Road Test: Ford Focus 1.0 Ecoboost

Price as tested: €21,485

+ Amazing flexibility for such a small engine, usual Focus chassis, quality
– Long range economy remains unproven
= No replacement for displacement? Think again...


A sheet of A4 paper is 297mm x 210mm, or in other words just under a foot tall and eight inches wide. And the new Ford three-cylinder 1.0 Ecoboost turbo engine’s cylinder block will fit, just about, on that sheet of A4 paper. It’s an astonishingly small, light engine, weighing in at just 97kg, 30kg less than the old naturally aspirated 1.6 petrol that it replaces in the Focus range, and an order of magnitude less than its 1.6 diesel stablemate.

And yet, for all that smallness, a combination of low-inertia turbocharger and some impressive low-friction engineering ensures that this dinky little engine can produce either 99bhp (a round 100ps) with 170Nm of torque (or, in the higher spec version, an astonishing 123bhp with up to 200Nm on overboost), returns a claimed 4.8-litres per 100km on the combined cycle (58mpg, 10mpg better than the old 1.6) and emits just 109g/km. And, we would remind you, it’s petrol, not diesel.

But can a 1.0-litre engine be seriously considered in a large-ish family hatch, a car that weighs 1,200kg and needs to be able to lug around shopping, luggage, baby buggies and the rest of the detritus of family life?

Yes, it can, and as with so many cutting edge innovations, the remarkable thing is that in everyday use it feels entirely unremarkable. Fire up the Ecoboost engine and, instead of the expected unsteady buzzsaw noise common to most three-cylinder engines, there is silence, almost Lexus-like silence. Pull away and, yes, you can occasionally hear a faint rumbly three-pot noise at the edge of the engine’s vocal range, but it’s remarkably refined for such a small engine.

The most important question though is; can it lug the Focus around with any conviction? Yup, no problem there. In terms of overall performance, it’s a few tenths quicker than the old 1.6 in most metrics and it feels pretty much analogous to that engine. It’s better though, because thanks to the turbo, there’s just a bit more low-down oomph, a sense that (and this is the remarkable bit) you need to work the engine a little less hard to get where you want to. The 0-100kmh sprint is done in 12.5secs and it has a maximum speed of 185kmh.

Any problems? Well, no not really except a possible wrinkle in the form of fuel consumption. Now, we haven’t had a proper chance to put that 58mpg claim to the test on a long run, and on our brief test drive, the Focus we were driving was displaying an average fuel economy reading of 8.5-litres per 100km, or a disappointing 33mpg. The again, this was a car doing short urban and motorway loops in the hands of lead-footed motoring journalists, so perhaps a certain amount of benefit of the doubt can be given.

If mainly motorway miles is your daily driving dose, then it might be worth upgrading to the €24,235 125ps (123bhp) Zetec model. There’s not a massive difference in the feel of the performance, but it does seem to punch with a bit more conviction and the fact that the more powerful engine comes with a six-speed gearbox rather than the 100ps model’s five-speeder means it’s more suited to outside-lane bashing. Claimed economy barely suffers (56mpg) and emissions at 114g/km are only fractionally higher and you stay in the all-important Band A for road tax.

As for the rest of the car, it’s the same hugely impressive Focus that we know and love. The cabin is spacious (albeit less spacious than that of the old Focus), comfy  and nicely laid out. The chassis is pretty close to peerless, combining firm damping with a comfy ride quality and remarkably sharp steering. In fact, if anything, the Focus’ dynamic repertoire seems even better here, unencumbered by the dumbell weight of a diesel in the nose. If you’re truly keen on driving, this is still the pick of the family hatches.

And yes, a tiny, dinky, pint-sized, sheet-of-A4 engine really can, convincingly, haul and lug the Focus around, provide remarkable refinement and more than adequate performance. Net of the fuel consumption claims being put properly to the test, it is a truly astonishing combination of car and engine and, we’d have to say, the outright pick of the current Focus range.


Facts & Figures

Ford Focus 1.0 Ecoboost 100ps
Price as tested:€21,485
Range price: €19,465 to €30,595
Cubic capacity: 999cc
Power: 99bhp
Torque: 170Nm
Maximum speed: 185kmh
0-100kmh: 12.5secs
Fuel consumption: 4.8l/100km (58.8mpg)
Co2 emissions: 109g/km
Tax band: A (€160)
EuroNCAP rating: 5-star; 92% adult, 82% child, 72% pedestrian, 71% safety assist