The sporty 2020 Ford EcoSport and 2020 Toyota C-HR are good options for buyers looking for something compact and affordable. These compact SUVs fit the bill, but the Ford EcoSport’s style and comfort are worth taking a closer look. If you are in the Colorado area, call out to Brighton Ford when making your choice.
Design
The 2020 Ford EcoSport’s small build is designed to help you move freely and navigate through tight city streets. It 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.
Toyota's meager cargo space is its drawback when considering your options to transport your cargo. There’s just 19 cubic feet of space behind the rear seats and 36.4 cubic feet with the seats folded down. With the limited cargo space also comes a confined backseat for this compact SUV, making an uncomfortable ride for passengers. This four-door SUV seats five with standard fabric-trimmed seats. Rear visibility is poor with its sloping roofline and oddly shaped rear doors and tiny windows, making it feel a little closed off.
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. That number is good 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. 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.
The Toyota C-HR doesn’t compare in power and handling. It ranks bottom of the subcompact SUV class due to its lethargic acceleration. With a 144-horsepower 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine, the C-HR scoots around town decently well, but step hard on the gas and it noisily struggles to get up to highway speeds. The C-HR is offered in three trim levels: LE, XLE, and Limited - All- wheel drive isn’t available. Its engine gets a comparable estimated 27/31 mpg city and highway.
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. Attractively priced, the starting price for the EcoSport is $19,995 for the S model and ranges to $27,380 for the SES model.
The 2020 C-HR now comes standard with Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, and Amazon Alexa. Additional standard features include satellite radio, six speakers, a USB port, Bluetooth, a Wi-Fi hot spot, dual-zone automatic climate control, and remote keyless entry. The C-HR does come standard with a list of safety features, including a rearview camera, as well as the Toyota Safety Sense-P suite of driver assistance features. Among the features in this package, you’ll get forward collision warning, automatic emergency braking, full-speed adaptive cruise control, lane departure warning, lane keep assist, and automatic high-beam headlights. Starting price for the C-HR LE is $21,100 and ranges to $26,200 for the C-HR Limited.
Overall
Overall, the 2020 Ford EcoSport package is a clear choice with its power and handling as well as design and comfort. The 2020 Toyota C-HR may be well equipped with standard tech and safety features, but its shortcomings outweigh those features, with slow acceleration, a confined back seat, minimal cargo space, and poor visibility. Take a look at Brighton Ford to see for yourself.