The Ford Ecosport is a lifestyle vehicle. It looks like a SUV yet it still drives like an ordinary sedan. So what makes this a ‘lifestyle’ vehicle? For starters, its looks tickle our fancy. It has assertive styling and it gets two thumbs up from us - much more than the looks of the Focus and even its ST derivative. The EcoSport has robust styling and looks ready to tackle anything you put in front of it - or try loading inside of it. Be it a couple of dogs or a washing machine.



The gaping grille with the silly grin, macho wheel arches and slim headlights tick all the right boxes, along with the boot-mounted spare wheel. Inside the Titanium model offer you leather seats as well. 



It has a 200mm ground clearance, a 25 degree approach angle and a 35 degree departure angle. This means should you miss an offramp and need to drive through a ditch or climb over a grassy, high kerb you can easily do so.



It also has a 550mm water-wading capability which means should you get caught in SA’s flash floods in Jozi, Durban or even Cape Town, you could safely do so too considering the water level will not completely submerse your car. 



This 1.0l Ecoboost engine is just an all-round winner. It's gutsy in the Fiesta and the larger size of the baby SUV doesn’t hinder its performance at all. The 92kW/170Nm power figures deliver a claimed combined fuel consumption of 5.7 litres /100km and 131g/km of C02 emissions. Mated to a five-speed manual gearbox, driving is a pleasure and handling is a blast in the 1.0 EcoBoost model, it certainly is up for some tight corners and some spirited driving.



Safety features include ABS, electronic stability control, emergency brake assist, hill descent and hill launch assist - with a three-second window to pull away and six airbags.