[Econobox]

CarBuzz uploaded a walk-around video of the new Ford Ecosport. This is the kind of car that's perfect for people who likes being prepared, there's around 30 stowage pockets, bins and hooks. Only concern about the swing out door is when you parallel parka and someone is behind you.

 

[GoGreen]

I actually did not know that the gate was a swing out and not a lift up. That is great !

 

[workingclasshero]

Typically you'll have at least 3 feet from the rear end of your vehicle to the front end of the vehicle behind you, so is accessing the rear really an issue? Maybe 2% of the entire time you own the ES. It all comes down to knowing the limits and capabilities of what your working with. Swing out door has far more pros than cons.

 

[GoGreen]

I don't think I've ever been in a situation where a swing out door has caused me an issue because there wasn't enough clearance for me to open it. I've had a swing out vehicle before for a little bit and really.. there wasn't an issue. There was once when I had a bit of a hiccup when someone parked right up behind me and I just got in, drove up a little bit, and was able to open it full swing...

 

[WeeSUV]

The silver interior trims are nice, but that's not the base model going for $16k. If you're going for the base trim, you may not get the nice accents and the infotainment screen could shrink a bit.

One thing I did notice was the cabin temperature dial, it has a little screen in the middle which is not something I've seen before.

 

[GoGreen]

The HVAC controls are very nice, I agree. The base trim is probably going to be really dull though unfortunately. Gonna love to see how the pricing plays out to know if it's worth the upgrades.

 

[WeeSUV]

The dash cluster has a little screen in the middle, think it can be used for map display?

 

[workingclasshero]

The HVAC controls are very nice, I agree. The base trim is probably going to be really dull though unfortunately. Gonna love to see how the pricing plays out to know if it's worth the upgrades.

Dull is the price you pay for buying into this segment but when you look at why people are buying these a dull interior is just something you learn to live with. Plus Ford can always do little cool things similar to what Scion did in the iA. It's one thing Scion did right.

 

[GoGreen]

The dash cluster has a little screen in the middle, think it can be used for map display?

That little screen doesn't look large enough to host a map display. Maybe, and it's a far shot maybe, but you might get arrow directions that correlate with the nav in the infotainment system.

 

[Econobox]

Looks like that display can be used as a trip timer, but it won't display the full map. There just isn't enough space and adding a color screen there would cost too much.

 

[GoGreen]

From what I've seen in other pictures, there's a screen that shows trip timer, fuel consumption in various ways, service required and fault messages

 

[workingclasshero]

Maybe that can be used for turn by turn information but there's no way you can get an effect map on that. Map on infotainment screen and turn by turn on that on in the instrument cluster is the way to go.

 

[WeeSUV]

I've only seen the map feature in one model and that one is a luxury car with a full LED screen for a speed indicator.

Costs to much to have it what is supposed to be a economical vehicle like the EcoSport.

 

[GoGreen]

It definitely is a pricey piece. Audi uses that system now though don't they ?

 

[WeeSUV]

Not sure about Audi, but I think Infiniti has it in their new Q models. But those things can cost upwards of $30,000.

 

[Econobox]

The Ecoboost doors don't open very wide do they? Or is that the industry standard?

 

[WeeSUV]

Could be the angle of the camera, but that's generally how wide car doors open. If you look at the part where he's getting into the front seats, you'll see that the doors open up pretty wide.

Seems somewhat tight in the back as there's not much room for his knees, but then again he could be very tall. also, there's a handle in the cargo floor, hopefully that's a full spare tire because I'm tired of seeing cars without one in case of emergencies.

 

[GoGreen]

Once there's some sort of spare I'll be happy. Some manufacturers don't even put a spare and just put a tire repair kit that includes some sealer and a pump I think. Really not concerned about how wide the doors open, isn't there some sort of standard for that? Can't imagine they would shorten that.

 

[workingclasshero]

What they need to do is make the spare optional. Unless it can easily go in the undercarriage area without taking away from anything else.

But giving the option of having the spare along with a standard tire patch kit is the way to go, it's what a lot of other car makers are doing these days.

 

[GoGreen]

The only reason I'm not fond of the patch kit is because the last few times I've been in situations with flat tires, the tire patch kit definitely wouldn't have helped one bit. But if they don't have enough room and think to put it in a bag in the cargo area, I would gladly opt out of that or remove it.