Ford Focus 1.0 Ecoboost Zetec review

[jpd80]

Ford Focus 1.0 125 Ecoboost Zetec First Drive

Test date Tuesday, February 07, 2012 Price as tested £17,745
LINK

What is it?

A new, three-cylinder 1.0 litre turbocharged version of the Ford Focus, driven here in 123bhp form but also available with 99bhp.

This engine, whose cylinder block has barely the area of a sheet of A4 paper, arrives first in the Focus because its high-tech gadgetry (variable valve timing, miniature turbo, advanced electronics, direct fuel injection system) would make it expensive for the Fiesta.

Five-speed figures are a little sharper, but that model loses a bit of performance against the six-speeder's 120mph top speed and 11.3sec 0-62mph acceleration. Both versions bring impressive tax advantages to business users.

What’s it like?

Even such promising paper figures don't prepare you for the driving experience. You barely hear the thing start, and it idles so smoothly you'd swear it had stalled. Your brain tells you such a small engine will need lots of revs off the mark, but it gets going easily because the combination of a tiny turbo, advanced electronic engine management and double variable valve timing give it amazing oomph in the low gears, even below 2000rpm (though the redline's 6700rpm).

It flows through the gears, always quiet but sounding more like a thoroughbred six than anything mainstream. You'll enjoy revving it, but you soon learn that changing up in the 3000s (aided by a smooth clutch and a slick six-speeder) delivers far better economy with pretty good performance.

Amazingly, the car is even long-legged. You've got to be indicating nearly 90mph before the tacho shows 3000rpm in sixth, and it can maintain this up hill and down dale. It is already clear, however, that like Fiat's TwinAir this Focus triple is an economy car for the willing. We turned 52mpg on a medium-fast, 80-mile trip through southern Spain, where another crew, not much faster, returned economy in the late 30s. You have to understand Ford's triple to make it sing for its supper.

Should I buy one?

This engine is a game-changer. It shows just how much life remains in petrol engines of a suck-squeeze-bang-blow persuasion. And that nowadays there is indeed a substitute for cubic inches.

Daft as it may sound, the tiny but super-advanced turbo triple – engineered in Dunton, England – confers a remarkable new layer of smoothness and refinement on the Ford's big-selling C-segment hatchback that is so obvious, so impressive and so refreshing that it leaves the four-cylinder models gasping.

Steve Cropley
Ford EcoBoost 1.0 Zetec 5dr



Price: £17,745; Top speed: 120mph; 0-62mph: 11.3sec; Economy: 56.5mpg (combined); CO2: 114g/km; Kerb weight: 1240kg (est); Engine: 3 cyls in line, 999cc, turbo, petrol; Installation: Front, transverse, FWD; Power: 123bhp at 6000rpm; Torque: 125lb ft (148lb ft on overboost) at 1500-4500rpm; Gearbox: 6-spd manual; Fuel tank: 55 litres; Boot: 316/1101 litres; Wheels: 7Jx16in; Tyres: 215/55 R16.

Excellent, 20% improvement in fuel economy, the 1.6 will be going away next year..

[Bossxr8]

Who would have though a 1 litre 3 potter could be such a solid engine for a Focus sized car. What a great achievement.

Cylinder block the size of a piece of A4 paper.

[jpd80]

Originally Posted by Bossxr8

Who would have though a 1 litre 3 potter could be such a solid engine for a Focus sized car. What a great achievement.

Cylinder block the size of a piece of A4 paper.

And made of cast iron, pity FoA couldn't get their hands on it and make the I-3, and a V6...

[phillyc]

Originally Posted by Bossxr8

Who would have though a 1 litre 3 potter could be such a solid engine for a Focus sized car. What a great achievement.

Cylinder block the size of a piece of A4 paper.

Yeah, makes the forthcoming 2 litre 4 potter in the Falcon look positively oversized! ie 1L versus 1240kg and 2L versus 1640kg.

