2013 Ford EcoSport confirmed for Sydney motor show

By Tim Beissmann
September 22nd, 2012

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The all-new Ford EcoSport baby SUV, the fastest Falcon production car in history and the 2012 international engine of the year will headline Ford’s stand at next month’s Australian international motor show in Sydney.

The EcoSport is expected to attract plenty of attention in its first appearance on our shores as Ford Australia prepares to launch the Territory-inspired, Fiesta-based sub-compact crossover around the middle of 2013.

The Ford EcoSport will become the manufacturer’s cheapest SUV, sitting below the Territory and the mid-sized Kuga, and is expected to hit showrooms with a sub-$25,000 starting price.

At just over four metres long (not including the tailgate-mounted spare wheel), Ford Australia president and CEO Bob Graziano says the EcoSport will offer drivers accustomed to small city cars an alternative that delivers driving fun and freedom, compactness and agility, and contemporary SUV styling.

“EcoSport is a tough and robust vehicle and a perfect fit for our SUV portfolio,” Graziano said.

“EcoSport is great for crowded urban streets and it will inspire customers to seek adventure away from the city too. When EcoSport arrives our customers will have more choice.”

The EcoSport will launch with Ford’s all-new 1.0-litre three-cylinder EcoBoost petrol engine, which earlier this year earned the award for the best engine in the world for 2012.

The tiny engine, which Ford says has a block footprint the size of an A4 sheet of paper, combines turbocharging, direct injection and twin independent variable camshaft timing (Ti-VCT) to deliver power and performance to rival a traditional naturally aspirated 1.6-litre petrol powerplant.

The 1.0 EcoBoost is available overseas in either 74kW or 92kW tunes, producing 170Nm of torque across an impressively low and broad 1300-4500rpm rev range.

The engine consumes as little as 4.8 litres of fuel per 100km on the combined cycle when fitted to a five-door Focus.

The three-cylinder engine will debut in Australia in the updated Ford Fiesta city car, which will reach local showrooms ahead of the EcoSport.

Another EcoBoost-powered car, the Focus ST hot-hatch, will also take to the stand at Sydney from October 18. The 184kW/360Nm 2.0-litre Focus ST will be priced from $38,290 before on-road costs when it goes on sale next month.

Performance fans will also be treated to the official public unveiling of the limited edition 335kW/570Nm FPV GT RSPEC (above), which teams a recalibrated suspension package, wider rear wheels and tyres and an electronic launch control system to make it the quickest production Falcon Ford Australia has ever built.

Joining the $76,990 GT RSPEC will be the special edition FPV Pursuit Ute, which adds a number of styling and specification enhancements over the standard GS Ute.

Fans of V8 Supercars will also have the opportunity to get up close and personal with Ford Performance Racing’s (FPR) Car of the Future prototype in the lead-up to next year’s revamped championship, which will feature two new manufacturers, Nissan and Mercedes-Benz.

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- Sumpguard
  
  The Ecoboost engine is a good thing though.
  - F1orce
    
    But there’s nothing impressive about ecoboost. It’s just typical American company implementing a technology and giving it a name.
    
    Lets compare ‘ecoboost’ Fords to equivalent Hyundai..
    
    1.6L Fusion Econoost vs Veloster Turbo
    
    1.6 Fusion makes 173HP@ 5700rpm & 184 lb.-ft @2500rpm
    
    Hyundai Veloster Turbo makes 201HP@ 6000rpm & 195 ib.-ft @1750-4500
    
    Hyundai’s diverse range of engine technology is far superior to that of mediocre FORD.. What a primitive brand FORD is..
    
    Ford’s are ugly, boring, bland, sub-par & unreliable
    - Mikey
      
      How much is hyundai paying you?
      - Legnab
        
        HES the pre delivery boy , hoping to get brownies , keep polishing that getz .
    - Phil
      
      That Hyundai engine guzzles %10 more fuel and costs more to buy compared to the Focus Ecoboost (Since when is the Fusion/Mondeo large family sedan a comparison for Veloster hatchback?).
      - F1orce
        
        I don’t know where you got fuel consumption for the Focus ecoboost as the MPG numbers are not up on Ford USA website.
        
        Also I don’t even know why you mentioned the Focus as it has a 2.0L engine where as Veloster is only 1.6L
        
        My comparison was between two similar peripherals.
      - Phil
        
        Do you even know what the Ford Fusion is? It’s a MONDEO which is a LARGE FAMILY SEDAN.
        Do you even know what the Veloster is? It’s a SMALL HATCHBACK.
        How is your comparison between “two similar peripherals” when one is a large sedan and the other a small hatch?
        
        Even someone with a mild intellect would understand that “two similar peripherals” are two small hatchbacks not one big sedan against one small hatchback.
        
        You must be a Yank with your level of ignorance. Do you know that this is a AUSTRALIAN website? Here in AUSTRALIA the Focus comes standard with a 1.6. The Ecoboost 1.6 isn’t in Australia, however you will find it in Europe where is offers far better economy than Hyundai’s similar sized Veloster hatch.
      - Phil
        
        Before you come up with yet more excuse, I just checked the figures.
        
