All Black for the New Addition to the Ford EcoSport Range: EcoSport Black

Ford has added a Black Pack Option to their Compact SUV EcoSport Range.

"Any customer can have a car painted any colour that he wants, so long as it is black"

- One of Henry Ford's famous quotes about the Model T.

There's something about the colour black and Ford cars (possibly because of this quote) that makes you want to go out and get one.

In 2019 we had the pleasure of testing the Ford EcoSport 1.0L EcoBoost Titanium 6AT.

Today we discuss the new addition to the range, the Ford EcoSport Black. 

The Ford EcoSport Black is based on the 1.5L Ambiente 6AT model of the EcoSport.

The EcoSport is available in 7 Models:

• 1.5L Ambiente 5MT 
• 1.5 TDCi Ambiente 5MT
• 1.5L Ambiente 6AT 
• 1.0L EcoBoost Trend 6MT
• 1.0L EcoBoost Trend 6AT
• 1.0L EcoBoost Titanium 6MT
• 1.0L EcoBoost Titanium 6AT

* MT = Manual Transmission, AT = Automatic Transmission

We tested the Ford EcoSport 1.5L Ambiente 6AT, but with the Black Pack option, AKA the Ford EcoSport Black.

Exterior

The Ford EcoSport Black is available in 3 colours, as per the Ambiente colours:

• Diamond White (Solid)
• Blue Lightning (Metallic)
• Solar Silver (Metallic)

While the Titanium is available in 4 colours:

• Frozen White (Solid)
• Desert Island Blue (Metallic)
• Metropolis White (Metallic)
• Solar Silver (Metallic)

The model we tested was the Ford EcoSport Black in Diamond White.

The Ambiente models are fitted with:

• 16" Steel Wheels (with wheel covers)

While the Titanium models are fitted with:

• 17" Alloy Wheels 

The EcoSport Black however is fitted with:

• Black 16" Alloy Wheels

Standard features from the Ambiente Model through to the Titanium Model are:

• High Mounted Stop Lamp
• Chrome Swingate Outer Handle
• Body Colour Bumpers
• Approach Lights
• Home Safe Headlamp Feature
• 16" Steel Spare Wheel with Locking Wheel Nuts and Jack
• Independent MacPherson Strut with Coil Spring and Anti-Roll Bar
• Semi-Independent Twist Beam with Twin Gas and Oil Filled Shock Absorbers

The EcoSport Black is fitted with additional:

• Black Hood Decals
• Black Side Decals
• Black Front Grille
• Black Skid Plate Inserts
• Black Mirror Caps
• Black Painted Roof
• Black Roof Rails
• Black Hard Spare Wheel Cover

The top of the range Titanium model is fitted with a few additional extras:

• Black Front Grille with Upper Chrome
• Body Colour Exterior Door Handles and Mirror Caps
• Power Adjustable Exterior Mirrors with Power Fold and Puddle Lamps
• Locking Capless Fuel Filler
• Black Lower Bodyside / Door Cladding with Chrome Insert
• Black Roof Rails
• Auto On/Off Headlamps
• LED Daytime Running Lights
• LED Projector Headlamps
• Body Colour Hard Spare Wheel Cover
• Wheel Lock Nuts - All 5 Wheels (Including Spare)
• Tyre Pressure Monitoring System

Safety

All the models in the EcoSport range have standard safety features:

• Anti-locking Braking System (ABS)
• Emergency Brake Assist (EBA)
• Electronic Stability Control (ESC)
• Front 3-point Seat-Belts with Load Limiter and Pretensioners
• Front Seat-Belt Manual Height Adjustment
• ISOFIX Child Seat Fixings for Rear Outboard Seats
• Child Proof Locks
• Remote Control Locking
• Retractable Rear 3-Point Seat-Belts in all Seats
• Rear Parking Sensors (Only Ambiente Models)
• 6 Airbags: Dual Front, Side, Curtain (Only Ambiente Models) 
• Belt Minders Rear (Only Ambiente Models)
• Perimeter Alarm with Immobilizer (Only Ambiente Models)

The Titanium models have slight improvements on some of the safety features and a few extra:

• 7 Airbags: Dual Front, Side, Curtain and Driver Knee with Passenger Airbag Deactivation
• Beltminders - Driver and Passenger
• Collision Mitigation System
• Cruise Control with Adaptive Speed Control
• Ford MyKey
• Hill Launch Assistance (HLA)
• Keyless Entry and Keyless Start with Push-Button Start
• Roll Stability Control (RSC)
• Thatcham Alarm with Immobiliser

The Ford EcoSport Black is not fitted with any additional safety features.

