Ford Malaysia has officially unveiled their latest model, an urban compact SUV called the EcoSport (Pronounced Aco-Sport). The EcoSport was initially previewed in showrooms since earlier this month, and now it has been made official.
Quick facts on the new Ford EcoSport
- Zerotohundred: ~15 seconds
- Top Speed : 180 km/h
- Power: 108 hp
- Torque: 142 NM
- Drivetrain: 6 Speed PowerShift
- Price: RM92,888 Trend, RM103,888 Titanium
The Ford EcoSport In A Nutshell
Build on the same platform as the current Ford Fiesta, the Ford EcoSport shares a similar interior with its hatchback brother, but exterior has been given a rugged treatment to showcase its SUV-ness.
Engine and Performance
Ford Malaysia is only offering a 1.5L Ti-VCT engine in Malaysia, but plans for an EcoBoost variant will come later. Fret not, as the Ti-VCT found here is familiar to the one in the facelifted Ford Fiesta. The only transmission choice offered is Ford’s PowerShift, which is a dual clutch gearbox with 6 forward speeds. The Ford EcoSport does the century run in about 15 seconds, with an estimated top speed of about 180 km/h.
Technology Behind the Brawn
The Ford EcoSport features an electric power-assisted steering (EPAS) system with Pull-Drift Compensation. Don’t let the drift word fool you, as this allows the driver to manoeuvre through tight spots with relative ease. Besides the steering system, the Ford EcoSport boasts a 200 mm ground clearance to clear speed bumps and our famous potholes. Besides that, the Ford EcoSport is able to waddle through 550 mm of water, more than enough for Kuala Lumpur’s occasional flooded roads.
Exterior
Despite sharing the same platform with the Fiesta, the EcoSport bears little to no resemblance to the Fiesta. Ford has also incorporated a spare tire cover much like how SUVs are like. Other than that, the Ford EcoSport features front foglights and DRLs which are standard across the range. Both variants will also feature the same 16″ alloy wheels wrapped in 205/60/16 tires.
Interior
Moving onto the interior, the Ford EcoSport pretty much screams Ford Fiesta inside, as a lot of interior parts are shared with the Fiesta. So stuff like radio with MP3, CD In-dash, Bluetooth connectivity, USB and AUX ports are also found here. The Titanium variant features a black leather interior, while the Trend variant has a premium fabric interior. The Titanium adds leather to the steering wheel as well as the gear knob. Other than that, the Titanium model sports a smart keyless entry system with push button start, while the Trend model makes do with a remote flip key.
Safety
The Ford EcoSport has ABS, EBD, Electronic Stability Program (ESP), traction control, Emergency Brake Assist (EBA) and Hill Launch Assist standard across the range. In terms of airbag count, the Titanium variant sports 7 airbags, which includes driver and front passenger airbags, side and curtain airbags as well as driver’s knee airbag. The Trend variant only has driver and front passenger airbag. ISOFIX mount for child seats are standard as well.
The Ford EcoSport is available in 5 distinctive colours, namely Mars Red, Midnight Sky, Frozen White, Winning Blue and Candy Red. The EcoSport Trend retails at RM92,888 while the EcoSport Titanium retails at RM103,888. The Ford EcoSport comes with Ford’s Extended Service Plan (ESP) which is a free 3 year or 60,000 km maintenance program that covers parts and labour charges.
