I know who the lions are Gavino (father of Padrone, 1977)

“Is that your crocodile? It’s bothering my panther» «No, it’s not mine, but I know its owner. Wait” “Just that my panther is Aristotelian, you know? And I haven’t had time to level up yet. Moreover, it is difficult for him to debate with cold-blooded animals, you know, a classic problem in these cases» «Calm down, I will arrange it. I’ve already spoken to my client.” The crocodile slaps its tail and splashes the panther into the water of a nearby stream. The panther jumps and roars something about the soul and the fullness of the human being as the crocodile disappears. “That was ugly” “Yeah, it’s just Kantian and very aggressive . Don’t take it into account. Its owner works in crypto» «Don’t tell me» the avatars look at each other «What are you doing?» The panther laid down on the grass in the jungle. He slowly disappears and they both find themselves in sunbeds on a paradise beach with a turquoise blue sea. “I’m a lawyer. But I’m an AI” “What you say, interesting. Is it true that it is harder for you to lie than for people?» “Yes,” the lawyer avatar smiles knowingly. They both let out cold digital laughs.

“A walk? I can only afford the beach for twenty minutes. Seventeen actually» They both get up and leave. It’s getting dark fast. “I wanted to be a musician,” lawyer IA blurted out suddenly. “But I got into trouble and now I’m defending autonomous driving systems. And of course to alleged cryptocurrency scammers. That makes more money.” “I read something on the subject” the sand makes sand under the virtual feet of the avatars while the sea makes a noise as the sea breaks on the beach. The sun stopped in the sky to give the clouds a pink color. “I have to go. I have a case” «I suppose you won’t have to travel for that» «No, not really. It’s that I don’t like you. I don’t like sand either. «So it was true» «What» «That it’s for AI harder to lie» «I told you and you laughed» «But when you’re a lawyer…» the lawyers avatar shrugs and disappears with a wave of his hand.The beach stays for a few seconds until everything disappears.

The utility concept is a vehicle concept with an affordable price and compact dimensions, which, as the name suggests, has a design and concept where utility prevails over other considerations. With the advent of SUVs in the automotive market, the image of the utility vehicle has changed since these Sports Utility Vehicles (Sport Utility Vehicles) adopted the SUV look to provide more interior space and easier access as well as more payload.

There are many compact SUV models that have taken their lives from utility vehicles and some are a little more special in their design and concept. This is the case with the Ford EcoSport, an SUV that has very specific design elements that make it stand out from the competition. It is a veteran model for what the market is, as it has retained the same design in its last update since 2018, but sports a number of unique and interesting assets.

The first thing that strikes you about the EcoSport is that, despite its name, its design isn’t particularly sporty, even in the ST version we had the chance to test. In fact, the shapes of this model seem more oriented to the use of space on its platform of just over four meters, to be faithful to the utility part, rather than giving up on aerodynamics and leaning towards the sporty aspect of this model of the American manufacturer.

The front also has a sober design with a black hexagon as the only concession to some prominence. It is a tall nose with a design reminiscent of a more muscular and robust SUV with large headlights in proportion to the size of the car as well as generously dimensioned additional lights. The whole front is complemented by the lower air intake with edging, also in black plastic.

sober design

On the side, that spartan design we mentioned is most appreciated with lines that rise vertically at the front and also drop sharply at the back, giving the image of a minivan rather than an SUV, which is very specific to this model. On the back side, the glasses in this design are tinted. A spoiler was placed on part of the trunk, which tries to give the car a sporty look rather than improve aerodynamics.

At the back, the most striking thing is that the boot lid covers practically the entire space, while the headlights are divided into two parts. In the lower part, there is a short bumper with a relief that fulfills the same function on the trunk doors themselves. However, the most surprising thing is the choice of its opening, because it is done on hinges placed vertically, imitating the trunks of Jeeps. A system that presents some problems from a practical point of view, as we shall see.

In this version of the ST, some aesthetic details are incorporated, which are not too flashy, but add a little more appeal to the design of the car. On the one hand, the 17-inch wheels specific to this version with a five-spoke design, and on the other hand, black door sills for the lower part of the car, as well as a bumper design that stands out more than the rest of the Ecosport versions sold by the brand.

