It should stand out from the crowd, but it does this really? Yes, if one look at the 'simplified' side view. Here it really differs. Nothing is coltish, no beading lead into the nowhere. Two relatively robust wheel arches connected by a straight line that emphasizes the lower part of the doors. This additionally accentuates the sillboards and creates confidence in the security at a side impact.

Toward the front it becomes more problematic. Again, we find little very playful elements, but the high front has certainly not facilitate the task of the designers in Brazil. It's a world car, and therefore must also please there, where one wants to gain respect with such a car. That does the front, but at what price?

First there is the somewhat half-hearted attempt to structure the front virtually in an upper and lower part.by very ample run out forward A-pillars. But that is not enough, because downwards together with the spoiler-like construction is still plenty of room left over.

One pulls down the upper part of the front not with the middle part, but these with a huge air inlet to the top. This has, in principle, Peugeot also tried and abandoned. As so often chromium must then turn around, what was lost in basic design. Unfortunately, even the division of the front in three surfaces comes hardly to bear.

Honestly, the rear appearance is much better succeeded. If the feeling of an SUV is already desired, may not necessarily harm such a spare wheel. The luggage compartment behind the rear seats would be even smaller, if one would try to offer the spare wheel even just optional internal. Maybe it can even be left at home for normal everyday city life. However, it remains the disadvantage of being barely able to open this door when the cars narrowly park behind each other.

The rest follows almost by itself. Here one has not selected such narrow stripes for the lights as up front but for the carriage height more appropriate and then again optically diminished by a certain shape forming.

Too bad that such a spare wheel can not be combined with an upward opening tailgate. It is already quite difficult to decide, whether the open tailgate can either scrape by no means against the upper edge of the open garage door, or on the other hand one wants to have in any case standing height.

Now imagine this problem with a spare wheel fastened on the door, even if the higher weight would be compensated by the corresponding gas springs. No, it's good that the door opens the luggage compartment to the right-hand edge of the lane. Just in turn a pity that it will be more difficult with load, which slightly protrudes backwards.

The front deserves criticism for some other reason, because it is also suspected to increase the air resistance. A top speed of "only" 180 km/h is otherwise difficult to explain. The competition from Renault and Peugeot is with a slightly lower engine performance about 15 km/h faster. Not that we want to ask with this remark SUV drivers to race, but such data are inherently useful.

So you have to praise the not always quiet, but now pretty awarded engine which compensates again such capers by frugality. And because the competition is still partially equipped with pure naturally aspirated engine technology, it can even score points in this field and simultaneously with its ability to performance, assisted by a well-shiftable transmission.



The Ford Ecosport is a mix of Fiesta and the future Edge (pictured), the front of which, however, much better appears despite (or because of?) the American style. Compared to the Nissan Juke it is more conventional in exterior design. When driving on winding country roads it is even superior to it and the Opel Mokka in handling. 07/14