Ford has launched a significantly upgraded version of its Ford Ecosport SUV with promise it’ll be better suited to European demands than its poorly received predecessor.
The updated crossover, on show at the Frankfurt motor show, gets a new 1.5-litre diesel engine and comes with an ST-Line option. It also gets new chassis settings to improve handling.
Added to the existing 1.0-litre Ecoboost petrol engine option is a new 1.5-litre Ecoblue diesel that produces 123bhp. From mid-2018 onwards, Ford will also add a 99bhp version of its Ecoboost three-pot to sit below the 123bhp and 138bhp versions in the line-up.
Like before, the Ecosport gets a six-speed manual or six-speed automatic gearbox.
A new ST-Line trim has been added to the mix, with 17in alloy wheels, ST-Line badging and a leather interior standard. The car is also available with larger 18in wheels.
New for the updated car is Sync3 infotainment, which is incorporated in an 8in touchscreen that features Apple Carplay and Android Auto connectivity.
The car also features adaptive cruise control and blind spot assist technology, to boost its driver assistance abilities.
No pricing has been released for the new car, which goes on sale later this year, but no major changes are expected from the outgoing car’s £15,645 opening figure.
Read more:
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Forget the Ford Ecosport and focus on a baby Landie or Volvo
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Ford Eco Sport Refresh
Sorry Ford but it's still not going to sell not at that price,try starting it off at £11500 might get some interest
The worst car on sale in the UK?
The sooner Ford replace this with an all-new, massively improved model, the better as the current offering really is utter rubbish, barely being average in any area. And the fact it doesn't even look good makes matters worse. This probably has to be the only genuinely rubbish car on sale in the UK at the moment. As for Ford's current other offerings, most of them are all very good but they're not quite brilliant as was the case with most Fords from the first Mondeo right up until the last Fiesta, where almost every model launched was a class leader. Now Ford has none. The days when a Mondeo or Focus for example were the best in class with some ease are long gone.
Going to take more than this...
...to compete with the Captur, 2008, Cactus, Renagade, Vitara, HR-V, Arona, T-Roc etc.
And a less lame name.