[phillyc]

Originally Posted by jpd80

And made of cast iron, pity FoA couldn't get their hands on it and make the I-3, and a V6...

Will FoE production be able to keep up with demand? Would be terrific if FoA could make the I-3 for them and asian consumption. An Ecoboost 2.5L V6 would be quite nice too.

[Bossxr8]

Originally Posted by phillyc

Yeah, makes the forthcoming 2 litre 4 potter in the Falcon look positively oversized! ie 1L versus 1240kg and 2L versus 1640kg.

The 2 litre Ecoboost is the big block version of the small ecoboosts

[geehaa]

sound simpressive

[Swordsman88]

Sounds impressive this engine. For smaller sized cars it more than enough for the job i say. With this sort of tech coming into petrol engines it will be tough for the diesel engines to compete with upcoming emissions regs.

LOL at Bossxr8's comment....2.0I4T in the falcon a big block! Too right though not when compared to a 4.0I6 let alone a 5.0SC coyote. Shows the future of internal combustion though.....

[Nic85]

I've gotta go against the grain here. I hardly see the point of this engine when a small diesel engine is just as powerful, has twice the torque and will use less fuel.

I'll use the Hyundai i30 as a comparison. 1.6L TDi, 85kW/260Nm, 4.5L/100km, 119g/km C02. That's their outgoing model - the new model will be closer to 100kW/280Nm, 4L/100km and 110g/km C02. 6 speed manual or 6 speed auto. The only thing I can see on paper that the Focus will have an advantage in is weight as it'll be about 150kg lighter.

I just don't see the point personally in a tiny petrol turbo engine, when a slightly larger turbo diesel will make more power and torque and use less fuel.

[aussie muscle]

Originally Posted by Nic85

I just don't see the point personally in a tiny petrol turbo engine, when a slightly larger turbo diesel will make more power and torque and use less fuel.

slightly larger? they are talking a 1.0 litre to your 1.6, over 50% bigger.
it will be a more interesting motor in the lighter fiesta.

[graham_h]

Ford Focus 1.0-litre EcoBoost 125PS - Engine Animation ▼ Click pic ▼

[mik]

Originally Posted by Nic85

I've gotta go against the grain here. I hardly see the point of this engine when a small diesel engine is just as powerful, has twice the torque and will use less fuel.

I'll use the Hyundai i30 as a comparison. 1.6L TDi, 85kW/260Nm, 4.5L/100km, 119g/km C02. That's their outgoing model - the new model will be closer to 100kW/280Nm, 4L/100km and 110g/km C02. 6 speed manual or 6 speed auto. The only thing I can see on paper that the Focus will have an advantage in is weight as it'll be about 150kg lighter.

I just don't see the point personally in a tiny petrol turbo engine, when a slightly larger turbo diesel will make more power and torque and use less fuel.

yeah but the hyundies it still drives like a tractor like diesel, you mentioned the not unsubstantial weight difference, and the little Ford engine still has petrol engine characteristics(much nicer), and your comparing diesel economy to petrol donk a third the size less, this is a pretty decent effort on henrys part imo .

[Franco Cozzo]

Interesting idea but it'd be better in the Fiesta I reckon.

Lol at it being banned for vic p platers.

[jpd80]

The little Ecoboost will be replacing the 1.6 NA engine in the rest of the world so hopefully Ambiente will follow.
So this will become the base engine in the Focus, not an option like the 2.0 TDCI or the 1.6 TDCI offered elsewhere.

these days, Diesel Fords are like unobtainium as Ford Europe holds it diesel engine stock close at hand..

[Chilliman]

Ecoboost replacement guide (as I understand it):

- 1.0Litre I3 Ecoboost replaces 1.6Litre I4

- 1.6Litre I4 Ecoboost replaces 2.5Litre I4

- 2.0Litre I4 Ecoboost replaces 3.0Litre V6

- 3.5Litre V6 Ecoboost replaces 6.0Litre V8

The line up leaves room for a 2.5Litre size EcoBoost (I4 or V6) to replace the 3.5-3.7Litre V6s...could that be the 2.7Litre 'Nano' V6 Ecoboost?

