Confidence in fresh products competing in two critical segments of the new vehicle market.

THE smile was extra-wide on the face of Ford New Zealand managing director Simon Rutherford.

Why? Because he was happily introducing to the Kiwi motoring media a pair of sports utilities that will compete in the two biggest-selling segments of the New Zealand passenger vehicle market.

The pair are the Escape, sourced from Spain, which will compete in the medium SUV segment which currently accounts for 20 percent of all new vehicle sales, and the Puma, out of Romania, which will sell in a compact SUV segment which accounts for an 18 percent slice.

Ford was not performing particularly well in those spots previously.

The medium SUV segment is dominated by the Toyota RAV4 which last year achieved 5611 sales, and other solid performers include Mazda CX-5 (3312 sales), Kia Sportage (3273) and Hyundai Tucson (2047). The previous generation Escape’? Just 1040 found homes last year.

In Ford terms that in itself was rather good, because the rest of the brand’s SUV fleet couldn’t get past 500 sales last year. The smallest and least expensive model, the EcoSport out of India, achieved just 446 registrations. Paltry compared to what the Mitsubishi ASX, Suzuki Vitara and Honda HR-V were achieving.

As a consequence of this mediocre customer acceptance of the Ford SUVs, the brand has had to rely on stellar performances by its commercial vehicles, particularly the Ranger ute.

Bald statistics tell the story. Last year Ford achieved a total of 14,776 new vehicle sales which put it in second place overall behind Toyota – but 64 percent of those sales were the Ranger, with the Transit van accounting for a further eight percent. And frankly, that left the rest of the Ford new vehicle fleet picking up the pieces.

But now there’s every prospect that will change.

Escape has undergone quite the transformation so it is now longer, lower and wider than before, and with svelte bodyshell lines that must put the vehicle up there as one of the best-looking competitors in the medium SUV selection. Its interior has also been modernised and now features the same rotary-style shifter as that aboard the Focus hatch which is built off the same platform.

There are some design features that help set the new Escape apart, too. One is a sliding rear seat that can be moved back and forward to provide a choice of more cargo room or more rear leg room. Another is a tonneau cover that is attached to the rear glass so it moves out of the way when the rear hatch is lifted up. Another? Little rubber arms that pop out of the doors whenever they are opened, to help protect paintwork.

Escape’s turbocharged 2.0-litre EcoBoost petrol engine also now breathes a little better which has increased its power and torque outputs to an impressive 183kW and 387Nm, and the engine is now mated to an eight-speed automatic which replaces the previous model’s six-speeder.

If the new Escape looks a lot more swept than the model it replaces, the change is nothing compared to the difference in looks between the new Puma and the EcoSport it replaces. It’s a really good-looking small SUV, with some within Ford of Europe apparently claiming it to be the most beautiful car they’ve ever made.

It certainly looks a lot better than the EcoSport, which was quite a lumpy small vehicle with the spare tyre mounted on its side-opening rear door.

Like the EcoSport, the Puma is powered by a 1.0-litre three-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine that develops 92kW of power and 170 Nm of torque from a low 1400 rpm, and it is mated to a seven-speed automatic. Interior is very similar to that of the Fiesta hatch, which is built off the same platform.

EcoSport’s performance has been so dire Rutherford was comfortable suggesting Puma is basically entering a white space market.

“We will sell more Pumas this month (November) than all of the EcoSports sold last year,” he said. “Our aim is have a far greater presence in the small SUV segment.

 “Many customers buy their cars from the outside – in other words, they are initially attracted by their looks,” he said.

“The previous Escape didn’t look particularly sexy, and on the inside its top-hat dash was all a bit fiddly,” he added, referring to the design of the centre console.

“But now, we’ve got this new model which I believe will be truly competitive. It’s a clean-looking vehicle with lines that are much more progressive. There’s no reason why it won’t do much better for us than before.”