2015 Ford Fiesta 1.0 EcoBoost long-term test - Prime 3,000 Miles - After scoring a stellar deal on our '15 Ford Fiesta 1.0 EcoBoos...
After scoring a stellar deal on our '15 Ford Fiesta 1.0 EcoBoost, with the advice of those who know more about the car buying process as me, my girlfriend and I took a little over 3,000 miles on our diminutive hatchback.
In these 3000 miles, Fiesta has patiently allowed Jenn hone her skills with manual transmission, was the dealer once (more on that in a bit), we and our dependents fur province, and carted not once been close to an autocross course - but not because of my lack of trying.
This is EcoBoost, which lives up to its name
the Ford family of EcoBoost engines proudly boast fuel consumption ratings than many (including myself) think are - at best - optimistic. twin-scroll turbocharged Ford 2.0-liter EcoBoost powertrain that powers the Titanium Edge I tested last year, is one of these engines. The turbo four is forced to work overtime to counter the stature of the Edge. I think you could squeeze a better fuel economy than most V6 only because it does not need to work as hard to get the board up to speed and keep it there.
But with the Fiesta, this is not the case. If anything, the opposite is true.
Our first 1000 miles did not return the expected mileage. I blame that on a green motor and drive us the Fiesta in the city 95 percent of the time. Now that the Fiesta is seeing more miles of road, observed fuel economy is staggering in the best of ways.
Equipped with the three-cylinder EcoBoost engine of 1.0 liters, the Fiesta is officially rated at 36 miles per gallon on the combined cycle (31 city / 43 road). However, over the last 1000 miles in an equal mix of city and highway driving, our Fiesta returned 42.7 mpg.
Needless to say, we do not complain.
I want more power, but the receivers are not interested
Even with the available grunt, the Fiesta could use a little more in the performance department .
If we live in the UK or elsewhere in Europe, Mountune - a Ford Performance partner - would be more than happy to sell us an air of mild Friendly guarantee to stimulate the production of 1, 0 triple to 133 horsepower and 158 lb-ft of torque, an improvement of 10 hp and 33 lb-ft. If we were not bothered by a cancellation of the guarantee, the MR165 of Mountune kit could launch triple to 163 hp and 181 lb-ft - again, if we lived in the UK or elsewhere in Europe
In. the United States and Canada, it is a totally different story.
there are differences between the ECU used in European Fiestas and those sold in the United States and Canada. Because of this, and the limited availability of the 1.0-liter engine in the Fiesta and Focus here Mountune Ford Performance and do not see much reason to develop a melody for it.
"The cost to develop a unique calibration from scratch would be in the tens of thousands of dollars. The only way we can move forward is to have the support of Ford on this project, "said Ken Anderson, president of Mountune USA. "The upgraded 1.0-liter performance is not on the Ford list of things to do."
And if you thought COBB might jump at the chance :. No dice
"We even asked Cobb to develop AccessPort for us and there was no interest," said Anderson.
A representative said the COBB corporate merger may have ruined any future support "eccentric engines" EcoBoost as triple.
"bean counters need to have a sufficient business case to support something like it, "said a representative COBB." the support from Fusion may have ruined the possibility of a future eccentric support. We added support for 1.6- and 2.0-liter Mergers (a project of the passion of our Chief Ford calibrator file, which happens to own one) and we only sold a handful. "
so if you have an EcoBoost Fusion, go buy some tuners COBB. I want more power and you ruin me.
The instrument panels are complex
Jack Baruth touched complexity evolving dashboards and their associated idiot lights. Knowledge of the real world analog of each icon is necessary to understand the meaning behind each fire warning. In many cases, that analog real world does not exist for those born after 190, so that the meanings behind these warning lights are lost.
My girlfriend was born in 1991.
A few weeks ago, Jenn sent me a text saying that the engine temperature light came. She did not know what to do because she did not know what it was, she looked up at the light in the owner's manual. I advised him to call roadside assistance for the Fiesta towed to the nearest dealer for inspection.
The dealer kept our Fiesta over the weekend and has 50 miles (80 km) on the car before arriving at the conclusion that there is nothing we should worry about that the technician could not reproduce the problem.
When Jenn picked up the car, she realized her mistake.
Fiesta has a digital display mounted in the center that shows mileage and other information, including the engine temperature.
This was the first time she noticed the temperature display, and she thought it was a warning light. The gauge next to the temperature icon is not very obvious unless you know what it replaces and represents.
There is no need to pay to visit the dealer, fortunately. However, the dealer could not explain why they put so much mileage out of our car, nor do they propose to do things with a free service in the future or something similar. I told them that we would not be again.
Bye, bye wheels wellness
There is a big complaint I have with the Fiesta, and it has to do with Ford wheels decided to put the EcoBoost model.
If the Fiesta is equipped with alloys actions. They are not great, but they are not ugly, either. However, if the Fiesta SE with optional SE Package EcoBoost, Ford eliminates alloys for steel wheels. There is no option to add them again. I guess this is to reduce unsprung weight to enhance fuel economy.
But steel wheels are boring, and covers must be drawn in the rivers of Hades.
Thanks to our friends at Discount Tire Direct, we are now in possession of a new set of wheels Winner Maxxim measure in at 17 inches. Unfortunately, because of some my share of logistical problems, the wheels are not mounted on the car.
We will wrap the rubber tires provided by Michelin. Instead of providing a tire test boring I go on and on about the virtues of the new tires, I just have three questions in mind:
- Does the new Michelins even with the height of the reduced side wall, be as quiet or quieter than stocks Hankook Optimo H426s?
- do larger wheels and rubber more harm fuel economy in a meaningful way?
- How Michelins be long-term?
Once the wheels and tires are mounted, I'll report.
The greatest challenge yet
This weekend, we go to Oshawa.
There was a secret if you are one of my friends on Facebook. This means in the coming months, we will present exclusive stories from the frontline regarding collective bargaining between the Detroit Three and Unifor.
However, in the short term, it also means that we will drive the Fiesta for over 1,000 miles of nova Scotia to our new home in Ontario during the journey of 18 hours. If this is not a good test, I do not know what is.
Mark Stevenson is The Truth About Cars editor. It is easily influenced into buying vehicle brands that exist more. You can find him on Twitter and Facebook.
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