I'd also like to see a small EcoBoost V8, maybe around 3.2Litres, as a future replacement for the Mustang 5.0Litre V8

Oh and an Ecoboost version of the 5.0Litre V8 as a replacement for the Supercharged 5.8Litre GT500 V8

[EL97]

By looking at the video, you can see that changing the timing belt would be a pain. Hopefully it is as long life as promised.

[Gobes32]

Big power out of a one litre motor? Motorbike riders have known that for years........

In all seriousness, these ecoboost motors seem to be the ducks guts.

[jpd80]

Originally Posted by Gobes32

Big power out of a one litre motor? Motorbike riders have known that for years........

In all seriousness, these ecoboost motors seem to be the ducks guts.

Mmmm, imagine a mini 2.0 V6 or 2.5 V8

[kaniSS]

Seriously if you need to buy a car that's 1.0lt to save on petrol, maybe you should drive all together.

[jpd80]

Originally Posted by kaniSS

Seriously if you need to buy a car that's 1.0lt to save on petrol, maybe you should drive all together.

Reserve judgement until you see it, I think it will do OK against the korean diesels.

[Nic85]

Originally Posted by aussie muscle

slightly larger? they are talking a 1.0 litre to your 1.6, over 50% bigger.
it will be a more interesting motor in the lighter fiesta.

The size doesn't really matter if you can still get better power and torque while using less fuel out of a larger engine. Kinda why the LS series of engines have, and continue to work so well, even in todays market.

Originally Posted by mik

yeah but the hyundies it still drives like a tractor like diesel, you mentioned the not unsubstantial weight difference, and the little Ford engine still has petrol engine characteristics(much nicer), and your comparing diesel economy to petrol donk a third the size less, this is a pretty decent effort on henrys part imo .

Not sure on the 1.6 diesel, but the 2L and 2.2L R series diesels certainly don't drive like tractor diesels. They're very refined and quiet. Also, how is a petrol engine "much nicer"? Modern diesels are just as refined and quiet as petrol engines.

No doubt it's a good effort, but I wasn't arguing that, nor was it my point. My point was that I don't see the point of an engine like this, when you can use a slightly larger engine with diesel and make the same power, but twice the torque and use less fuel. Seems like a no brainer to me, but I'm sure they know something I don't.

[jpd80]

Originally Posted by Nic85

No doubt it's a good effort, but I wasn't arguing that, nor was it my point. My point was that I don't see the point of an engine like this, when you can use a slightly larger engine with diesel and make the same power, but twice the torque and use less fuel. Seems like a no brainer to me, but I'm sure they know something I don't.

The belief is that diesels elsewhere in the world will fall foul of tightening emission rules,
Euro 6 in Europe is making things hard (read expensive) for diesels and so a lot of companies
are no ramping up Direct Injection turbo petrol strategies..

The point is that this engine will be the basic in Focus in Europe, a diesel will carry a premium price to buy.

[mik]

look at the torque of that little engine, take the lower figure of 125 ft lbs from 1500 rpm to 4500 rpm, i doubt it will be strip demon , but it should motor along pretty good.
i had an old work hack 2.o litre corona to leave at the truck depot years ago, it only had 86 hp and 107 ft lbs of torque at 3600 rpm and it used to scoot along ok, and i agree BigDamo, it would go well in the Fiesta.

[jpd80]

Originally Posted by mik

look at the torque of that little engine, take the lower figure of 125 ft lbs from 1500 rpm to 4500 rpm, i doubt it will be strip demon , but it should motor along pretty good.
i had an old work hack 2.o litre corona to leave at the truck depot years ago, it only had 86 hp and 107 ft lbs of torque at 3600 rpm and it used to scoot along ok, and i agree BigDamo, it would go well in the Fiesta.

