Ford EcoSport 2018 spec confirmed

Ford Australia has confirmed it will launch the facelifted EcoSport on December 14, with the compact SUV receiving revised styling inside and out, new engines and boosted equipment levels.

The EcoSport is again offered across three grades – Ambiente, Trend and Titanium – with each picking up an exterior look inspired by the mid-size Escape.

Specifically, a sculpted bonnet with a central bulge, a large trapezoidal grille and angular headlights are noticeable changes up front, while the rear bumper and tail-light designs have been tweaked at the rear.

Six paints colours will be on offer, including three new additions called 'Lightning Blue', 'Canyon Ridge' and 'Diamond White'.

Inside, upgrades extend to a redesigned centre stack featuring a floating touchscreen powered by Ford's 'Sync3' multimedia system, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto support, voice control and digital radio, as well as additional soft-touch materials and new seats.

The Titanium picks up paddle shifters, dusk-sensing HID headlights, daytime running lights, power sunroof, and leather-accented seat trim.

The Ambiente is now powered by a 1.5-litre naturally aspirated three-cylinder petrol engine that produces 90kW of power and 150Nm of torque, up 8kW and 10Nm over its four-cylinder predecessor.

Alternatively, the Trend and Titanium employ a 1.0-litre 'EcoBoost' turbocharged three-cylinder unit that develops 92kW/170Nm – matching the outputs of the former manual Trend.

Both powerplants are mated to a new six-speed torque-convertor automatic transmission, while the manual gearbox previously offered in the Ambiente and Trend has been dropped.

Claimed fuel consumption on the combined cycle test is 6.9 litres per 100 kilometres for the atmo powertrain, while its turbo counterpart manages 6.7L/100km.

Standard equipment for the Ambiente includes 16-inch steel wheels, gloss-black grille, side mirrors and door handles; cloth seat trim, power windows, a 6.5-inch touchscreen, a 4.2-inch digital instrument cluster, six-speaker sound system, seven airbags, cruise control, a reversing camera, rear parking sensors and emergency assistance.

Alongside a full list of specifications, pricing for the updated EcoSport will be confirmed at its local launch next week.

Stepping up the Trend adds 16-inch alloy wheels, front fog lights, a silver grille, body-colour side mirrors and door handles, black roof rails, a leather steering wheel, an 8.0-inch touchscreen, a seven-speaker sound system and satellite navigation with live traffic.

The Titanium also picks up paddle shifters, 17-inch alloy wheels, a full-size spare wheel with cover, a chrome grille, dusk-sensing HID headlights, daytime running lights, power-folding side mirrors with puddle lights, front and rear bumper inserts, silver roof rails, power sunroof, leather-accented seat trim, keyless entry and start, climate control, auto-dimming rearview mirror, front parking sensors, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert and rain-sensing wipers.

Alongside a full list of specifications, pricing for the updated EcoSport will be confirmed at its local launch next week.

For reference, the manual Ambiente currently opens the line-up from $20,790 before on-road costs, followed by the mid-spec Trend at $22,290, while the automatic-only Titanium flagship checks in from $27,790. An automatic transmission adds a further $2000 to the cost of the Ambiente and Trend.

EcoSport sales have taken a sizeable hit this year, with 1243 examples sold to the end of November, representing a 26.4 per cent drop over the 1690 registrations the model had during the same period in 2016.

The Ford is currently placed 10th in the sub-$40,000 compact-SUV segment, trailing the hot-selling Mitsubishi ASX (17,275 units), Mazda CX-3 (16,204), Nissan Qashqai (12,616), Honda HR-V (10,783) and Subaru XV (9065), among others.

Will this refresh help the Ford EcoSport climb the compact-SUV sales ladder? Tell us what you think in the comments below.