![\"636559674827709959-ecosport-side.JPG\"](\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/-mm-\/ff4466d2227f457c2698f5fdd216c38cfe5bc4c6\/c=626-173-3404-2261&r=x404&c=534x401\/local\/-\/media\/2018\/03\/06\/DetroitNews\/DetroitNews\/636559674827709959-ecosport-side.JPG\")
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From the first 2014 Ford Fiesta I drove, I\u2019ve been hooked. Cute, perky, affordable and loaded with options from the affordable, base 1.6-liter manual to the raucous ST, the Fiesta hatchback is a lip-smacking, salsa-soaked appetizer to the automotive world.<\/p>\n
But I\u2019m in a minority.<\/p>\n
The wee Fiesta has been trampled by the U.S. rush to SUVs. Still popular in Europe where gas costs an arm and a leg,\u00a0the Fiesta\u2019s 2018 update hasn\u2019t made it across the pond<\/a>\u00a0to U.S. shores.<\/p>\n Instead, Ford is importing its entry-level SUV, the Ecosport, all the way from India.<\/p>\n But the cute red Ecosport in my driveway is hardly a replacement for the Fiesta. Indeed, the five-door Fiesta remains Ford\u2019s $15,000 entry-level vehicle complemented by the ST \u2014 the five-alarm, jalapeno pepper entree to Ford performance. Entry-level SUV it may be, but the Ecosport shares more with Ford\u2019s Focus sedan than the Fiesta.<\/p>\n Both the Focus and Ecosport sticker well north of Fiestas (about $19,000 for the Focus, $21,000 for the Ecosport). Both are offered with the surprisingly peppy 1.0-liter \u201cGodzilla-in-a-box\u201d three-cylinder. And both appeal not only to new buyers, but also to downsizing empty-nesters coming out of three-row Explorers.<\/p>\n Suddenly I don\u2019t fear for the Fiesta\u2019s future so much as I fear for the Focus. In ute nation, I give the Focus a snowball\u2019s chance in Vegas.<\/p>\n Ironically, Ford is late to the subcompact ute market despite being a brisk seller abroad since way back to 2003. While other mini-SUVs \u2014 the Jeep Renegade, Buick Enclave and Honda HR-V \u2014 scored hits by tailoring their subcompacts to the U.S. market, Ford has had to update its Ecosquirt \u2014 er, Ecosport \u2014 to meet Yankeed preferences.<\/p>\n Still, your ex-basketball player\u2019s 6-foot-5 dimensions were cramped in the Ecosport\u2019s back seat, and the accelerator and brake pedals felt close together under my big clown shoes. But its short length is an advantage in cramped city spaces \u2014 a trait tried and tested in tight cities abroad.<\/p>\n Other pleasant traits abound \u2014 what Ford\u2019s literature calls \u201cfun, capable, and connected.\u201d Begin with fun.<\/p>\n Marrying its small wheelbase to Ford\u2019s natural athleticism (cue the Fiesta), Ecosport is surprisingly good dance-partner. Though limited to front-wheel drive in my 1.0-liter base turbo-3 engine \u2014 the 2.0-liter turbo-4 comes with all-wheel drive\u2014 the Ecosport followed my lead through Oakland County\u2019s twisty lake country.<\/p>\n\u00a0They did an admirable job. Despite coming to market with one of the shortest wheelbases in the class (99 inches), the Ecosport manages to be competitive in cargo- and leg-room with longer-wheelbase competitors like the Chevy Trax and Jeep Renegade. It even beats the cavernous Honda HR-V in front legroom.<\/div>\n