This is the Ford Equator Sport, a new compact crossover 5-seater SUV aimed at a younger audience. It is manufactured in China by the Jiangling-Ford joint venture. It debuted at the 2021 Guangzhou Auto Show. The Ford Equator Sport has an official price range of 139,800-165,800 RMB (21,900-26,000 USD).

The Ford Equator Sport adopts a youthful design. The sizeable polygonal air intake grille is recognizable as the top of the grille connected to the headlights. The headlights adopt a split design, with the lower headlights are integrated with the front surround.

The side adopts a double waistline design with a thick rear waistline. The car’s size is 4630/1935/1706mm, with a wheelbase of 2726mm. In addition, customers will be able to get 18 or 19-inch wheels with tire sizes of 235/55 R18 and 235/50 R19, respectively.

The rear adopts many horizontal lines, making the rear look thick. The silver decorative strips on both sides and the rear diffuser, make the car sportier.

The interior is equipped with a twin 12.3-inch screen, one screen for the instrument panel and the other for the infotainment. The infotainment system runs on Tencent’s TAI 4.0 automotive intelligent system, made by a Chinese company, and not on Ford’s SYNC system. This is quite a big step for Ford and shows Ford wants to adapt its cars for China. Ford also admitted, in a way, that its systems aren’t good enough anymore for the Chinese market.

The interior also supports Carlife/Huawei HiCar, voice recognition, a navigation application, and OTA upgrades. The instrumental panel and door linings are decorated with solid wood panels.

The Ford Equator Sport comes with an electric panoramic sunroof. In addition, the new car has an interactive intelligent child safety seat system to allow adults sitting in the front row to monitor the status of children in the rear row.

The Ford Equator Sport is equipped with Ford’s Co-Pilot 360 intelligent driving assistance system, which supports numerous advanced driving assistance functions. It includes a reverse camera, lane change assistant, parking assist, and pre-collision assist with automatic emergency braking.

The Ford Equator Sport is powered by the Ford EcoBoost 170 (1.5T) engine with a maximum power of 170 horsepower and a peak torque of 260 Nm, matched with a 7-speed dual-clutch gearbox. JMC-Ford makes the engine. It is a new engine for the joint venture, and the Equator Sport is the first car that gets it under the bonnet. Ford claims a top speed of 180 kilometers per hour. A PHEV version will join the lineup later.

Source: CNfol, AutoHome