Interior

The standard interior features in the Ford EcoSport Ambiente are:

• 12V Power Plug (Front)
• Air Conditioning (Manual)
• Analogue Cluster with Monochrome Display Screen
• Console Cupholder
• Floor Carpet (Driver)
• Foot Rest
• Front Courtesy Lights
• Rear Overhead Courtesy Lamp
• Removable Rear Package Tray
• Theatre Dimming (Courtesy Light Delay)
• Trip Computer
• Driver and Passenger (Front) Seat Manual 2-Way Adjust with Recliner
• Front Seats 2-Way Head Restraints
• Height Adjustable Rear Centre Headrest 
• Rear Seat Fold Flat 60/40 Split
• Passenger Seat (Rear) Map Pocket
• Cloth Seat Trim
• Second Row 60/40 Folding Seat Cushion
• Adjustable Steering Column - Tilt / Telescoping (Rake and Reach)
• Electric Power Assisted Steering (EPAS)
• Front and Rear Power Windows
• Heated Rear Screen
• Rear Wash Wipers
• Variable Intermittent Front Wipers

The top of the range Titanium models have the addition of the:

• Air Conditioning (Electric)
• Ambient Lighting  LED (Centre Console and Footwell)
• Analogue Cluster with Colour TFT Screen
• Electrochromic Auto Dimming Rear-View Mirror
• Centre Console with Sliding Covered Bin and Armrest
• Front Map Lights
• Front Throw in Floor Carpets
• Illuminated Glovebox
• Grab Handles - Front and Rear
• Illuminated Vanity Mirrors (Driver and Passenger)
• Leather Gear Knob
• Leather Steering Wheel
• Load Compartment Light
• Overhead Console with Sunglass Holder
• Driver Seat Manual 4-Way Adjust (Up, Down and Recliner) 
• Driver and Passenger Seat (Rear) Map Pockets
• Partial Leather Seat Trim
• Power Windows with Driver One-Touch Up/Down Function and Global Open/Close
• Rain Sensing Wipers

The EcoSport Black interior features are exactly the same as the Ambiente Models, with no additional features.

Connectivity

The EcoSport Ambiente has a very basic entertainment system with a:

• 4.2" Colour Non-Touch Screen
• 6 Speakers
• Ford SYNC (incl. Bluetooth Handsfree Phone, Voice Control, Steering Mounted Audio Controls, 2 x USB ports with iPod Functionality)

The Titanium Models have the following connectivity features:

• 8.0" Colour Touch Screen
• 7 Speakers
• Ford SYNC III (incl. Bluetooth Handsfree Phone, Voice Control, Steering Mounted Audio Controls, 2 x USB ports with iPod Functionality)
• Microphone (in Headliner)
• Navigation

The EcoSport Black is fitted with Ambiente connectivity features, and no additional features.

Engine

There are three engine options for the Ford EcoSport:

• 1.5L Petrol - Inline 3 cylinder TiVCT (Ambiente Models)
• 1.5 TDCi - Inline four cylinder turbo diesel (Only Available in Ambiente 5MT)
• 1.0 EcoBoost - Inline 3 cylinder turbo petrol, direct fuel injection

The Ford EcoSport Black has the 1.5L Petrol engine which produces 91kW of Power and 151Nm of Torque.

6 speed automatic (1.5 Ambiente, 1.0 EcoBoost Trend and Titanium), 5 speed manual (1.5 Ambiente, 1.5 TDCi Ambiente), and 6 speed manual (1.0 EcoBoost Trend and Titanium) transmissions are available, and all are front wheel drives.

The EcoSport Black is a 6 Speed Automatic Transmission.

C02 Emmission on the EcoSport range from:

• 121 for the 1.5 TDCi Ambiente to
• 159 for the 1.5 Ambiente 6AT (EcoSport Black)

Fuel economy claims of:

• 4.6L combined cycle for the 1.5 TDCi Ambiente
• 6.3L combined cycle for the 1.0 EcoBoost Titanium 6AT
• 6.9L combined cycle for the 1.5 Ambiente 6AT (EcoSport Black)

Pricing

The Ford EcoSport pricing starts with the:

• 1.5L Ambiente 5MT at R303 900

The EcoSport Black which we tested is a:

• 1.5L Ambiente 6AT at R336 900

The top of the range EcoSport is the:

• 1.0L EcoBoost Titanium 6AT at R402 000

Warranty

All EcoSport models come standard with Ford Protect.

