Ford EcoSport 2018

If it's the flexibility of combining city life and wilderness is what fuels Filipino car enthusiasts, then the Ford EcoSport subcompact crossover can be counted on as one of the best buddies on the road. Seated as one of Ford Philippines' three best-selling vehicles, the EcoSport received a major design refresh in August 2018. Not only was its exterior got even more sleeker, there's also a new engine option to make the range even more competitive in the local market.

It still has its boxy shape, sculpted sides, and the rear gate-mounted spare tire compartment, which all served as its signature appeal on the local public roads. However, there are new and bigger headlights, as well as wider grille, and minus the slim upper grille that used to connect both headlights and hold the emblem.

Inside the refreshed EcoSport, you'll find a number of new things that, in comparison with the previous model, makes it more pleasant to look at and feel. The most noticeable thing new to the cabin is the eight-inch floating display screen that comes with Ford's SYNC 3 on the Titanium trim. This allows connecting to your smartphone through the Android Auto or the Apple CarPlay. All other variants, on the other hand, gets a nine-inch touchscreen as their main entertainment system.

The Ford EcoSport is offered in four trims: 1.0 EcoBoost Titanium AT, 1.5 Trend AT, 1.5 Trend MT, and 1.5 Ambiente MT as the base variant. The top-range Titanium variant receives top-of-the-line perks including six airbags and automatic start/stop engine system.

For engine, there are now two mills available for the American subcompact crossover. The 1.5-liter Inline 4-Cylinder Ti-VCT petrol engine is still available though was improved in performance. This power plant now gives the car 121 hp and 1150 Nm of torque. A smaller turbocharged 1.0-liter EcoBoost engine was added to the range. It can put out 123 hp and 170 Nm of torque. There's also a new 6-speed automatic transmission apart from the still-existing 5-speed manual gearbox.