The torque is even better, I have a Ford Germany article translated by google:

LINK


Among other things, developed in Germany in Cologne and produced three-cylinder gasoline engine combined with the agility of a powerful acceleration and fuel economy of a diesel
1.0-liter version is after the 1.6-liter four-cylinder is already the second branch of the particularly advanced EcoBoost technology for Ford Focus
Implemented radical "downsizing" philosophy with engine turbocharging, gasoline direct injection and variable camshaft control efficiency reached a new level
Two power levels in the range: 74 kW (100 hp) and 94 kW (125 hp). Maximum torque of 200 Nm is available from 1,400 rpm
Consumption and exhaust emissions were * on up to 4.8 liters per 100 km and 109 g / km of CO2 to be reduced? for gasoline engines unprecedented good values ​​in this class
Including high-tech units are available as standard start-stop system for the small fee of only € 200 over comparable gasoline engines
Ford has brought the Cologne engine plant with an investment of 134 million euros to date. Production is one of the world's most environmentally friendly

[jpd80]

Also from the Ford Germany article>

Among the characteristic features of the Ford Dunton Technical Centre in the UK and the Ford development center in Aachen developed gasoline direct-injection is one of the compact and extremely powerful design of the turbocharger. The extremely fast-talking to turbine benefits from low mass forces and recorded for this reason virtually no "turbo lag". They reached peak speeds of 248.000/min and mobilized in two power versions with a maximum torque of 170 Nm, which is 1400-4000 tour in full. In the 125-hp EcoBoost engine, the torque increases due to overboost control for a limited period of time up to as much as 200 Nm and is also up to 4,500 rpm. A special valve intercepts during power-off the pressure.

[mik]

that is very impressive , it`s hard to see this little engine not being a big winner for ford.

[jpd80]

I would love to think Geelong could be converted to I-3 and maybe I-4 engine production for the Asia pacific region.
Making other Ecoboost engines with cast iron blocks would bring down the costs and make the tech more accessible to asia.
It would also help Ford Australia with work for an existing asset...

[Crazy Dazz]

Originally Posted by Nic85

I've gotta go against the grain here. I hardly see the point of this engine when a small diesel engine is just as powerful, has twice the torque and will use less fuel.

I'll use the Hyundai i30 as a comparison. 1.6L TDi, 85kW/260Nm, 4.5L/100km, 119g/km C02. That's their outgoing model - the new model will be closer to 100kW/280Nm, 4L/100km and 110g/km C02. 6 speed manual or 6 speed auto. The only thing I can see on paper that the Focus will have an advantage in is weight as it'll be about 150kg lighter.

I just don't see the point personally in a tiny petrol turbo engine, when a slightly larger turbo diesel will make more power and torque and use less fuel.

I tend to agree. It’s a bit like paying twice the money for a “Hybrid” when a diesel is both cheaper and more economical.
As for diesels being like tractor engines, well they’ve come a long way, and I can’t imagine a 3 pot being that smooth either.
Turbo-charging the guts out of a small engine to get more power aint exactly new, so whilst the modern control systems, direct injection, and miller cycle have refined the concept, I still have doubts about their economy and longevity when driven hard.

[Nic85]

Originally Posted by Crazy Dazz

I tend to agree. It’s a bit like paying twice the money for a “Hybrid” when a diesel is both cheaper and more economical.
As for diesels being like tractor engines, well they’ve come a long way, and I can’t imagine a 3 pot being that smooth either.
Turbo-charging the guts out of a small engine to get more power aint exactly new, so whilst the modern control systems, direct injection, and miller cycle have refined the concept, I still have doubts about their economy and longevity when driven hard.

I don't doubt the longevity, but certainly the economy when driven hard. Turbo petrol engines, regardless of the technology thrown at them, when driven with a bit of gusto, will drink like a pirate at happy hour. Diesels tend to always be frugal in my experience.

[XR Martin]

Longevity of late model diesels are more of a question mark. Stuff like injector pumps, injectors, particulate filters, variable geometry turbos etc.
I certainly wouldnt want to own one out of warranty...