Editor's note: This Car Seat Check was written in April 2018 about the 2018 Ford EcoSport. Little of substance has changed with this year's model. To see what's new for 2019, click here, or check out a side-by-side comparison of the two model years.
Ford is late to the subcompact SUV party — its new-for-2018 EcoSport joins a crowded class of established vehicles like the Honda HR-V, Jeep Renegade and Mazda CX-3. Like the others, however, its backseat is best left to boosters; a lack of rear legroom made it tough to install rear-facing car seats.
How many car seats fit in the second row? Two
2018 Ford EcoSport Specs & Reviews
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Solid
- None
So-So
- Latch, grade B: Although the two sets of lower anchors aren't set too deeply into the seat bight — where the back and bottom cushions meet — the upholstery is rigid, so connection requires a bit of muscle. Three large top tethers are clearly marked, positioned a third of the way down the seatback for easy access and connection.
- Infant seat, grade C: We moved the front passenger seat forward, and our 5-foot, 6-inch passenger needed more room to be comfortable. It also required a lot of muscle to push past the stiff upholstery to connect to the Latch anchor.
- Rear-facing convertible, grade B: We moved the front passenger seat up just a bit, but the passenger still had enough legroom to be comfortable. It lost a grade because of the Latch connection, which requires some muscle.
- Forward-facing convertible, grade B: After removing the head restraint, this seat fit well. As with the seat in rear mode, installation with Latch required just a bit of muscle.
- Booster, grade B: After removing the head restraint, the booster fit well on the wide, flat cushion. The buckles are sunk into the upholstery, however, so kids will likely have trouble buckling up independently.
Skip It
- None
Grading Scale
Solid indicates an A grade for optimum ease of use and fit. So-So indicates B or C grades for one to two ease-of-use or fit issues. Skip It indicates D or F grades.
A: Plenty of room for the car seat and the child; doesn't impact driver or front-passenger legroom. Easy to find and connect to Latch and tether anchors. No fit issues involving head restraint or seat contouring. Easy access to the third row.
B: One room, fit or connection issue. Some problems accessing third row when available.
C: Marginal room plus one fit or connection issue. Difficult to access third row when available.
D: Insufficient room, plus multiple fit or connection issues.
F: Does not fit or is unsafe.
About Cars.com's Car Seat Checks
Editors Jennifer Geiger, Jennifer Newman and Matt Schmitz are certified child safety seat installation technicians.
For the Car Seat Check, we use a Graco SnugRide Classic Connect 30 infant-safety seat, a Britax Marathon convertible seat and Graco TurboBooster seat. The front seats are adjusted for a 6-foot driver and a shorter passenger. The three child seats are installed in the second row. The booster seat sits behind the driver's seat, and the infant and convertible seats are installed behind the front passenger seat.
We also install the forward-facing convertible in the second row's middle seat with the booster and infant seat in the outboard seats to see if three car seats will fit; a child sitting in the booster seat must be able to reach the seat belt buckle. If there's a third row, we install the booster seat and a forward-facing convertible. Learn more about how we conduct our Car Seat Checks.
Parents should also remember that they can use the Latch system or a seat belt to install a car seat, and that Latch anchors have a weight limit of 65 pounds, including the weight of the child and the weight of the seat itself.
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