Ford has unveiled a rugged version of the Ford EcoSport at the 2014 Thailand Motor Expo. Based on the 1.5 Ambiente MT variant, the demo model gets a slew of new features that help distinguish the compact SUV from every other EcoSport.
At the front, a matt black grill has replaced the chrome mesh and the headlights and foglamps feature a protective metal grill. At the rear, the larger spare wheel houses a shovel to help getting out of tricky off-road situations.
The exteriors also get a sporty Matt back finish with a tear vinyl graphic running on the C-Pillar area. The addition of a roof rail with four high-power fog lights and an extra spare wheel give it a proper off-road stance. To complement the same, the new EcoSport rides on wider and taller Goodyear Wrangler off-road tyres that improve the SUV’s overall ground clearance.
While the black interiors are carried over from the regular version of the EcoSport, they nicely compliment the exterior settings. As the donor car is the basic entry-level variant, it is devoid of steering mounted controls and has fabric seats.
The engine remains the same 1.5-litre, 4-cylinder gasoline unit that delivers 110 hp of power and 142 Nm of torque to the front wheels via a 5-speed manual transmission.