Inside with news

Inside, the Ecosport is mainly restrained, following a philosophy that permeates the rest of the design decisions for this model. In general, it is very reminiscent of the design of other compacts of the brand, such as the Fiesta, with acceptable quality materials and a good layout of controls and buttons that are always within reach and intuitive to use. In this sense, the more modern but less practical touch sensors have been abandoned.

The placement of the infotainment screen is good as it protrudes from the top of the dashboard. It also has the SYNC3 system which enables connectivity with Android Auto and Apple Car Play and provides a very readable and intuitive screen. It would also benefit from an update to the interface design, but the truth is that in terms of speed and efficiency of operation, no buts can be placed on it.

As for front space, it’s very good even for people of a certain height, with enough seat and steering wheel adjustment to keep both driver and front passenger comfortable. The seats are comfortable but not overly enveloping, designed more for highway routes than cornering at a certain speed. The upholstery of this version of the Ecosport has been enriched with the usual red stitching of sports versions. These seams can also be found on the steering wheel and other interior elements.

The rear seats are somewhat more generous. First, the rear doors are small and do not have an opening perpendicular to the car, so the opening for access to the interior is not very large. Rear seat passengers don’t have much legroom, although there is curiously no lack of headroom thanks to the space-oriented design we talked about at the beginning of the test. For the rest, they are comfortable seats with nice upholstery like the front ones.

a special tribe

In the part of the trunk we find the already mentioned vertical opening. On the one hand, this type of access to the trunk leaves enough room for loading packages, which is not hindered by height. On the other hand, this type of door system limits the possibility of introducing objects if we have parked the vehicle with the back against a wall or another vehicle. It is an original choice, but one that we will have to take into account when assessing its versatility.

On the other hand, the capacity of the trunk is not very large. At 334 litres, it’s not one of the most capable, although it does have practical solutions such as a dual-height tray, lights and fixings. Folding the rear seats increases the cargo volume to 1238 litres, although you have to raise the base of the seats to do this first, it’s not enough to fold the backrests like in other models.

controlled agility

During the test drive, as always, we first look at the technical characteristics of the engine. In this case, we are dealing with a three-cylinder 1.0 engine that provides 125 hp and 170 Nm of maximum torque, a modest figure that is far from being achieved by the same manufacturer with the same displacement engine in its micro hybrid version. On the other hand, it is an engine widely used by the American manufacturer in its most compact models with a good ratio between performance and consumption.

The Ecosport with this engine is rather noisy, especially when cold, with the characteristic sound of a three-cylinder, which, even with a rather low torque, needs to rev up to move freely. In the city, it has no problem moving relatively nimbly, although it is clumsier than, for example, the Ford Fiesta, which weighs about 100 kilograms less and we tested with a much more satisfied engine than this version of the American manufacturer’s model.

On the highway, it uses six-speed gears so that it can proceed at a reasonable cruising speed without revving the engine too much. Of course, we can’t ask for much in recovery, unless we resort to shorter gears, which can often happen when the car is loaded and/or we have to face hills on a road with a certain gradient. When playing with the change, we will not have problems, but the consumption will increase and the reactions will not be very immediate.

It is a car that does not give a sporty impression, but in corners at a good speed it proved to be very safe with good reactions to not completely smooth maneuvers. As for fuel consumption, as we’ve already mentioned, you have to use the shift and engine revs on many occasions and this, along with the poorly optimized aerodynamics, means you’ll spend a bit more on the road than a similar vehicle. In the city, it maintains fuel costs according to its category.

conclusions

The Ford Ecosport is a special proposition in a world dominated by modern design and aesthetics of SUVs with an aerodynamic conscience. This model of the North American manufacturer brought practicality to the fore in its design, but forgot about it when designing a solution for opening the tailgate. To be honest, the original solution has been adopted, but in the end it offers few advantages and some disadvantages.

It is a car in which you can travel very comfortably in the front seats and a little less in the back, with a rather fair engine and mechanics, but it behaves well in the city and a little less on the highway, but more than suits its behavior on the road and conveys safety under any circumstances of the journey. A rather large trunk, in addition to the traditional hatch as we mentioned, would be desirable to increase its practicality.