        Combined figure for the Focus Ecoboost is 47.9 MPG
        The Veloster Turbo gets only 40.9 MPG, both figures from the Euro cycle and on Euro Gallons.
        
        Also even more interesting is the 0-62mph times. focus Ecoboost is listed as 7.9 secs whilst Veloster turbo is 8.4 secs. So that extra power is not only guzzling 20% more fuel, it’s resulting in slower acceleration too!
      - F1orce
        
        Phil once again I don’t know where your getting the MPG for the ecoboost 2.0 Focus. As the numbers are not up yet on Ford USA website.
        
        Also the standard focus gets 40mpg hwy & 28 city. So I really don’t know how you got 47 combined mpg for the 2.0L ecoboost.
        
        Also you should know to never compare fuel consumption figured from different regions, as each region has different criteria.
        
        And the 0-62mph, the Focus ecoboost is 2.0L, where as the Veloster is only 1.6L
        
        Nice try though
      - Blitzkrieg
        
        Mate we don’t use MPG or MPH or horsepower in Australia,if your going to write down figures can you use litres per 100k and km/h,and kW.
        cheers
        Yes that is how we spell litres.
      - Phil
        
        Wow F1, you are hopeless.
        
        I clearly stated that I was comparing the 1.6 ecoboost not the 2.0. I also clearly stated that I was using the EU cycle figures for BOTH CARS.
        
        So once AGAIN:
        
        - EU Specs for 1.6 Turbo Veloster:: 40.9 MPG combined
        - EU Specs for 1.6 Ecoboost Focus: 47.9 MPG conbined
        
        - 0-62mph time for 1.6 Turbo Veloster: 8.4 secs
        - 0-62mph time for 1.6 Ecoboost Ecoboost: 7.9 secs
        
        All from the official websites in the EU as that is the only market where both cars these cars are on sale concurrently. The EU is ONE region, not two.
        
        Is that clear enough for you?
    - Zaccy16
      
      This is not primitive technology! did hyundai win engine of the year? no because they have no good new technology, how can you say hyundai afre leading in technology when the new i30 has two rubbish underpowered engines
    - birdie
      
      Your a legend in your own mind
- PM
  
  That Ecosport looks Fugly !!!!!!!
PoisonEagle

A Territory makes love to a Fiesta.
- Sumpguard
  
  …and it should have been terminated in the womb.
  - Paul
    
    I dont think that you should be making fun of abortion as it is an other form of killing
    - Sumpguard
      
      Get over yourself clown. I’m talking about a car here.
      
      Dribble libertarian!!
- PM
  
  And it should have been aborted !!!!!!
Shak

Wheels looks way too small, on a body that looks too tall.
- Kass
  
  One small push and it’ll topple over.
Samrj

I’m typically biased when it comes to ford styling being a blue oval fan and worker.. But this doesn’t look right… Should have veered towards kuga styling. Territory squashed nose no good ford!!
- Zaccy16
  
  Yeah to tall and squashed
Force-15

Guess I’ll chuck my 2 cents in regarding the EcoSport’. It’s not so much the wheels that bug me so much as the disproportionately large and bluff front end. Maybe Ford’s designers oversized the bonnet in an effort to make it look HUGE front on so it can appeal to its target audience (who are presumably city bound and female).

As for the EcoSport name, am I the only one who thinks that’s an oxymoron? The car may be small (for an ‘SUV’) but it’s hardly what I’d call sporting.
WayneTSV

The front looks like someone backed up to a Territory, pulled their pants down, and farted in it’s face…
- Sumpguard
  
  Good analogy, and it looks like it is going to burst into tears due because of it!
Wile E Coyote

Alien offspring
Eaglefry

Here we go again bagging Ford again or make that even Holden.. It looks a great little unit, good one Ford.
- Sumpguard
  
  I’m not bagging ford, I’m bagging this POS. I’d own a ranger in a heart beat.
Anthony N

I like it….. I just hope the rear spare tyre is optional….
Ck

Wow… bringing a 1ltr engine here… really ?? so we can have more delays on the highway cause people here aren’t already slow enough.

I’d love to see this thing go from Sydney to QLD. How hard will the 1lt have to push to get up those steep accent? What rev will it need to go 110km/hr? 4k rpm??

Ford should not even call this an SUV…

Like someone said before, I’m not bagging ford out, but this is just retarded to be branded as a SUV… come on, “sports utility” vehicle… how is a 1 liter 3 banger…. with 74kW or 92kW on a potentially 1.4+ tonne car classifies as sporty? I bet those hybrids do a better job at going up the hill… god sake.

That being said, I’d be getting the New KUGA when it finally launches… bare minimum in my standard to be classified as an SUV.
- celica(sillycar)
  
  not sporty by anyone’s standards. my baby sister is looking to get out of a 92 camry into a new car. she reckons the camry goes ok, just getting on mileage wise. well what do you know, this little motor develops similar power and torque as the old camry when new, and it(camry) weighs 1.3tonnes. so not sporty at all then, but it will hold a 100 well on the highway.