The 2020 Ford EcoSport and the Honda HR-V are good subcompact SUVs. There are pros and cons to each vehicle, but for the most part, they ride comfortably and have an affordable starting price with great fuel economy.
Design
The 2020 Ford EcoSport comes with a comfortable interior and it offers a decent amount of cargo space for a compact SUV, with 20.9 cubic feet of cargo space behind the rear seats. The seats fold flat with a 60/40 split, providing 50 cubic feet of space. For a compact vehicle, that’s more space than most. The EcoSport seats five people in two rows; and for a small vehicle they can ride reasonably well in either row.
The Honda HR-V seats five people with a spacious interior and plenty of second-row legroom, as well as expansive cargo room. It has 24.3 cubic feet of cargo space behind its second row and 58.8 cubic feet with the back row folded down. A 60/40-split-folding rear seat comes standard. Front seating is not as comfortable for taller drivers and front passengers who will want more legroom. On the highest trim level, you get a power-adjustable driver’s seat, leather upholstery, heated front seats, and a leather-wrapped steering wheel.
Power, Handling and Fuel
The EcoSport comes standard with a 123-hp turbocharged three-cylinder engine or an optional 166-hp four-cylinder engine. Both engines share a six-speed automatic transmission. When equipped with the more powerful engine, the EcoSport can tow a respectable 2000 pounds, which is great for this small-size vehicle. Both engines are peppy leaving stoplights and at city speeds; and they feel athletic in and out of traffic on busy streets. Its small build is a great choice for parking and navigating tight city streets. It comes in four different trim levels: S, SE, Titanium, and SES — all-wheel drive can be ordered at every trim level, perfect for maneuvering new terrains. The base engine gets an economical 27/29 mpg city and highway.
There are five trim levels available in the Honda HR-V: LX, Sport, EX, EX-L and Touring. All Honda HR-V models are powered by a 141-horsepower four-cylinder engine with a standard continuously variable automatic transmission (CVT). This engine can struggle getting up to speed, but does well cruising around town. It comes standard with front-wheel drive and all-wheel-drive is optional. All-wheel drive comes standard in the Touring trim. The HR-V handles well and maneuvers well in tight spaces, but it gets a little rough driving over large bumps in the road. Front-wheel drive will give you an estimated 29/34 mpg city/highway. When equipped with all-wheel drive the HR-V gets an estimated 27/31 mpg city/highway.
Tech, Safety and Price
The Ford EcoSport comes standard with a rearview camera and Ford MyKey. The MyKey system encourages safe driving habits by adding extra seat belt reminders and letting you set limits on speed and audio volume. Available safety features include rain-sensing windshield wipers, blind spot monitoring, rear cross traffic alert, and rear parking sensors. It comes with a 4.2-inch display, two USB ports, and a Wi-Fi hot spot. It has an optional SYNC 3 user-friendly infotainment system, but in higher models it comes standard along with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. The starting price for the EcoSport is $19,995 for the S model and ranges to $27,380 for the SES model.
A rearview camera comes standard in the HR-V, with plenty of optional advanced safety features that include automatic high-beam headlights, front and rear parking sensors, adaptive cruise control, forward collision warning, a blind spot camera, automatic emergency braking, lane departure warning, lane keeping assist, and road departures mitigation. A 5-inch audio display, Bluetooth, a USB port and a four-speaker stereo are standard, but Android Auto and Apple CarPlay are optional. Other options include a six-speaker stereo, satellite radio, and navigation. The Honda HR-V offers a great base starting price also. The LX starts out at $20,820 and ranges to a starting price of $28,890 for the range-topping Touring.
Conclusion
Both vehicles will satisfy your compact needs of quickly getting around town and maneuvering through tight spaces, while offering great fuel economy. Each offers a strongpoint in their features. The 2020 Ford EcoSport offers a more powerful available engine and towing capabilities, while the 2020 Honda HR-V offers more cargo room to carry all your needs as you scoot around town.