After five painful months, my Ecosport has gone. Terrible dealer, terrible car, non-existent aftersales service, expensive finance, never ran properly and of all the cars I've had, this has been the shortest owned - by at least two years and the one I have been most keen to be rid of.
I'm sure there are lots and lots of happy owners out there (and please don't let these few words ruin that), but in the end I was far from one of them. For a modern manufacturer to strip a car of simple essentials you take for granted these days - such as a light in the glovebox, or a grab rail/hook to hang your suit jacket on, an ability to dim the dash or even a sixth gear and then dress it up as a high spec titanium model should be a warning to anyone considering one.
Yes, I achieved just over 50mpg in real world motoring (1.5 diesel), yes road tax was cheaper than the car it replaced but they were the most souless 5000 miles I have ever driven. Good value for money was exchanged in a moment of madness for a car that all round dull and simply dangerous on icy roads.
The joyless experience wasn't helped by a dealer who switched off after the sale and never sorted suspension knocks which shoud never have been there. I read the poor reviews before I bought it and misread exclusivity and rareness for a car that simply doesn't sell. It may well be based on the best selling and handling Fiesta but none of the Fiestas traits are carried over to the Ecosport believe me!
As an aside, good luck to anyone who needs to change a fuse - I'm no fool but the manual baffled me and the dealer. The charger socket blew one. Apparently you should remove your phone when you start the engine to prevent power spikes - I've heard it all........
On the plus side, I found the remote unlocking to be useful - which is the only feature Ford draw attention to in their current commercials. I imagine they'd be hard pressed to highlight many other unique selling points. The sum total of the early days makeover it little more than to remove the spare wheel - come on Ford, anyone here could do better than that! Take the hints about powerfold mirrors, a heated screen and privacy glass.
Oh - and the audio was really impressive. But that's it I'm afraid! For anyone keen to own one, I'm happy to have extended your choice by supplying another example to the used market. Good luck.
I'm sure there are lots and lots of happy owners out there (and please don't let these few words ruin that), but in the end I was far from one of them. For a modern manufacturer to strip a car of simple essentials you take for granted these days - such as a light in the glovebox, or a grab rail/hook to hang your suit jacket on, an ability to dim the dash or even a sixth gear and then dress it up as a high spec titanium model should be a warning to anyone considering one.
Yes, I achieved just over 50mpg in real world motoring (1.5 diesel), yes road tax was cheaper than the car it replaced but they were the most souless 5000 miles I have ever driven. Good value for money was exchanged in a moment of madness for a car that all round dull and simply dangerous on icy roads.
The joyless experience wasn't helped by a dealer who switched off after the sale and never sorted suspension knocks which shoud never have been there. I read the poor reviews before I bought it and misread exclusivity and rareness for a car that simply doesn't sell. It may well be based on the best selling and handling Fiesta but none of the Fiestas traits are carried over to the Ecosport believe me!
As an aside, good luck to anyone who needs to change a fuse - I'm no fool but the manual baffled me and the dealer. The charger socket blew one. Apparently you should remove your phone when you start the engine to prevent power spikes - I've heard it all........
On the plus side, I found the remote unlocking to be useful - which is the only feature Ford draw attention to in their current commercials. I imagine they'd be hard pressed to highlight many other unique selling points. The sum total of the early days makeover it little more than to remove the spare wheel - come on Ford, anyone here could do better than that! Take the hints about powerfold mirrors, a heated screen and privacy glass.
Oh - and the audio was really impressive. But that's it I'm afraid! For anyone keen to own one, I'm happy to have extended your choice by supplying another example to the used market. Good luck.