Think a 1.0-litre petrol engine, even one that’s turbocharged, would be inadequate for a C-segment car? Think again, as I have had to do, after driving the Focus 1.0 EcoBoost.
Some readers of this column might recall me having given the Vauxhall Insignia 1.4-litre turbo what amounted to a B Minus rating, thanks to insufficient power and torque. It’s not GM’s fault that this little engine is overwhelmed by the mass of the Insignia – Opel’s engineers developed the vehicle and powertrain combination so as to give dealers a fighting chance of competing when the first thing that fleet buyers want to know is the CO2 number.
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In that context, I battled to keep a large dose of scepticism from accompanying me as I approached the Focus 1.0 EcoBoost. There are in fact two versions of this car: one with 100PS and the other with 125. I had the more powerful state of tune but that’s a relative term, especially when many other cars in this class boast economical petrol or diesel units that deliver decent performance too.
What sets the Focus apart in its segment is the sheer sophistication of the overall package. Ford of Europe’s third generation model isn’t the quantum leap for C-segment cars that the first one was but that’s not to belittle its appeal to keen drivers – lithe steering, levels of roadholding that most of the French and Korean brand competitors can’t quite match, and a ride that’s as good as that of the Mark VI Golf’s.
The Focus is one of those cars that you suspect will stay with the class leaders, even as it ages. I recently drove a Passat for the first time in a few years and was disappointed. Compared to the Mondeo or Insignia, it now looks and feels old to drive, and I’ve never been a fan of the interior, which while faultlessly assembled, feels decidedly last decade. The Passat is up for replacement next year, so I’m being a bit hard on it, but the Focus will soon be entering its third year of production and somehow it still looks and feels state of the art.
To underline the same point, but applied to the Focus’ class, consider the Fiat Bravo. Not a bad car but nowhere near being one that shines. I couldn’t tell you the last time I saw one in the UK with 2012 or even 2011 registration plates attached, which is sad, as I have a soft spot for Fiat. But unlike Ford, the Italian company now has a philosophy of not updating many of its European markets cars as their lifecycles progress. This is especially perplexing as the turbocharged 875cc TwinAir engine in the 500 and Punto is a cracker. Which takes me back to the topic of small petrol engines in not especially small cars.
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By GlobalDataWhat so disappointed me while driving that 1.4-litre Insignia is the same thing that turns me off the 85hp (i.e. non-turbo) version of the two-cylinder engine in the Fiat 500 – there simply isn’t enough torque. Ford seems to have avoided that problem, and judging by its gutsy decision to fit the three-cylinder EcoBoost to next year’s Mondeo, is equally confident of its chances of convincing buyers in the D-segment that a 1.0-litre engine can be large enough for them too.
As well as the excellence designed into this little rev-happy motor, the engineering that went into the Focus still impresses even with the basic model having been on sale for almost two years. In particular, Ford has imbued all variants of this car with steering that has been tuned for the UK’s often diabolical roads. You don’t get that jarring kickback through the wheel that less honed competitors feature as an unwanted standard feature.
Contrast how it feels to be behind the wheel of the Focus with, for example, any car engineered by the then GM Daewoo before the Cruze – so many of them drove like products of a company where the requests of the engineering department always seemed to come second. GM Korea’s products are now unrecognisable from the cars of only five years ago. The same can be said of almost all current Kias and Hyundais sold in Europe – there are still one or two stinky old mutts amongst those firms’ model ranges but they’ll soon be replaced by what should be far better cars.
As we keep seeing in Europe, in North America and in China, sales of well engineered cars such as today’s Korean brand models rise and rise, while older, ropier vehicles have to be pushed on dealers and buyers with resale value destroying incentives. The trouble then, is that the effort firms such as Ford make to exceed the expectations of drivers – those who want something more than an appliance – can often go unseen.
Getting back to this little engine that Ford brands as an EcoBoost (direct injection, petrol-powered and turbocharged), the unit itself was developed in England by some 200 engineers based at Dunton and Dagenham. So far, it’s being manufactured in both Romania and Cologne but build in regions outside Europe is sure to follow. Ford of Britain says the 125PS version has the same power output as its naturally aspirated 1.6, but the 1.0 EcoBoost’s 170Nm of torque is better. There is also an overboost mode which allows up to 200Nm.
The engine features a small low-inertia turbocharger to boost torque while also minimising lag, variable timing on both intake and exhaust camshafts, a water cooled exhaust manifold which is integrated into the cylinder head and two thermostats for the cooling system which means faster warm-up (critical for emissions).
Manufacturers are always trying to draw our attention to balancer shafts in small motors so it came as a surprise to note that Ford says the 1.0 EcoBoost has an unbalanced flywheel/pulley. The official explanation is that inline three-cylinder engines develop a combined pitch and yaw motion, which results in a booming noise. Those engineers I mentioned above prevented this by ‘unbalancing’ the flywheel and crank pulley to offset the primary engine shaking forces. Whatever the explanation, it works: this is a super-smooth little unit both at idle and all through the rev range.
The Combined average for the 125PS engine is 56.5mpg, with C02 emissions of 114g/km, while the 100PS is rated at 58.9mpg and 109g/km according to the European Commission’s test cycles. If you’re a company car driver, you’ll want to know that the Benefit in Kind rate of 13 percent for 2012/2013 can mean a saving of up to £32 a month on a Focus Zetec at the 40% tax level (compared to the Focus 1.6).
So much for all the technical speak and what gets the fleet managers titillated. The EcoBoost 1.0 not only surprised me but it also turned a doubter of this new breed of tiny turbocharged engines into a believer.
I have neither wife nor kids nor dog so I’m not exactly the typical C-segment buyer but at least I now have a recommendation for those friends who occasionally phone to ask the question: “Is there anything you’ve driven lately that you think I should go for instead of another Golf?”
Author: Glenn Brooks
