Ford Ecosport feedback please

I would say go for it, but make sure you the dealer you choose offers great support.
Ecosports and Kuga's have a slight tendency to blow a head gasket occasionally and the dealer support here in the Cape is rather K@K

Im still waiting for a bloody self adjuster for a ST220 so my dad can actually drive the darn thing
 
Once again, Ford lives up to their reputation of putting sub-par batteries in their vehicles. Last month my 2 1/2year old Ranger needed a new battery and this morning my 1 1/12 year old Ecosport refused to turn over in the garage. AA was useless (we will need at least an hour to get to your wife, sir) so I went home and not even jumper leads would get the car started. Eventually I pushed the car into the street and bump-started it (after confirming with my service adviser telephonically that this would not hurt the CAT). Our tyre/wheel/battery service provider confirmed a dead cell.

I am sure they use inferior batteries in Ford's - even the Peugeot's I previously owned never needed battery changes after 3yrs.....

In other news, @Supersunbird, your next car has a new battery.....
 
FiestaST said:
http://www.wheels24.co.za/News/15-year-old-boy-crashes-rolls-car-in-sa-20160912

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C'mon...no "lol" for the image.

 
2017 Ford Ecosport to inherit muscular look of Edge and Kuga

Ford’s facelifted compact SUV is tipped for a debut this year; it'll gain Sync 3 infotainment and possibly a four-wheel-drive option

The 2017 Ford Ecosport will inherit the more muscular lines of the Kuga and Edge models.

The facelifted model is due to be revealed late this year, with sales kicking off in the start of 2017.

Jeremy Schofield, manager of SUV communications at Ford, told Autocar that the updated compact SUV will gain a similar face to its larger siblings.

This agrees with a development car spotted by Autocar's spy photographer during the summer, which wore a restyled front bumper with a new black section in the middle and lightly tweaked rear bumper.

This car wore a spare wheel on the rear, suggesting it is a mule for the South American and Chinese markets. The European-spec car will do away with the spare wheel to give the rear a cleaner, less rugged appearance.

The facelifted model looks set to introduce the Ecosport moniker to India, so this spare-wheel-wearing mule could also influence the car that reaches that market.

Across all markets, the 2017 Ecosport will inherit Ford’s Sync3 infotainment technology, as all of Ford's smaller models adopt the system from 2017 onwards.

It seems likely that the current car’s engine line-up - 1.0-litre three-cylinder petrol, 1.5-litre four-cylinder petrol and 1.5-litre four-cylinder diesel – will be retained. But the option of four-wheel-drive may be added, with Schofield suggesting market trends could encourage it.

"15% of B-spec SUVs are four-wheel-drive," he said. "It's a small but significant proportion."

If an all-wheel-drive option is introduced, it'll only come available with the most potent engine or engines.

The facelifted car’s starting price is expected to stay close to the current car’s £14,645.

Next-gen model

Looking further ahead, the next Ecosport update will come when an all-new model is launched. That model will be based on the 2017 Fiesta platform and it'll share engines with that car too.

http://www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/new-cars/2017-ford-ecosport-inherit-muscular-look-edge-and-kuga

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Ford confident Ecosport tweaks will make small SUV competitive in Europe

Production of Ford's Mokka X rival is switching from India to Romania; just one of several revisions aimed at boosting the car's fortunes

The upcoming facelift for the Ford Ecosport should finally make the Blue Oval competitive in Europe in the fast growing small SUV segment, according to Ford of Europe boss Jim Farley.

The Ecosport facelift is due later this year, and it will coincide with Ford switching production of the Vauxhall Mokka X rival from India to Romania. “We’ve finally got it,” said Farley on the revisions, “and we’ve had lots of feedback on that car.”

Farley described the Ecosport facelift as “a big deal”, and the revisions would mainly focus on the interior. The perceived quality is set to be significantly improved and Ford is also set to offer its latest connectivity options through its Sync3 system.

The Ecosport has already been revised several times since it was first launched in 2013 with the external spare wheel on the tailgate. That has since departed for European buyers, but the car still lags behind rivals including the Mokka X and Renault Captur, something the facelift will address.

Farley also said Ford would look to offer the Active trim to be introduced on the next-generation Fiesta across more of its models to cash in on the growing market for crossover vehicles. “We could expand it to existing models but we will see the reception on the Fiesta first,” he said.

