L.A Auto Show: 2017 Ford Ecosport
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Ford is finally bringing the Ecosport to the US.
It is a revised version of the one that has been on sale for over 3 years around the world.
Which might be its main problem…
The new interior is fine. A bit more upscale than the new Toyota C-HR. But not nearly as nice as the Mazda CX-3. It is a bit convoluted and flashy, compared to the Mazda and the Honda HR-V.
I think this might be closer to the equally “not new” Chevrolet Trax. (Which also got a new front and and revised interior for 2017)
But since everyone and their brother has to be represented in this “tiny SUV” market these days, why not…
The exterior looks descent… but what the hell is with the crazy busy dash??..knobs knobs knobs and a big stick on screen. This is a road hazard.
When you see other small crossovers, hybrid or not, this is just embarassing. And the name pretty much guarantees anonymity
This is a low effort class of CUV for the automakers right now. Ss they become more popular hopefully the styling, quality and performance will improve.
Such an opportunity squandered. I'm not really clear why anyone would want this. It just says "I like the Escape, but couldn't afford one." Seems that it would have been relatively simple to have made this a more distinctive and fun runabout to engage a wider audience and to give people a reason to get excited about it. Ford could have gone after the kind of affluent audience that considers the Fiat 500x/ Mini Countryman, while still appealing to the sub-prime audience who buys purely on price. This will be bought solely by rental companies and by fat chicks who wear sweatshirts and flick cigs out the window.
I have mixed feelings with this car. Yes, they have made improvements and modernized the front to make it look like a smaller Escape but the proportions are still off. What bothers me is more towards the rear of the car
around the C pillars/glass area. It looks like the car needs a few more inches to gain more symmetry.
Also, I am not sure of Indian made products as the US version will be sourced from there. That country has terrible labor laws and treats the poor like shit. Not sure if this reflects workmanship or not, but something tells me yes.
This is the perfect car for a college student who wants something taller than a Focus/Jetta/Carolla/Civic/Fit/Micra.