Ford Ecosport launch 1

Following its preview in Ford showrooms since the beginning of the month, Sime Darby Auto Connexion has finally given the Ford EcoSport its official debut in the country – the compact five-seater SUV was introduced moments ago at a launch event in Symphony Suite, KLCC.

The Thai-assembled EcoSport – which made its ASEAN premiere at last year's Bangkok Motor Show and showcased at KLIMS13 last November – arrives in two trim levels, these being Trend and Titanium. Both are powered by a 1.5 litre Ti-VCT normally-aspirated mill offering 110 PS at 6,300 rpm and 142 Nm at 4,400 rpm.

The unit is paired with a six-speed Powershift dual-clutch transmission, the Getrag 6DCT250, the same powertrain and drivetrain configuration as found in the B299 Ford Fiesta. A 1.0 litre EcoBoost variant is expected to join the lineup at a later stage, when the Powershift option becomes available (the 1.0 litre currently only ships with a manual transmission, where it is sold in Australia).

Ford Ecosport launch 6

Dimensions-wise, the EcoSport measures in at 4,273 mm long, 1,765 mm wide and 1,675 mm tall (+291 mm, +43 mm and +186 mm respectively compared to the Fiesta), with a wheelbase that's 2,519 mm long (+30 mm over the Fiesta). Other numbers include a 200 mm ground clearance, 362 litres of boot space (705 litres with rear seats folded down) and a 52 litre fuel tank (nine more than the Fiesta, which has a 43 litre capacity tank).

We've highlighted the full specifications in our preview post, and the brochure is on hand here again, but here's a general spin on things if you're not inclined to peruse it.

The Trend is the baseline variant, and is equipped with black fabric seats, manual air-conditioning, keyed ignition, front and rear foglamps, a six-speaker Ford Sync infotainment system, steering wheel audio controls, tilt and telescopic steering adjustment and 16-inch alloy wheels with 205/60R16 tyres.

Click to enlarge.

The Titanium, meanwhile, goes the leather route for the seats, steering wheel and gear lever, and the driver's seat gets adjustable lumbar, with a centre armrest added on. The variant also gets a single-zone automatic climate control system as well as auto lights/wipers and a powered tilt/slide sunroof.

Other additions include keyless entry and push-start ignition, and there's also an additional 12V power socket at the side of the rear seat. The Titanium also rides on 16-inchers and the same tyre size, but of a different design.

Exterior-wise, there are some slight cosmetic differences, this being that the Titanium's front grille is black with chrome accents (Trend's is painted silver) and its roof rails are finished in silver (black on the Trend).

Ford Ecosport launch 7

Common safety equipment to both is electronic stability control, traction control, ABS with EBD, hill launch assist, emergency brake assist, rear seat Isofix mounts and dual airbags for the Trend – the Titanium features a Safety Pack, which brings the airbag count to seven (front, side and curatin as well as driver's knee airbag)

Five exterior colours are available for the EcoSport, and unique to the Trend is Candy Red, while variant specific shades for the Titanium are Mars Red and Winning Blue. The last two colours, Midnight Sky and Frozen White, are available for both trim level variants.

Finally, pricing – the Ford EcoSport Trend is priced at RM92,888 while the EcoSport Titanium goes for RM103,888, both on-the-road with insurance. The EcoSport comes with a five-year/200,000 km warranty and three-year/60,000 km Extended Service Plan (ESP) free maintenance programme.

We've driven the Ford EcoSport - read our Thai test drive report of the SUV.

1.5L EcoSport Titanium

1.5L EcoSport Trend