic available with the petrol, it's not a bad alternative to the manual, but fairly dim-witted and hesitant compared to its modern twin-clutch counterparts.

The earlier 112PS 1.5 petrol plods along and has a five-speed manual gearbox, but make the effort to find a 1.0 Ecoboost version of the EcoSport and you'll be very glad you did. Equally, the original 90PS 1.5 diesel is also best avoided as it's slow and noisy.

The EcoSport is not a very relaxing car to spend time in. Every engine is quite vocal - especially the coarse and rattly 1.5-litre diesel in all guises - but even the smaller petrol unit rarely fades away into the background. 

Worse still, it's not just noise that makes an unwelcome intrusion into the cabin. You'll feel a lot of vibrations from the motor coming through the seat, pedals and gearstick; a clear sign of the EcoSport's budget roots. This was less of an issue when none of Ford's rivals were significantly quieter, but that has long since changed.

The quicker 'EcoBlue' diesel has the strongest mid-range performance. As a result, you aren't forced to work it quite as hard to get it up to speed, but it's still far from great.

Its lack of refinement is especially noticeable get up to (and then maintain) a higher speed on the motorway. The harder you work the asthmatic engines, the more they'll loudly protest, and once you're at a fixed cruise above 60mph there's also considerable wind and road noise adding to the general cacophony.

Family buyers expect all modern cars to receive a five-star crash safety rating from safety body Euro NCAP. So it may come as a surprise to learn that the pre-facelift EcoSport only managed a four-star score in 2013. It still did well for adult and child protection though, with much higher marks than the three-star Dacia Duster.

That missing star was mainly due to the absence of a speed limiter on the cruise control, and no seatbelt monitors for the back seats. Some of that equipment was added, with more airbags than before and active assistance systems on the options list as part of the Driver Assistance Pack. 

This bundle provides blind-spot monitors, front parking sensors, automatic high-beam assist to stop you dazzling oncoming cars, and cross-traffic alert to help when reversing out of the driveway. Autonomous emergency braking only became standard in 2019.

Despite its flaws, the Ford EcoSport appears to be quite a dependable small SUV, even if Ford ranked only 23rd out of 29 entries in the latest HonestJohn Satisfaction survey.

The main issues with the EcoSport seem to centre around the PowerShift automatic transmission. These are well known to be problematic, but look for a post-2018 model and it'll come with a reliable torque-converter automatic gearbox instead. 

The good news is the EcoSport should cost you about the same to cover as the smaller Fiesta on which it's based. If you're a newer driver without any no-claims bonus then the best option is the 100PS 1.0-litre Zetec model as it's rated as a Group 10 (out of 50).

Rivals like the SEAT Arona and Renault Captur will be even cheaper in an equivalent entry-level spec since they are both in Group 8. If you want our favourite 125PS version of the EcoBoost in Titanium trim, it won't cost too much more; that car is in Group 12. Five groups lower than a Peugeot 2008 or Citroen C3 Aircross.

Cars registered before the VED changes that came into effect in April 2017 will be relatively cheap to tax. The diesel models, in particular, will be kind on the wallet and should set you back no more than £20 a year.

For newer models, the majority of the range emits between 130-140g/km of CO2 and will cost £180 a year.

Usually with small cars, manufacturers offer a no-frills budget version that feels like wearing a hair shirt. So it's nice that Ford's small SUV bucked this trend - even the entry-level EcoSport Zetec is packed with equipment. 2018-on facelift cars come with the same 8.0-inch touchscreen as the pricier trims (earlier cars have a 6.5-inch display) with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, DAB radio, USB connectivity, air-con, cruise control and electric windows.

None of your neighbours will know it's the most affordable version either, with 16-inch alloy wheels, fog lights, LED daytime running lights, body-coloured door mirrors, a chrome-effect grill giving it that tough SUV stance.

Stepping up to the Ford EcoSport Titanium adds goodies that wouldn't seem out of place on a premium SUV. A reversing camera (so long as there's not rear door-mounted spare wheel), parking sensors, climate control all feature. It also has partial leather seats, a useful central armrest, automatic lights and wipers, keyless start, and powered folding door mirrors with integrated puddle lights.

The sportier Ford EcoSport ST-Line's upgrades are mostly cosmetic, with a lowered sports suspension, 17-inch wheels, two-tone paint, a rear spoiler and different grille. It feels like a junior hot hatch inside too, thanks to metal pedals, lots of red stitching, a chunkier steering wheel, and a mixture of faux-suede and leather seat upholstery.

The Active trim brought 17-inch alloy wheels, black-painted roof and luggage rails, rear privacy glass, plastic body mouldings, and part-leather upholstery.

There are a few options worth looking for too. The Comfort Pack could also be dubbed the winter pack since it included a heated steering and front seats that will be welcome on frosty mornings.

The pricier X-Pack offered a hi-fi upgrade, replacing the six-speaker standard setup with a 10-speaker, 675-watt output sure to get the windows rattling, whether you're in to Radio 2 or dubstep.