Sturdy and infinitely comfortable, the all-new Ford EcoSport is an SUV with a twist. Not as high, not as chunky, and definitely not as imposing; this all-new model is a thing of beauty and unconventional design that places it as the perfect vehicle for an urban adventure.
It seems the team at Ford had exactly the same vision for the sporty little car, organising a day-trip around Sydney and inviting select media to take part in tailored journeys that all started at the foodie hub The Ground of Alexandria - where we were briefed, had some amazing cupcakes and pastries, and revved up with some coffee - and ended at one of Sydney's finest small bars The Rook.
Teams were formed out of a pool of fashion, fitness, and lifestyle bloggers, with each team given their own shiny EcoSport and a map of the waypoints that we were to stop at along the way. I was teamed up with the lovely Kelly Piez of piezloves.com and given a sleek orange-coated manual to play around with after our departure from The Grounds.
Familiarising ourselves with the highly intuitive and playful Ford SYNC® - a voice-activated system which offers an in-car connectivity system powered by Microsoft - we were quite impressed by the accuracy and ease of selecting music and making phones calls. It's a feature all new cars must include in order to keep up with the demand of convenience, and it's definitely a plus for the EcoSport to have such a precise and easy-to-use system.
I barely had time to finish admiring the slick dashboard before our EcoSport magically started; one press of the Ford Power Start button was all it took and we were a go, taking our smooth journey towards Potts Point for our second stop.
It wasn't hard to find Adora Healthy Living, with a member of the Ford team standing on the street waving that universally-recognised Ford logo. This was our second stop for the day and my personal favourite. The small space was packed full with a ridiculous amount of hard-to-find health products; so much that the shop seemed much larger than it actually was. We were each given 50 dollars to perouse the shop and find the 'strangest' items we could. A few items I picked were Handcrafted chocolate coconut butter and a sponge made of rice [yes you read that correctly].
Doubling back to the inner-west, we edged into locally-famous artist haven Hibernian House in Surry Hills. The drab lobby and dilapidated elevators would have many stories to tell if walls could only talk; this building is pivotal in Sydney's creative scene and is home to some of the most innovative minds in the country (as well as some of the best 'secret' businesses you'll find in Sydney). We were given special access to the graffiti-covered rooftop, bragging one of the most beautiful courtyards in all of Sydney.
Our purpose for being here was to visit the artists from local collective Sketch The Rhyme who had been using our instagram images (via an official hashtag) to create a glorious portrait of our journey in real-time. The results were impressive; an incredible and playful take Sydney's most well-known urban stomping grounds.
After another walk-around to admire the ever-evolving animated walls of Hibernian House, we were tasked with tackling the one-way streets of Sydney's CBD to find our way to The Rook.
I often refer to The Rook as the 'Gin & Lobster' bar, as they are usually my two main reasons for going. But the venue has become so much more than that. Cups of thick fish and chips, a delicious and versatile cocktail menu, and an ever-present tree-house vibe, make The Rook a forever-fascinating place to drink and dine; so the choice to end our Ford adventure here was a welcome one. We debriefed and relaxed with a cocktail which had been specially-made for our urban adventure, while admiring the finished portrait from Sketch the Rhyme.
The whole day had a very relaxed, casual feel to it, and that's exactly I felt driving in the EcoSport. It feels luxurious to sit in, but the car has a casual cool about it that distinguishes it from other similar models. The design is one of it's biggest strengths; both inside and outside, the EcoSport is a marvel of state-of-the-art everything with a little bit of uniqueness thrown in for good measure.
Check out the video of our little urban adventure below:
Notes About The Ford EcoSport
- Ford EcoSport will be the first Ford vehicle in Australia to feature the patented three-cylinder engine, whose power and performance rival a traditional 1.6-litre four-cylinder petrol engine while delivering superior fuel efficiency
The Ford EcoSport will also be available with the 1.5-litre petrol engine with twin independent variable camshaft timing (Ti-VCT).
- The Ford EcoSport combines performance with economy, responsiveness with smoothness, thanks to an advanced powertrain range fronted by the award-winning 1.0-litre EcoBoost® engine.
- The urban SUV is the first vehicle in Australia to feature the patented 1.0-litre three-cylinder EcoBoost engine. Ford’s proven EcoBoost technology is already available in the Ford Fiesta ST, Focus ST, Mondeo and Falcon.
- One of the smallest engines in its class, Ford’s 1.0-litre EcoBoost engine is big on power, torque and refinement. Producing 92 kW of power and peak torque of 170 Nm, the quiet and smooth-running engine will deliver power and performance that rivals a traditional 1.6-litre petrol engine.
- The Ford EcoSport’s cabin also has 20 practical storage spaces, including a glove box that can keep up to six beverage cans cool. Its cargo space at the back is just as versatile.
- The rear seats can be reclined in select models for greater comfort or easily folded down for additional cargo space. With the rear seats tumbled against the front seats, the boot space increases to 705 litres, big enough to fit a front loading washing machine. The rear seats can also be split 60:40 to transport long objects such as flat-pack furniture while still carrying passengers at the back.
For more information about the Ford EcoSport click HERE
For your chance to be a part of Sydney's urban discoveries click HERE