It took Ford some 4 years to facelift the second
generation EcoSport, only to bill it as an entirely new model. Show in Frankfurt, it continues to challenge
the Nissan Juke, and others in the subcompact-SUV segment.
It builds upon its upcoming North American sibling,
and comes with a more refined front end, a redesigned cabin inspired by the new
Fiesta, and an ST-Line sporty flavor.
Those interested in the Euro-spec 2018 Ford EcoSport
should know that it will become available with a 1.0-liter EcoBoost petrol
engine, in three outputs - 100 PS, 125 PS, and 140 PS, and
with a 1.5-liter diesel, rated at 100 PS and 125 PS.
The latter choice is paired to a 6-speed manual
gearbox, and comes with an optional all-wheel drive, returning 4.5 l/100 km
(62.7 UK mpg / 52.3 US mpg), and emitting 119 g/km of CO2. A six-speed
automatic transmission is also found on the options list.
Ford will put the 'new' EcoSport in production this
fall, at their Craiova, Romania, plant, after retiring the B-Max. Sales are
expected to start by the end of the year, and pricing has yet to be announced.
