Weekend Road Trip in the 2018 Ford EcoSport

We essentially are a Ford family and may be becoming a Ford neighbourhood. Both my husband and I drive older Ford Explorers (2002 and 1992) and my brother just bought a 2004 Ford Explorer to go with his Ford Edge. My cousin here in Calgary works for Ford so of course drives Ford vehicles. Our neighbours to the North also drive Fords and I’m sure I’ve seen a few other Ford vehicles driving down our street. See what I mean?!

We teamed up with Ford Canada for a road trip to Edmonton for our son’s Provincial U12 Boys Fastpitch Tournament. They asked us to test out the Ford EcoSport and we jumped at the opportunity to test out another one of Ford’s vehicles.

We were on our way to a tournament so it was important we had reliable wheels to get us to the hotel and back to the ball diamond, a smaller vehicle big enough to haul our gear and one that could offer comfort after a long, potentially rainy or overly hot day of baseball.

 

What we got was an Orange Ford EcoSport! Just so happens the boys Fastpitch team name: Orange Crush. Team jersey colour: orange. It was a match made in heaven. For this weekend the EcoSport affectionately became known as the Orange Crush Team Car.

Ford EcoSport

The Ford Ecosport is the newest compact SUV to enter the Canadian Market, although it’s not new to the North American Market as it’s been in the USA for close to ten years. When you are used to driving a beast around the city and on road trips, getting into a compact SUV sure has it’s perks. Especially when it comes to parking and gas mileage.

Here are some of the features we loved about the EcoSport.

Ford EcoSport Perks

Technology at it’s best:

• The Blind Spot Information System was way cool. It uses radar to identify a vehicle detected in your blind spot and alerts you with an indicator light in either of the two outside mirrors. Already thinking about how this could potentially deter some accidents.

• We really preferred the 8 inch colour screen located on top of the dash versus inset allowing easier use. It has enhanced voice-recognition and is a touchscreen with swipe and zoom functionality.

• Two USB ports, two 12-volt outlets and a 110V outlet allows for up to ten devices connected at once. Our busy family of four definitely needs something like this when travelling.

• MyKey technology gives you several programing options however the one we enjoyed the most was the warning when the fuel tank got below 120 kilometers.

 

On the Go:

• Auto Start-Stop Technology. We had this last year when we drove the Ford C-Max Electric Hybrid and it still blows my mind how the vehicle literally turns off to help reduce fuel consumption and emissions at stop lights and signs.

• Automatic windshield wipers. This is Calgary. You have to be prepared for any weather at any time. It was a pleasant surprise to have the wipers come on by themselves when it started to rain.

• An adjustable cargo area featuring a rear cargo shelf we could move to store important stuff. This really is like a secret storage space you would never know was there!

• Great gas mileage. Did I mention I drive a beast?!

We’ve hi-lighted a few of the features in the new Ford Ecosport that appealed to us but there are many more features in this compact SUV to suit everyone. We had the best time driving around Edmonton in the EcoSport as well as running errands and touring Calgary. It’s a great family vehicle and the Titanium model offers a lot of the features we as a family need for convenience. We wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it to friends and even purchase one in the future.

Disclosure: Ford Canada gave us a 2018 Ford EcoSport Titanium Compact SUV to test drive on our trip to Edmonton for the ball tournament. As always, opinions are my own based on our experience.