Fiest 1.0 ecoboost for long journeys

[raybarrow]

Hi,
My Astra Mk4 1.6 8 valve is nearing the end (too many things need doing to it). Looking at a Fiesta. Needs have changed. Choices are 1.4 (if I can find a decent one) or 1.0 Ecoboost (seem to be plenty around. On specs the 1.0 looks ok (BHP and Torque). I can see for around town it would be fine but on the motorway? We are in Birmingham. Daughter is in Aberystwyth and son is in Norwich - so 3 hours in each direction. The thought of a three cylinder engine doesn't seem right to me, but I haven't driven one so may be judging it unfairly.

Mrs B has latest model Ka 1.2 which is very driveable but not over roomy (which is fine for what it is used for), hence looking for slightly more room with similar driveability. Mrs B never got on with the Astra.

Can anyone who has 1.4 or 1.0 care to comment?

Cheers,
Ray.

[redsturgeon]

Hi,
My Astra Mk4 1.6 8 valve is nearing the end (too many things need doing to it). Looking at a Fiesta. Needs have changed. Choices are 1.4 (if I can find a decent one) or 1.0 Ecoboost (seem to be plenty around. On specs the 1.0 looks ok (BHP and Torque). I can see for around town it would be fine but on the motorway? We are in Birmingham. Daughter is in Aberystwyth and son is in Norwich - so 3 hours in each direction. The thought of a three cylinder engine doesn't seem right to me, but I haven't driven one so may be judging it unfairly.

Mrs B has latest model Ka 1.2 which is very driveable but not over roomy (which is fine for what it is used for), hence looking for slightly more room with similar driveability. Mrs B never got on with the Astra.

Can anyone who has 1.4 or 1.0 care to comment?

Cheers,
Ray.

It will be absolutely fine. I don't have the three cylinder but my daughter's car is the 1.4 litre 2013 4 cylinder petrol that has less BHP than the latest 1.0 litre 3 cylinder and it is fine for long journeys...she has driven it from the south coast to Leeds and I have done 200 mile plus journeys with no worries.

My other car does have a 3 cylinder engine, although it is 1.5 litres 150 BHP and has a 75BHP electric engine also as back up, so that is a bit different. I must say though the 3 cylinder makes a nice throaty growl.

The modern Fiesta is a great car IMHO.

John

[staffordian]

I've had two 3 cylinder cars, a SEAT Ibiza about twelve years ago and I currently have a Nissan Note.

No issues with either, I agree they do have a throaty sound which is IMHO pleasant. Cruising at motorway speeds in either car was (is) fine and by no means do I get the impression it is being thrashed.

All I would say is that neither of mine were turbo charged. I have briefly driven a Micra with a 3 cylinder 898cc turbo engine and I found it less responsive, and a bit lumpy, especially at low revs, presumably before the turbo had kicked in. So all I'd say is test drive one to see if it's an issue with the Ford engine.

Instinctively, engines that small seem wrong, but there don't seem to be many reports of issues, so I guess they must be generally ok.

[bungeejumper]

Definitely, the Fiesta is a good 'un. Spacious, practical, and pretty good to drive.

Would be interesting to hear about the fuel consumption on the 1.0 Fiesta - Honest John has just named the 1.0 Focus among the biggest mpg fibbers of all - 20 mpg short of its claimed return. https://www.honestjohn.co.uk/news/real- ... gap-grows/ But hey, maybe that isn't a priority for you anyway? (I cheerfully "gave away" 8 mpg when I switched my 1.9 diesel Passat for a more powerful petrol Auris (1.6, non turbo), because I figured the difference on my fuel bill would only amount to £200 a year, and the simpler engine configuration made that worthwhile.)

I will cheerfully admit that I was an Ecoboost sceptic five years ago, and I may have been wrong. I'm still not really happy about putting turbos into small engines, but they do seem to be tougher than I expected. Will await developments with interest.

BJ

[bungeejumper]

Ray, I've just re-read your OP, and would just say one thing. If you find that the good old 1.4 is selling at substantially less than the new-fangled 1.0, then it might still be worth a look. There are times when an 'unfashionable' car can be a darned good buy.

BJ

[richlist]

I know a little bit about the 3 cylinder Ford eco boost engines as I'm an ex engineer with the company. I've driven them many times and my wife has had a 1.0ltr 100hp Fiesta and currently has a 1.0ltr 125hp Eco Sport.

The cars are perfectly ok on motorways and longer journeys and don't feel underpowered at all. A few years back we had the original Ford Ka which was around 70hp and that did feel very underpowered on motorways.

