Ford Fiesta offers a festival of features
Ford Motor Company and in particular its magical 1.0-litre EcoBoost engine has been on the international award list for a long time. The EcoBoost has been voted the International Engine of the Year title three years in a row and now, according to The News-Press website, Ford is investigating a new engine-management approach called cylinder deactivation. This will reduce fuel consumption by another six per cent.
The cylinder deactivation employs a dual-mass flywheel, a pendulum absorber and a tuned clutch disc which enables the management system to activate cylinder deactivation under a wide range of engine loads.
Where will this end, I ask you? Technology is driven by technology and today’s miracle is tomorrow’s history. What does this have to do with this week’s driving impressions? Well, I just drove the Ford Fiesta kitted with a very smooth autobox and was once again reminded of the wonder of its little 1.0-litre EcoBoost engine.
I drove the Fiesta, kitted with a manual gearbox just after its release and was hugely impressed. I mean who wouldn’t be? A 1.0-litre pushing 92kW and 170Nm spells one thing and one thing only – fun! At the time I said that the driving pleasure derived from the Fiesta is not just due to the engine – it is about the total packaging inclusive of the suspension set-up and interior layout which is driver focused. I found the cockpit a little busy though mainly as a result of all the silver bits and bobs. I still think that.
But let’s allow for some focus on the gearbox. In the automatic version the EcoBoost has been tuned to deliver 74kW and the gearbox is a six-speed dual-clutch PowerShift system. Regular hydraulic automatic transmissions are seriously power sapping as a result of using torque convertors, wet clutches and the rest. The PowerShift technology is in fact two manual transmissions working in parallel each with its own independent clutch units controlled by the vehicle computer.
One clutch carries the odd gear and the other the even gears. Gear changes are super smooth with crisp acceleration – not unlike a manual gearbox-fitted car.
The Fiesta’s exterior design is fresh, modern and offers a powerful cheeky stance. The rear end is a little soft compared to the front and side profile. The interior offers as much space and comfort as one can expect from this segment. What does separate it from the crowd though is, among others, Ford SYNC connectivity which allows the owner/driver to utilise digital connectivity in a simpler and smarter way.
Autodealer Lowveld has reported on SYNC in detail before so I am not going explain all the methodologies again.
Conclusion
Although many elements of the Fiesta and its engine can be qualified as being small – it is very smart in terms of how it does, what it does and, it is big on safety. Which is my preference – manual or automatic? The latter – go drive it and you may just agree with me.
Photos: www.quickpic.co.za
