Whoever said one size fits all was wrong, case in point being the Ford 1.0-litre EcoBoost engine which powers a range of cars, right from hatchbacks to MPVs. Yes, that’s right, the small wonder has not only got rave reviews from journalists but also from customers. Adjudged the “International Engine of the Year” for a third consecutive year this year, the 1.0-litre EcoBoost engine is found in every fifth Ford car sold in Europe. It is also the best selling turbo petrol motor in the first half of the year in Europe, sales rising by 15% over the corresponding period last year.
Ford sold around 1.2 lakh vehicles in Europe which were powered by the 1.0-litre EcoBoost engine in the first half of 2014. Almost every second B-Max is powered by this small capacity turbocharged mill, while 33% of the Focus and 30% of the Fiesta use this powertrain. This engine also powers the C-Max, Tourneo, Transit, Mondeo and EcoSport models. It will also find its way into the all new Ka/Figo next year. The engine was designed and developed by Ford’s UK technical centre and is so compact that the engine block can fit on an A4 sized paper.
Ford introduced the EcoBoost mill in Europe in 2012 while we in India got it in 2013 with the EcoSport. The engine powering the EcoSport in India outputs 125 PS and 170 Nm of torque which goes up to 200 Nm on overboost but accounts for very little sales as people in India don’t want to pay more for the extra performance and mileage offered by this powerplant. The Ford EcoBoost engine is available in three states of tune – 100 PS, 125 PS and 140 PS. The 3-cylinder motor is mated to a 5-speed manual gearbox. In spite of being a 3-pot mill, the 1.0L EcoBoost engine boasts of excellent NVH levels. It is currently produced in Germany and Romania with production set to commence in China soon.
