The GoodWith
only 1 liter of displacement, the 2014 Ford Fiesta EcoBoost gets
excellent fuel economy and boasts good power figures. Ford Sync allows
voice command for stereo and phone control, and integrates apps.
The Bad The
Fiesta EcoBoost requires more skill than a typical manual transmission
car, and Ford keeps the option list very limited. The cabin tech
interface forces a ridiculous amount of button pushing for even simple
tasks.
The Bottom LineThe
2014 Ford Fiesta EcoBoost gets extraordinary fuel economy, but the
skill required to drive it and the limited options available will limit
its appeal.
Small-displacement engines are familiar in Europe, but something
of a novelty in the US. And three-cylinder engines are about as rare as a
rude Canadian. Up until now, three-cylinder cars in the US came from
overseas, but now Ford is getting into the game, with the 2014 Fiesta
EcoBoost.
This version of the Fiesta is identical to the standard Fiesta
in form and cabin appointments, with a few option limitations. However,
the standard 1.6-liter four-cylinder makes way for Ford's mighty
1-liter EcoBoost engine.
This engine illustrates two
interesting points about drivetrain tech. First of all, it highlights
the effectiveness of direct injection and turbocharging, the two main
elements of Ford's EcoBoost engines. Where the 1.6-liter four-cylinder
engine makes 120 horsepower and 112 pound-feet of torque, the 1-liter
EcoBoost posts numbers of 123 horsepower and 148 pound-feet, an
astounding gain.
As the second point, it also shows how output
numbers don't tell the whole story. Driving the Fiesta EcoBoost
requires a close attention to the engine speed. At initial throttle
tip-in, it felt like those peak horsepower and torque numbers were far,
far away. Each start proved a lesson in getting the revs up, while hills
and crawling traffic added to the challenge.
More than simply lopping off a cylinder, Ford applied some
unique engineering to make this new engine run smoothly in the Fiesta,
designing a unified exhaust manifold and head to keep the exhaust gasses
from overheating the engine. Ford had to compensate for the unbalanced
nature of three cylinders partially by timing the piston firing, and
also by incorporating a flywheel and front pulley system that
counterbalances vibration from the engine.
Limited options
Ford offers the 1-liter EcoBoost engine as a $995 option in its 2014 Fiesta SE
model. The Fiesta SE comes standard with remote locking with the key
fob, and this model also had the bargain-priced $290 Comfort package,
adding automatic climate control and heated seats. The car can also be had in sedan or hatchback body styles.
Ford makes the 1-liter EcoBoost engine an option for the SE-trim Fiesta.
Wayne Cunningham/CNET
However, there are some limitations. A big one is that the 1-liter
engine is only available with the five-speed manual transmission, no
automatics allowed. While three-pedal fans may rejoice, mainstream
buyers will shy away, as take rate percentages on manual transmissions
are in the single digits.
While the automatic transmission
option available in other Fiesta models may not be a good match for the
1-liter engine's output, the second limitation is more difficult to
understand. Navigation and the MyFord Touch interface are not available
in the Fiesta EcoBoost.
Of course, the Fiesta EcoBoost is
designed for fuel economy, with Ford posting EPA numbers of 32 mpg city
and 45 mpg highway. During my course of driving, which involved a
majority amount of highway travel broken up by some bad stop-and-go
traffic, I achieved over 40 mpg, almost what you would expect from a
small hybrid like the Toyota Prius C.
Behind the wheel, I found the same comfortable
electric-power-steering tuning that Ford uses in its standard Fiesta
models. The turning radius runs a bit wide for such a small car, but at
speed the wheel assumes a comfortable heft. When stopped, I could turn
the wheel with the palm of my hand.
Steering response in the Fiesta EcoBoost is responsive without being twitchy.
Likewise, the ride dynamics are similar in the Fiesta EcoBoost to
those of a standard Fiesta model. The car proved reasonably comfortable
on the freeway, although its light weight made it susceptible to wind
buffeting.
Rather than downsize an existing engine, Ford built this one from the ground up.
Wayne Cunningham/CNET
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