Ford Protect comprises of:

• 4 year/ 120 000km comprehensive warranty
• 3 year/ unlimited distance road-side assistance
• 5 year/ unlimited km corrosion warranty

Service Plan

All EcoSport models include a:

• 4 year/ 60 000km service plan - 15 000km service intervals

Competitors

Citroën C3 Aircross R269 900 - R324 900

Haval H2 R294 900 - R354 900

Honda WR-V R289 900 - R327 300

Hyundai Venue R311 900 - R407 500

Jeep Renegade R379 900 - R569 900

Kia Sonet R269 995 - R310 995

Mazda CX-3 R351 900 - R476 700

Mahindra XUV300 R254 999 - R346 999

Nissan Magnite R256 999 - R305 700

Opel Crossland R338 900 - R407 900

Peugeot 2008 R364 900 - R489 900

Renault Triber R185 900 - R221 900

Suzuki Vitara Brezza R244 900 - R309 900

Toyota Urban Cruiser R255 300 - R322 000

Volkswagen T-Cross R352 300 - R464 900 

Verdict

The most important question which needs to be answered: -

Is the EcoSport Black worth the extra R13 700?

The simply answer is No.

The Standard 1.5L Ambiente 6AT EcoSport is priced at R323 200, while the EcoSport Black which is based on the 1.5L Ambiente 6AT is priced at R336 900.

The extras on the EcoSport Black, which is sold as an Optional Extra Package (Black Pack) on the 1.5L Ambiente 6AT, consists of:

• Black Hood Decals
• Black Side Decals
• Black Front Grille
• Black Skid Plate Inserts
• Black Mirror Caps
• Black Painted Roof
• Black Roof Rails
• Black Hard Spare Wheel Cover
• Black 16" Alloy wheels

If you want to make a statement with other EcoSport owners, or prefer having the 16" alloy wheels over the 16" steel wheels, then by all means choose the Black Pack option.

BUT the above listed Black Extras are all the extra features offered on the EcoSport Black - there is no extra safety, performance or luxury features added to the package.

I was expecting a bit more from the EcoSport Black. 

Personally (if there is a bit of leeway on the budget) I would rather choose 1.0L EcoBoost Trend 6MT for R346 600.

Although you will be forgoing the automatic transmission for a manual transmission (if you are not comfortable with driving manual - DO NOT CHOOSE THIS OPTION), you will be getting a lot more than a few black decals.

The 1.0L EcoBoost Trend 6MT differs from the 1.5L Ambiente 6AT with the following:

• 8.0" Colour Touch Screen
• Ford SYNC 2.5
• Microphone (in Headliner)
• Front Map Lights
• Front Throw in Carpets
• Illuminated Glovebox
• Grab Handles - Front and Rear
• Illuminated Vanity Mirrors (Driver and Passenger)
• Leather Steering Wheel
• Load Compartment Light
• Overhead Console with Sunglass Holder
• Towing Capacity - Braked / Unbraked: 900kg / 670kg
• Power: 92kW @ 6000rpm
• Torque: 170Nm @ 1400 - 4500rpm
• Body Colour Exterior Door Handles and Mirror Caps
• Roof Rails (Black)
• Front and Rear Fog Lamps
• LED Daytime Running Lamps
• LED Projector Headlamps
• CO2 Emmission:123
• Fuel Economy - Combined Cycle 5.4L/ 100km
• 7 Airbags: Dual Front, Side, Curtain and Driver Knee with Passenger Airbag Deactivation
• Beltminders - Driver and Passenger
• Cruise Control with Adaptive Speed Control
• Ford MyKey
• Hill Launch Assistance
• Roll Stability Control
• Thatcham Alarm with Immobiliser
• Driver Seat Manual 4-Way Adjust (Up, Down and Recliner) 
• 16" Alloy Wheels
• Hard Spare Wheel Cover
• Wheel Lock Nuts - All 5 Wheels (Including Spare)
• Tyre Pressure Monitoring System
• Power Windows with Driver One-Touch Up/Down Function

The Ford EcoSport is a pleasure to drive in the 1.5L or the 1.0L EcoBoost. 

The 1.5L however I felt had some lag and took some strain, especially when the car was full or going up hills, which we did not experience with the 1.0L EcoBoost.

We did manage 6.8L / 100km combined cycle, which is in-line with the fuel consumption claims from Ford.

If you are looking for a basic family car the 1.5L Ambiente is a good buy, but if you prefer a little more: comfort, luxury, safety, performance, and better fuel consumption, then I would recommend the 1.0L EcoBoost. 

Since we did test, and we are rating the Ford EcoSport Black - here it is:

❤️❤️❤️/10

Ziyaad Plaatjes is the Co-Founder of iloveza.com.

He is a Bachelor of Commerce Honours graduate and has been running businesses since the age of 13. Ziyaad is a registered Financial Advisor, but has taken on many roles in various industries over the years. With his entrepreneurial skills and vast knowledge he assists individuals and businesses to grow and achieve their goals.  

Find him at: Instagram: @ziyaad_86 / @ilovezacom Twitter: @ziyaad86 / @ilovezacom Facebook: iloveza.com  LinkedIn: Ziyaad Plaatjes / iloveza.com YouTube: iloveza.com  SoundCloud: iloveza.com E-mail: ziyaad@iloveza.com