MANILA, Philippines - There’s no big mystery why the all-new Ford Ecosport is catching a lot of local attention – it’s a pioneer in a new market segment; a segment that bridges the gap between compact cars and SUV’s. First and foremost, SUV’s are on the pricier side, costing no less than a million. Full-blown SUV’s are also bigger and brawnier, which can work for or against you, depending on the circumstances. Since the Ecosport is based on Ford’s global B-segment platform (which also underpins the Fiesta), the package you get is an aspirational alternative to the compact car – a vehicle that’s so affordable (base model starts at P775,000), but with the typical advantages of an SUV: rugged capability, 200mm ground clearance, a high driving position, loads of boot space, a tough, protective shape, and even amazing water-wading capability! And yet it is just the right size to be agile enough to drive in tight city roads, and bears an engine that is sized just enough (1.5L Ti-VCT) to maximize practicality and keep your carbon footprint at bay. That, in a nutshell, is the magic of this new subcompact SUV.
Hence, in an activity to further showcase the Ecosport’s versatility, Ford Philippines hosted an Ecosport Mystery Case Challenge that tasked different media teams to solve problems, collect clues, figure out riddles and fulfill physical challenges while driving around town in the Ecosport, en route to the final destination.
The day started off with a drive to Breakout Manila in Paragon Plaza, where participants were divided into two groups and then asked to enter unique ‘trap rooms’. I was assigned to a group that was trapped in a high-security prison cell; and our task was to gather clues around the room, ala Sherlock Holmes, and deduce how to physically break out of the room within 45 minutes (else be trapped forever, supposedly)! It was a very exciting, detective-like challenge that required a group effort, much haste, and most importantly, some legitimate presence of mind. We were down to retrieving the last key that would lead us to our freedom, but unfortunately time caught up with us, and we weren’t able to officially escape within the period allowed! But we got extremely close.
This activity was a good icebreaker to bring out everyone’s friendly, outgoing spirit—among the traits that characterize the vibe of the new Ecosport.
Following the Breakout Manila escape challenge, we went back to our vehicles and used the car’s voice command feature (supported by Ford’s proprietary SYNC connectivity system) to play data on a USB stick that came with the car. The voice recording that played asked us to proceed to Intramuros, where we had to complete several tasks, such as figure out how many soda cans can be fitted into all of the Ecosport’s available smart storage compartments. The answer was a whopping 13 cans! And that’s only counting the dedicated cupholder slots; and not stuffing everything that can fit in a recess.
We also found ourselves driving the car up the curb at one point—a demonstration of the vehicle’s rugged capabilities—in order to get close to a graffitti wall that we needed to take a photo next to. The challenge also led us to an old museum, where we had to find and take a picture of the oldest Ford print ad that was on display. The museum was located within the tight, traffic-riddled streets of Manila, but the Ecosport’s modest size struck the perfect balance to make it versatile enough to ply through the pedestrian-dominated roads and PUV jams with ease. The car’s electric power-assisted steering also made it easy to maneuver through the frequently tight urban situations.
After scuffing through planted street vendors and rummaging for old, Ford-marked coin souvenirs from their bilaos (which we were tasked to collect), we proceeded driving towards Roxas Boulevard to visit one of Ford’s newest dealerships nearby. Rush hour traffic was already beginning to thicken, but our Ecosport was at no disadvantage, as it was compact enough to lace through the traffic and had an engine size that would not gobble up on fuel.
When we got to the dealership, our challenge was to open the back and use the boot floor to piece together a big puzzle that would be a Ford poster. There was definitely more than enough space to work around the cargo area, and this was even without having to split the 60/40 rear seats to free up potentially 705 liters of cargo space!
Finally, we had to find the quickest route to get ourselves to Enderun in Bonifacio Global City, where the finish line would be waiting. It was always easy to hop in and out of the Ecosport, and drive away without having to fumble for the keys, since it features keyless entry (that automatically unlocks the doors as long as you have the key somewhere on you) and a push-button ignition start, making it straightforward and a breeze, whenever you are in a hurry to get going. The pressure from trying to win the game was also made more bearable, thanks to its inherent cabin comforts which include the soft-touch fabrics, comfortable seats, ergonomic controls and cleverly minimized noise, vibration and harshness, promoting a quiet drive throughout.
And even though the Ecosport Mystery Case challenge entailed us to be out on the roads most of the time throughout the game, we were always confident that we were well-protected against driving risks since our vehicles were equipped with class-leading safety equipment and driver-assist systems, such as: the standard dual front airbags, an anti-lock brake system (ABS), electronic stability control (ESC) and Hill Launch Assist (HLA). Not to mention that about half of the Ecosport’s structure is made up of high-strength and ultra-high-strength steel, including boron.
My teammate Steven Yu (C! Magazine) and I managed to get to the finish line in 3rd place; it was a close battle for 2nd, but the competition had better, secret Manila shortcut routes up their sleeve. All in all, it was a fun Mystery Case challenge that was a great avenue to demonstrate the many advantageous features of the Ford Ecosport. Compact, contemporary and capable, it is a sensible option for the usual subcompact car buyer who would like to try something different and explore the benefits of owning an SUV.