There’s a long queue for the base EcoSport 1.5-litre petrol with a manual gearbox. We finally get our hands on it after months of waiting.
This 110bhp engine is known for its rather disappointing mid-range that feels gutless. If you want a quick burst of power, you have to downshift and get the engine spinning hard to get going fast again.
Still, it’s not slow. We didn’t get to test it under ideal test conditions but driven flat-out, our test car hit 100kph in 14.1sec, which is just 1.5sec off the time posted by the 1.0-litre EcoBoost. Where this one lags behind the EcoBoost is in the in-gear runs where the latter’s much stronger, turbo-assisted mid-range makes it much quicker.
On the outside, it is easy to distinguish the Ambiente from the higher variants. It doesn’t get foglamps, the chrome highlights on the grille are missing, the mirrors and door-handles are not body coloured and it’s got full-size plastic wheel caps. Still, with its smart black body cladding and SUV-ish stance, this EcoSport has a nice, unfussy look to it.