Ford Motor Company of Southern Africa (FMCSA) has big ambitions for its small EcoSport sports-utility vehicle (SUV).

“We want to dominate the B SUV segment,” says FMCSA marketing manager Gavin Golightly.

He says the new Indian-made EcoSport is “definitely not a niche product”, but rather a volume-seller for the local arm of the US car manufacturer.

The EcoSport will challenge the dominance of the Nissan Juke in the B, or small SUV market (at an estimated 5 500 units to be sold in 2013), with competitors in the form of the Suzuki Jimny and the Daihatsu Terios. (While the Jimny offers off-road competence, however the other models are more suited to urban bundu-bashing.)

The B SUV segment of the overall new vehicle market in South Africa has shown tremendous growth, notes FMCSA brand manager Dale Reid. Its total share of market was around 2% in 2008, but is expected to reach around 10% this year.

Small SUVs offer a similar experience to that of driving a large SUV, but at a lower price tag and with significantly less fuel consumption.

Reid says the small SUV accommodates an active lifestyle, an elevated driving position, more interior space and a balance between city and leisure driving that a normal hatchback passenger car cannot offer.

EcoSport stands for ‘economical’ and ‘sport’, says FMCSA sales, service and marketing VP Mark Kaufman.

Its origins comes from the late nineties – a time when SUVs and bakkies were supposed to be bigger in order to be better. However, with sharply rising fuel prices and a shift in consumer interest to smaller cars, Ford now wants to emulate the success of the EcoSport in its home country of Brazil.

Golightly believes the EcoSport will show a slight female bias in sales, while it will also attract “a lot of customers” who have not previously considered the Ford brand when looking to buy a new car. It will also offer a viable alternative to those Ford loyalists seeking to move from the entry-level Ford Figo to a SUV.

“From a volume point, we expect to sell more than the [Ford] Kuga.”

“Stylish, robust and dynamic, the all-new EcoSport is sure to appeal to a new generation of customers. It is set to be a game-changer for us, solidifying Ford’s volume position in South Africa.”

Sales of the Kuga, Ford’s larger SUV, numbered 436 units in July.

Pricing for the EcoSport starts at R199 000, topping out at R249 000.

The EcoSport is manufactured in Brazil, India and China.

THE ECOSPORT
The EcoSport is based on the Fiesta platform, but with enhancements to allow for the more robust driving associated with a SUV. It offers seating for five people.

While the bottom-end EcoSport uses a 1.5 l petrol engine, the range also features the world engine of the year, the 1 l EcoBoost power train.

Producing 92 kW of power with a peak torque of 170 Nm, the engine delivers power that rivals larger petrol engines.

With 25% fewer moving parts, Ford says the three-cylinder EcoBoost can deliver fuel economy of 5.7 l/100 km.

The 1.5 l four-cylinder petrol engine, in turn, delivers peak power of 82 kW at 6 300 rpm and peak torque of 138 Nm at 4 400 rpm.

It uses an average of 6.5 l/100 km of petrol on a combined cycle.

For customers who prefer diesel vehicles, the 1.5 l TDCi intercooled and turbocharged diesel engine offers a power rating of 66 kW at 3 750 rpm, and 205 Nm of torque from 2 000 rpm to 2 750 rpm.

Fuel efficiency is stated as 4.6 l/100 km.

A  five-speed manual transmission is standard on all models, bar the 1.5 l petrol titanium model, which uses the six-speed Ford PowerShift transmission.

The EcoSport has compact sub-four-metre dimensions and 200 mm ground clearance. It can wade through 550 mm of water.

Inside, most models offer Ford SYNC, the voice-activated in-car connectivity system powered by Microsoft. The system allows drivers to keep their eyes on the road and hands on the wheel while choosing their favourite music and making phone calls using voice commands.
 
The cabin has 20 storage spaces, including a glove box that can cool up to six cans, as well as a storage space under the front seat.

The rear seats can be folded down to provide additional cargo space.

With the rear seats tumbled against the front seats, the boot space increases from 362 l to 705 l, big enough to fit a washing machine.

Alternatively the rear seats can be split 60:40 to transport long objects such as flat-pack furniture, while still carrying passengers at the back.

Safety features include driver, front passenger, side and curtain airbags.
 
An antilock brake system is available on all models and helps the vehicle to stop quickly on slippery roads. Other technologies such as electronic stability control also aid drivers by automatically reducing engine power and selectively braking individual wheels to stabilise an out-of-control vehicle.

The EcoSport is available with a 4-year/120 000 km warranty and 4-year/60 000 km service plan.

Service intervals are staggered at 20 000 km intervals for the petrol derivatives and 15 000 km for the diesel derivatives.