Ford has revealed the new Equator Sport at the ongoing Guangzhou Auto Show. The Equator Sport is the more compact five-seat sibling to the full-size Equator which debuted earlier this year. Interestingly, while the overall design is quite close to the larger three-row Equator, some reports suggest that this new Sport does not share its underpinnings with the larger Equator.
- Equator Sport has a 140mm shorter wheelbase
- Gets some styling differences from the larger Equator
- Powered by a 1.5-litre turbo-petrol engine
Ford Equator Sport: Styling and interior
Despite the similarities, the Sport does get its own design touches. Starting from the front, the design of the nose is similar to the Equator, but there’s lesser chrome detailing, a new bumper with smaller airdams and revised headlamps.
Down the sides, the changes become apparent from behind the front doors. The Equator Sport clearly looks smaller with the rear doors also unique to the Sport. The windowline has a sharper upward slant on the rear doors, the rear quarter window is smaller and, unlike on the standard Equator, the rear haunches are more prominent.
Round the back, the tail-lamps, while having a similar shape, get revised detailing and the light bar is given a miss. The rear windshield also has a steeper rake and the bumper, too, is unique to the Sport.
As mentioned above, the Equator Sport is a five-seater SUV with no third row of seating. The cabin design remains more or less unchanged though the materials used and the inserts on the doors and dashboard are of more subdued colours.
Ford Equator Sport: Engine
Developed for the Chinese market, the Equator Sport is a petrol-only SUV. Power comes from a 1.5-litre turbo-petrol engine developing 170hp and 260Nm of torque paired with an automatic gearbox.
Ford India: What to expect
Ford announced in September that it had stopped manufacturing cars in India for the domestic market with production for exports set to wind down before the start of the new year. The carmaker is set to transition to a CBU-only model line-up and has confirmed the launch of the latest Mustang and the Mustang Mach-e for the Indian market. The carmaker was also looking to bring in the performance-focused Ranger Raptor to India via the CBU route.
The Ranger shares its underpinnings with the Endeavour SUV that remains on sale in international markets with the Raptor featuring a number of upgrades to its chassis and suspension system, among other changes.
Uday Singh
Dipan Sur
Glenn Noronha
Viraaj Bhatnagar
