THE LATEST Ford Focus will be given a massive boost later this month with the arrival of a brand new engine which promises big savings on fuel and tax.
On the face of it, buyers opting for the new, one-litre, EcoBoost petrol engines will be paying more for less as the new, smaller engines will cost £250 more than the 1.6 litre power plants already available in the Focus.
But big savings are on offer in fuel costs with up to 58.9mpg, according to official figures, and road tax, with both the 100PS and 125PS versions of the new unit qualifying for zero vehicle excise duty in the first year and then £20 (100PS) and £30 (125PS) a year thereafter.
Compared with the current 1.6-litre 105PS and 125PS engines, this represents savings of £115 in year one and £95 and £85 respectively in subsequent years.
And if you think that the Focus will be underpowered with a one litre engine, then think again, for Ford’s UK-based engineers have achieved the seemingly impossible with this high tech, turbocharged, three-cylinder, direct injection engine which, they say, delivers performance to rival a traditional 1.6-litre unit along with significantly improved fuel efficiency and ultra-low CO2 emissions.
The one-litre unit delivers up to 125PS and 170Nm peak torque (200Nm with overboost) between 1,400 and 4,500rpm, giving it the highest power density of any Ford production engine to date.
Ford is immensely proud of the new engine and the company’s MD in the UK, Mark Ovenden, says: “Gone are the days when the number of cylinders dictates performance. This highly efficient, technically advanced powertrain is not only great fun to drive, but it delivers fuel economy improvements and ultra-low CO2 emissions which lead to real world cost savings for our customers.”
The Focus is just the first Ford model to use the new engine which will eventually be fitted in the C-MAX and Grand C-MAX MPVs and the all-new Ford B-MAX mini MPV model later this year.
The new engine is available in all five door and estate versions of the Focus apart from the entry level Studio model with prices starting from £16,245 for the Focus Edge 1.0T 100PS Ecoboost with five speed gearbox. The 125PS engine, which comes with a six-speed box, costs £200 more.
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