DEARBORN, Mich. (AP) – Ford is bringing its smallest engine to the U.S. in the race to meet stricter government fuel economy rules.
The company says the 2014 Fiesta will be the first North American vehicle to get Ford’s new 1-liter, three-cylinder EcoBoost engine when it goes on sale next year. The 1-liter has been sold in the European version of the Focus sedan since March.
Ford isn’t releasing fuel economy numbers yet, but says the 1-liter Fiesta will be the most fuel-efficient non-hybrid available in the U.S. It should get well over 40 miles per gallon.
“This is truly a dynamo of an engine,” says Bob Fascetti, Ford’s director of global engine engineering.
Ford plans to show a Fiesta with the new engine at the Los Angeles Auto Show later this month. The Focus sedan has the engine in Europe, and Ford hints the U.S. Focus may also get it soon.
Three-cylinder engines are common in small European cars but have rarely ventured across the Atlantic. That’s partly because they gained a reputation for being loud, shaky and underpowered in 1990s econoboxes like the Geo Metro. The tiny Smart ForTwo is currently the only car for sale in the U.S. with a three-cylinder engine. Its sales are just a fraction of the Fiesta’s, however. Daimler AG had sold just 8,309 Smart cars in the U.S. through October, compared with sales of 47,475 for the Fiesta.
But getting new customers isn’t the only consideration. Car companies are under pressure to increase the fuel efficiency of their cars. President Obama ordered them to double their average fuel economy to 54.5 miles per gallon by 2025. One of the easiest ways to do that is use proven technology from Europe, where gas is more expensive and customers place a premium on fuel economy.
General Motors plans to bring a diesel version of the Chevrolet Cruze from Europe to the U.S. next year. It’s expected to top 40 mpg. And Ford probably won’t be the last to bring over its smaller engines. BMW AG recently unveiled new three-cylinders that could be bound for America.
Ford’s first three-cylinder uses turbocharging and direct fuel injection to give it the power of a larger engine. It has 123 horsepower, for example, which is three more than the current Fiesta with a 1.6-liter four-cylinder. At the same time, the 1-liter will likely get far better fuel economy than the 33 mpg combined city and highway rating for the current Fiesta.
By comparison, the Smart ForTwo gets just 70 horsepower and 36 mpg out of its 1-liter three-cylinder. And unlike the Fiesta, it uses premium gas.
Dave Sullivan, an analyst with auto consulting firm AutoPacific, said he was pleasantly surprised by the three-cylinder he tested in the European Focus. He doesn’t think customers will care if the engine has fewer cylinders as long as it performs well and saves fuel.
“Other European automakers like VW and Fiat have these, but none of them are as quiet as this one,” Sullivan said.
The 1-liter is the fourth member of Ford’s EcoBoost engine family. The first engine was a 3.5-liter V6 that gave the Taurus SHO performance sedan the power of a V8. Ford also has 1.6-liter and 2-liter versions.
EcoBoost engines cost around $1,000 more than conventional ones, but they’ve been a popular option anyway. Ford says 80 percent of Ford Escape SUV buyers and 42 percent of F-150 pickup buyers are springing for EcoBoost engines. In Europe, about 30 percent of Focus buyers are getting the 1-liter EcoBoost.
NOW CHECK OUT
Featured Gallery
Cars often come loaded with technology that many people don’t know or understand.
My father-in-law drove a Chrysler Town& Country for years never knowing that he could flip one switch and heat up his seat. He had paid for this feature, but never even knew it was available.
Nowadays, it’s even more complex as emerging technologies are quickly making their way into vehicles and consumers don’t know what they are or how to use them. Some they may like, others they may not care for.
But if you’re shopping for a car, truck or SUV nowadays, you’d better know what you’re paying for. Some of it could save your life.
Click through to see some of the most important technology in many vehicles and why you should know what it does before you buy.
What It Is: An automatic cruise control system that will adjust the car’s speed based on the speed of the car in front of it.
Why It’s Important: Adaptive cruise control is quickly becoming a popular feature on many different vehicles. For someone who does lots of highway driving, it’s a feature you’ll quickly learn to love.
Maintaining a constant speed will improve a car’s fuel economy, and monitoring the car’s position relative to other vehicles will help keep the driver safer.
What It Is: A program in the car that uses the person’s voice commands to operate different features in the car ranging from finding a song on an iPod to adjust the air conditioner.
Why It’s Important: Keeping your hands on the wheel is a key to good driving. Operating switches and knobs and buttons by voice allows any driver to keep both hands on the wheel even more often. Furthermore, if a car has voice recognition software, it will also have the means to speak on your phone hands free. Ten states require all drivers to use a hands free device when operating a cell phone and more states are expected to pass similar laws.
However, it’s essential to learn how to use your voice recognition software correctly. Some systems require specific commands in order to properly connect with the car’s computer. These systems can become frustrating if you don’t take the time to learn how it works.
What It Is: Collision avoidance generally starts with a system called adaptive cruise control. This is like regular cruise control, but with the addition of radar sensors that can “see” the traffic ahead of you and slow your car to maintain a safe following distance. If you are a notorious tailgater, this system over-rides your own bad driving habits. Collision avoidance systems can also sound alarms or flash warnings on the windshield if the sensors determine that your car is getting too close to another car too fast. The system will then apply brake pressure perhaps sooner than you yourself would.
Why It’s Important: You have to be aware of any system that is going to apply braking pressure without your foot doing the work. The system may come as part of a broader “safety package” that you buy on either a new or used, so its imperative that you understand how it works. This system could save your life, or at minimum keep you from a parking lot fender bender.
Check out our longer”Techsplanation” on “Collision Avoidance” systems here.
What It Is: A system of cameras or radars that detect vehicles in the driver’s blind spots. The system then will then let the driver know there’s a vehicle in his blind spot. Often, if the driver attempts to move into the lane another car is, the system will provide an audible warning to stop.
Why It’s Important: While carmakers offer different versions of this system, every one I have ever tested works very well. It quickly lets you know that someone is in your blind spot and, if you try to move over, it warns you.
It takes only a few days of highway driving to get used to a blind spot detection system. You’ll quickly find yourself glancing in your mirrors to see if there’s anyone there and you’ll begin trusting the system more and more.
Just be careful when you drive someone else’s car without the system.
What It Is: A car that runs on battery power for a short distance, say between 10 and 35 miles, but also contains a gasoline-fed motor that continues to power the battery when the charge is depleted. The new extended-range EVs include the Chevy Volt, Ford C-Max Energi, Prius Plug-In Hybrid and Fisker Karma.
Why It’s Important: There is an argument to be made that an extended-range plug-in is the perfect technology to get U.S. drivers to the point where they can routinely choose between gasoline and electric power for their fuel stock. These combination vehicles eliminate “range anxiety,” which is the fear of driving an EV and fearing you will rin out of power before you have time or opportunity to recharge.
Most Americans drive fewer than 40 miles per day, so vehicles like the Volt (35 miles on a charge) or C-Max (20 miles on a charge) make a lot of sense.
Check out our longer”Techsplanation” on owning electric vehicles here.