Car review: Ford EcoSport 1.0 EcoBoost 138hp

When Ford introduced its EcoSport supermini SUV in 2014 it was immediately obvious it was the runt of the otherwise excellent Fiesta’s litter.

Made in India, where, Ford executives insisted at the time, they like cheap, hard plastic, its flimsy interior was of the chocolate box liner variety, the side-hinged tailgate had the spare wheel hung on the outside and could not be fully opened in confined parking spaces. In short, it didn’t do anything particularly well.

So the new revised version, now made in Romania, had plenty of work to do to catch up – and to an extent it has. The interior has been vastly improved but the impractical tailgate still has a side hinge, even if it has lost its spare wheel, and still can’t be opened much if another car is parked behind.

The thick windscreen pillar causes a huge blindspot, the 125hp 1.5-litre four-pot diesel engine is not very eager, the ride is poor and the whole driving experience is uninvolving.