Active(ly) enhanced Ford EcoSport shows age doesn’t matter

It probably wouldn’t be unjustified to refer to the Ford EcoSport as a South African institution and an example of “it ain’t broken, don’t fix it”, just enhance.

Still popular after so long

While it has been around since 2013 in its current second generation guise, the first having been a South American exclusive, over 75 000 have been sold in South Africa despite last benefitting from a considerable update in 2018.

As plain sailing as matters have seemingly been, with monthly sales still exceeding 600 units, the EcoSport has seen its reign come under fire in recent times from not only the Toyota Urban Cruiser, but in some instances, the pricier Volkswagen T-Cross – both considerably newer and with a lot more up-to-date features.

ALSO READ: Ford EcoSport Black more than just a pretty face

At the same time, a replacement appears far off due in part to the similarly sized Puma being a European only model, and to a larger extent by Dearborn’s much publicised split with Mahindra that would have resulted in the EcoSport’s replacement being based on the of the XUV 300.

The apparent crisis isn’t something the Blue Oval is overly concerned about though given its confirmation that enough stock has been secured in readiness for the reported sale of the Chennai Plant in India to Tata that manufactures the volume-selling Ambiente powered by the three-cylinder 1.5-litre Dragon engine made at the Sanand plant.

Tweaking success

Equally driven by the success of the Ambiente-based Black Edition, whose production run has been extended till this year due to demand, a second aesthetically enhanced model has now been added in the shape of the EcoSport Active.

Initially a European model that showed face on the Old Continent two years ago, the Active uses the mid-range Trend as a base, which, like the flagship Titanium, is sourced from the Craiova Plant in Romania speculation has alleged could be the sole sourcing hub once the Indian plants close.

For now though, the dual facility obtaining of the EcoSport for South Africa continues as is with the inclusion of the Active coming as a welcome addition that bridges a considerable price gap between the most expensive Trend (R375 300) and the most attainable Titanium (R401 600).

Active inside and out

As with the European EcoSport Active, the South African version gets a series of cosmetic upgrades, namely black headlight and fog lamp surrounds, a blacked-out grille, black front and rear skidplates, model-specific black 17-inch diamond-cut alloy wheels and black roof rails.

The aesthetic applique concludes with a gloss black roof, black cladding around the wheel arches, gloss black mirror caps, privacy glass, Active badging on the front wings and a choice of four colours; Magnetic, Frozen White, Solar Silver and Luxe Yellow offered on no other Ford or EcoSport model.

Unchanged is the specification sheet from the Trend with the sole interior adaptation being a blue embroidered A on the front seatbacks.

As with the Ranger and Everest, the Active comes with the FordPass app that allows certain functions such as starting, service booking, lock/unlock and switching on the air-conditioning to be done via the user’s smartphone.

Sadly, due to this writer’s latest smartphone being inept to certain apps due to its operating system – take a guess which brand – testing the app didn’t materialise.

Fortunately, the task of driving the EcoSport Active at the national launch in Johannesburg this week was a much simpler one.

Pros and cons of Active

The question of styling is bound to be a subjective one but as in the case of the Black, the Active touches lends the EcoSport a macho and even brutish look contrasted to incredible effect by the cladding, wheels and especially the Luxe Yellow hue.

As per its revisions four year ago, the dated Fiesta-derived smartphone dashboard made way for a freestanding eight-inch touchscreen infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

A doddle to ease and still looking modern, the interior is nonetheless starting to show its age, despite the build quality being solid, the plastics of good quality and the switchgear just as plain and simple as the display.

What didn’t stack-up was the lack of rear head-and-legroom taller folk won’t be impressed by, and the boot that can accommodate 333-litres or a somewhat disappointing 704-litres with the 60/40 split rear seat folded forward.

Mixed drive

Similar to the Trend and Titanium, power for the EcoSport Active comes from Ford’s multi-award winning 1.0 EcoBoost engine that produces 92kW/170Nm. Unlike its siblings though, a manual gearbox is not offered with the sole option, as in the Black, being the otherwise optional six-speed automatic.

A combination that has proven to be one of the most popular across the EcoSport range, it offers a constant flow of grunt backed-up by smooth shifts, but harder acceleration when the need to overtake arises, results in the ‘box becoming flustered and the engine raucous.

What’s more, a manual override for the ‘box by way of paddles or a conventional sequential configuration is not offered, meaning no chance of manipulating it in order to avoid hunting, thus leaving the engine without puff when needed.

Counting in the EcoSport’s favour though is its ride. Supple and perfectly adapt at ironing out imperfections, additional confidence is installed by the handling which makes the EcoSport feel nimble and agile in spite of it still being a front-wheel-drive SUV.

Conclusion

While accusations are likely to fly at Ford for milking every last ounce out of the EcoSport with the Active while it ponders a replacement, the simple truth is that special editions are worth their weight in gold to South Africans as evident by the Thunder and Stormtrak spun-off of the Ranger Wildtrak.

Regardless of the similarities underneath the bonnet or the same shape, the added differences inside and out, no matter how small, are what matters and in the case of the EcoSport Active, the changes are seemingly enough to warrant what is bound to be a sure success for the Blue Oval.

Pricing

As with the rest of the EcoSport range, the Active comes standard with a four-year/120 000 km warranty with a four-year/60 000 km service plan being a cost option.

• EcoSport 1.5 Ambiente – R311 400
• EcoSport 1.5 Ambiente AT – R331 800
• EcoSport 1.5 Ambiente Black AT – R346 710
• EcoSport 1.5 TDCi Ambiente – R322 500
• EcoSport 1.0 EcoBoost Trend – R358 700
• EcoSport 1.0 EcoBoost Trend AT – R375 300
• EcoSport 1.0 EcoBoost Active AT – R393 700
• EcoSport 1.0 EcoBoost Titanium – R401 600
• EcoSport 1.0 EcoBoost Titanium AT – R416 900