There was also growth potential in the Vignale trim, and Farley said Ford was investigating equipping more Ford dealers with the ability to sell Vignale models, which is as much about the owner experience as a premium trim level itself through offering the concierge service, Vignale loan cars during servicing, and free car washes.

He said around 10% of Mondeo, S-Max and Galaxy models were sold as Vignales, and that was set to be higher for the Edge. Indeed, Farley said Ford is selling some Edges for €60,000 (about £52,000), which pushes Ford into premium territory at a price point where Ford’s own Lincoln luxury brand operates in other markets. Farley also spoke of the success of Ford’s performance models, and highlighted the fact the Mustang is outselling the Porsche 911.

“In Europe, there is now no difference between premium and mainstream,” he said. “People are falling back in love with Ford, and we can compete with premium.”

http://www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/m...confident-ecosport-tweaks-will-make-small-suv
 
FiestaST said:
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One advantage of the current, less than premium interior, is that pricing is dirt cheap. I paid just over R2k for the entire drivers side door panel which came complete with all trim and mirror/window switches after a paintless dent removal "specialist" fu$ked up the top surface of the panel.

Interior could definitely do with an upgrade though and the last of bluetooth and steering wheel audio controls on Ambiente spec is total BS - it should be a standard safety feature on ALL cars now.
 
FlashSA said:
One advantage of the current, less than premium interior, is that pricing is dirt cheap. I paid just over R2k for the entire drivers side door panel which came complete with all trim and mirror/window switches after a paintless dent removal "specialist" fu$ked up the top surface of the panel.

Interior could definitely do with an upgrade though and the last of bluetooth and steering wheel audio controls on Ambiente spec is total BS - it should be a standard safety feature on ALL cars now.
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Stop denting my future car :mad:
 
supersunbird said:
Stop denting my future car :mad:
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Bloody wife. I have told her so many times to park in the furthest bay away from other cars and lift her feet to the shop, but nooo!

Both the door and door panel are brand new again now though ;)

Second annual service coming up later this month. At least she is behaving with her 11k annual mileage limit :)
 
I have driven all 3 engines of the ecosport...cant say im impressed at all...for the money its a glorified hatchback,only slightly more boot space
 
The Nissan Kicks looks like a better option than the ecosport but unfortunately only due in 2018...i drove the suzuku vitara 1.6 the other day and its disappointing like the 1.5 petrol in the ecosport...in the uk they have a 1.4T option but unfortunately not coming here as yet
 
saflyfish said:
I have driven all 3 engines of the ecosport...cant say im impressed at all...for the money its a glorified hatchback,only slightly more boot space
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Um exactly, it's a raised Fiesta made cheaply in India, so now people who can't afford SUVs can buy something SUV-ish, and all the other SUVs can have their prices increased because there is something filling in the gap lower down.
 
saflyfish said:
I have driven all 3 engines of the ecosport...cant say im impressed at all...for the money its a glorified hatchback,only slightly more boot space
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I'll bite. The Ambiente has 6 airbags compared to the Fiesta's 2. It has adjustable rear seatbacks which are great for when the kids snooze in their carseats. It is higher and far more suited to the Transkei's gravel roads. It also has far superior resale value due to demand. I have been offered R20k less than what I paid for mine 2 years ago by a used car dealer.

It also looks awesome, especially from the front.
 
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Foxhound5366 said:
And how did you get out of it? Don't say you got a tow from a Hilux.
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Shovelling and then a tow from a Hilux 4x4 (thought I'm sure the initial Isuzu 4x2 could have done it too if we had a spade) cause I had wasted enough time, got me out very easy. The initial tow the 4x4 tried, without the shovelling, I stopped before they broke something. Going to get me one of those folding spades. The issue was that fine sand/clay mix (aka quicksand), one could walk on it without sinking in, but the surface was wobbly, when the car got stuck it just grabbed the wheels, the wheels wouldn't spin or anything. If I have had a spade I would have shovelled it open and used my excess fire wood to get myself out. Tyres were also pumped harder for loaded trip back home. Mmmm, maybe I need a compressor too...

I'll post pics of the soil tomorrow.
 
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