The 2021 Ford EcoSport and 2021 Hyundai Kona are sporty, small SUVs designed to move easily in and out of traffic and into tight spaces. The Ford EcoSport provides you with a stylish interior and intelligent technology to keep you connected on the road, as well as an available 4WD that is perfect for your off-road terrains and sporty performance. Let’s see how it ranks next to the Hyundai Kona.
Design
The 2021 Ford EcoSport features style inside and out, with comfortable and spacious seating on all trims. Its exterior is available with LED lighting and halogen projector headlamps, a unique rear swing gate, and power moonroof with sunshade. It offers one of the largest cargo capacities in the class, with 20.9 cubic feet of cargo space behind the rear seats and 50 cubic feet with the 60/40 split-folding rear seats folded down. It seats up to five people, but four averaged-size adults fit more comfortably. Cloth upholstery, four-way manually adjustable driver’s seat, tilt-and-telescoping steering wheel, and height-adjustable front seats are standard. Leather-wrapped steering wheel and shift knob, six-way power-adjustable driver’s seat, leather-trimmed seats, and ambient lights are options. The EcoSport is offered in four trims: S, SE, Titanium, and SES, with pricing starting at $19,995 for the S trim and ranging to $27,575 for the SES trim.
The 2021 Hyundai Kona seats five people in two rows with cloth upholstery. The front seats are comfortable and provide plenty of head- and legroom however, the rear seats have less room and are a bit cramped. It has a stylish interior with quality materials and some hard plastics, and it has about the same amount of cargo storage behind the second row as the EcoSport, with 19.2 cubic feet. With the seats folded down, you’ll get 45.8 cubic feet. New for 2021, is a new Night Edition trim with unique styling elements. The Hyundai Kona is available in six trims: SE, SEL, SEL Plus, Night Edition, Limited, and Ultimate. The Kona starts at $20,500 for the Kona SE and ranges to $28,150 for the Kona Ultimate.
Safety and Technology
The EcoSport features few standard and available advanced safety features that are included with Ford Co-Pilot 360 to help you feel confident on the road. Standard features include a rearview camera, Hill Start Assist (helps you switch from brake to gas without rolling backward), and Ford MyKey (adds seat belt reminders and sets limits on speed and audio volume.). Blind spot monitoring, rear cross traffic alert, rear parking sensors, reverse sensing system, and rain-sensing windshield wipers are available. EcoSport comes with a 4.2-inch display, two USB ports, a Wi-Fi hot spot, Bluetooth, six-speaker audio system, and two USB ports. It has an optional SYNC 3 user-friendly infotainment system and an 8.0-inch LCD touchscreen, but in higher models it comes standard along with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. A Convenience Package includes navigation, a seven-speaker audio system, and a 110-volt household-style power outlet.
Standard safety features for the Kona include a rearview camera, forward collision warning, lane-keep assist, and a driver attention monitor. Optional available features include rear parking sensors, pedestrian detection, automatic high-beam headlights, adaptive cruise control, head-up display, and blind spot monitoring. It comes standard with a 7-inch touch screen, two USB ports, Bluetooth, Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, and a six-speaker stereo. Added available features include navigation, satellite radio, HD radio, wireless device charging, an eight-speaker Infinity sound system, and an 8-inch touch screen.
Performance
Ford’s power in its EcoSport is a little underpowered, with its first two trims coming with a 123-horsepower turbocharged 1.0-liter three-cylinder EcoBoost engine and 125 pound-feet of torque, but it is one of the easiest small SUVs to maneuver around town and through tight spaces. The SES and Titanium trim come with a 166-horsepower 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine and provides quick acceleration; and comes with Ford’s intelligent 4WD. Front-wheel drive is standard, and all-wheel drive is available on every trim. A six-speed automatic transmission comes on both engines. It earns an estimated 27/29 mpg in the city and on the highway, and with the upgraded engine, it drops by 4 mpg in the city.
The Kona has two powertrain options – a standard 147 horsepower 2.0-liter four-cylinder with a six-speed automatic transmission; and a 175 hp turbocharged 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine that is paired with a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission. The Kona has sufficient power with its base engine to drive around town, but it is also underpowered reaching highway speeds. Its acceleration is better with its optional turbocharged engine. Its ride is mostly comfortable, but it can be a bit jerky on rougher road surfaces. It returns an estimated 27/33 mpg in the city and on the highway.
Conclusion
The 2021 Ford EcoSport and 2021 Hyundai Kona are great subcompact SUVs that are priced affordably and maneuver well around town. They offer plenty of cargo space for a small SUV; though the EcoSport offers more cargo room with the 60/40 split-folding rear seats folded down. If you’d like a stronger engine, you will need to look at EcoSport’s higher trims.