Ford’s EcoSport is a small SUV that’s loosely based on the Fiesta. What’s different is the styling and the drive. This car feels different to the Fiesta, sits higher on the road and looks so much better than the previous Fusion, which had become dated. It looks like a modern SUV, with the appearance of a 4x4, which it’s not.

The EcoSport has some South American heritage and was developed for the Ford global team in that part of the world. The aim appears to have been to develop what Ford calls an urban SUV. That notion was probably why I gave in to the temptation to bring the EcoSport into a stubble field. This is a two-wheel-drive SUV so I didn’t expect too much. Ground conditions were good and the EcoSport felt at home.

Could the EcoSport find a home among rural drivers? It has some useful features, starting with good ground clearance at 200mm. That’s almost as good as some of the bigger 4x4s. The driving position is higher than the Fiesta, giving better visibility; this is useful on rural roads. There is good headroom inside, both front and back, and it feels more airy and spacious than a Fiesta.

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The EcoSport comes with a 1.5-litre turbo-diesel engine or a new 1.0-litre EcoBoost petrol engine. I had the diesel version on test; it’s clearly economical and marginally more powerful than the Fiesta at 90bhp.

I’ve looked at the EcoSport against the growing competition in the smaller SUV sector. Opel has the new Mokka, with Renault offering the Captur. Volkswagen’s Polo Cross and the Suzuki SX4 are two other options. The value and features of the EcoSport have to be seen against this competition.

Against the Captur, Mokka and the Polo Cross, the EcoSport is less economical, while being more fuel efficient that the SX4. The differences are significant. My test drive delivered an economy figure that was 30% higher than the rated economy figure of 21.7km/litre (4.9l/100km or 57 mpg).

The fuel tank gave a range reading of 840km, but I failed to reach that as I spent half of my driving time in and around Dublin city – not the place to achieve good economy. On longer runs, I achieved performance. Despite that, the official comparison figures show the EcoSport less economical than equivalent diesel fuelled SUVs. Maybe it’s the boxy shape of the EcoSport that affects the aerodynamics and economy. It had some impact on the level of wind noise. This, coupled with a degree of harshness in the steering wheel feedback and a higher than expected tyre noise from the Goodyear 205/50R16 tyres, scratched at my comfort zones more than I would have expected.

The controls are straight out of the Fiesta design. The central area is comprehensive; I’m getting used to it on Ford cars. New drivers will quickly learn how to use it but it still feels a little cluttered. There is a lot of hard plastic in the dash structure, making it look dark and feel hard to the touch.

Ford is offering the Ford SYNC system with AppLink as an option. This includes six speakers, Bluetooth, voice control, emergency assistance, 3.5in colour screen and USB for an additional €300. The Ford SYNC system alerts the emergency services automatically in the event of a crash. This is a useful feature and doesn’t add too much to the overall price, which is far too high to begin with.

There are plenty of safety features. The car has only a four-star Euro NCAP rating, which it received last year. All of the others boast five-star ratings.

Ford is fitting a spare wheel to the rear door of the EcoSport which opens to one side rather than up and over. This door feels strong and needs to be to carry the wheel, but unfortunately for Irish drivers, it opens from the wrong side for roadside loading.

Ford is offering the petrol and diesel powered versions of the EcoSport at the same price, but it’s high at €24,595 (£14,995 in NI). If the choice is between the EcoSport and a Ford Fiesta, then the price difference is huge at over €6,500 (less up North). More importantly, the Fiesta will probably feel better and smoother to drive.

This price level makes me feel that Ford is matching the Opel Mokka price. The EcoSport sits too high and is more expensive that the economical Renault Captur, which I would pitch for. The Captur is also more modern and stylish in terms of design, while well ahead in running cost economy. CL