The Fiesta could provide 55mpg on a run with a light throttle. You will never know you are driving a small 3 cylinder engine.

[Alaric]

You will never know you are driving a small 3 cylinder engine.

Much the same applies to the Focus which also has popular models with the same 1.0 engine. It saves on VED tax as well, or used to.

Presumably there's some clever software in there, making it all work.

[bungeejumper]

Presumably there's some clever software in there, making it all work.

Presumably there's a 120 degree crankshaft as well, or it'd shake itself to pieces. But yes, the clever software comes as standard. I should think the turbo lag would be the hardest challenge. Clever stuff.

BJ

[DrFfybes]

Definitely, the Fiesta is a good 'un. Spacious, practical, and pretty good to drive.

Would be interesting to hear about the fuel consumption on the 1.0 Fiesta - Honest John has just named the 1.0 Focus among the biggest mpg fibbers of all - 20 mpg short of its claimed return.
BJ

My sister has the Bmax which i'm pretty sure has the same engine - I think it is a Fiesta on stilts

It is harsh and gruff when pushed, returns circa 40mpg around town, but on a run at foreign motorway speeds did just over 30 and used more fuel over the same trip than our 3.2L BMW.

Paul

[richlist]

Some people are better than others at getting the most out of a gallon of fuel.

If you are in a hurry, foot to the floor, late on the brakes, have the air con/heater/ heater screen etc switched on, or windows open, roof rack fitted etc......unsurprisingly it will all affect your consumption adversly.

Comparing apples to oranges is never going to be of any value.

It's the same story with electric vehicles......there is a big difference between summer and winter range.

[bungeejumper]

Some people are better than others at getting the most out of a gallon of fuel.

If you are in a hurry, foot to the floor, late on the brakes, have the air con/heater/ heater screen etc switched on, or windows open, roof rack fitted etc......unsurprisingly it will all affect your consumption adversly.

Yeah, but the people who do these mpg surveys are taking average consumption figures from hundreds or thousands of drivers, not extrapolating from the experiences of dozy Aunt Mary who's never tried using fifth gear yet. Or, conversely, from cowboy Kevin, the fastest boy in the village.

Actually I have a strong suspicion that these self-reported mpg figures are on the high side too. The sorts of drivers who would ever bother to sign up to this sort of website are probably inclined to be the pernickety, light-footed type anyway, and they'll also be the sort who get a particular kick out of reporting their best mpgs, because they feel it reflects well on them. (I can understand that sentiment!)

Your point's still good, though. Just as long as we remember that small car owners are a self-selecting bunch as well. Taken as a cohort, they do smaller mileages, drive in cities, and coke their engines up with sooty deposits so that they never attain peak efficiency anyway. Whereas you or I believe in the occasional Italian tune-up as an essential part of keeping the car happy.

So yes, a 320 Beemer with 20K of motorways every year will very likely deliver a better mpg than a small car. Didn't Clarkson & Co do exactly that comparison, but against a Prius?

BJ

[raybarrow]

Hi Folks,

Thanks for all the comments. Obviously I will have to drive my possible choices, but my old fashioned gut feeling is that a conventional 1.4 4 cylinder engine is going to be far less complicated (expensive when it all goes wrong), and cheaper to buy, than a 1.0 3 cylinder one. I am prepared to be impressed by the 3 cylinder on performance and flexibility. We shall see. I'm not desperate to change today but I have a couple of months to keep looking.

Thanks again,
Ray.

[Alaric]

Obviously I will have to drive my possible choices, but my old fashioned gut feeling is that a conventional 1.4 4 cylinder engine is going to be far less complicated (expensive when it all goes wrong), and cheaper to buy, than a 1.0 3 cylinder one.

If buying second hand or nearly new, on the Focus, there seemed a lot more of the 1.0 turbo models around than the equivalent plain version. You suggest earlier the same applies to the Fiesta.

The cheaper tax regime of the 1.0 models may well have influenced their popularity. In the longer term, you may be right about maintenance costs, but they haven't shown signs of failure yet.

[kenko92]

I am on my second Focus1.0T 125.
There were originally some doubts expressed about these small turbo engines but they seem to be performing well.
Performance is great and I have had no faults at all on both cars.

[DrFfybes]

I've just got back from another weekend with the Bmax.

Performance is quite adequate for m/way, but again I struggled with fuel economy according to the onboard.

Resetting it on the M60 gave 35 indicated for a 75 mph cruise. However off the motorway it averaged an indicated 39 on an urban mix using incredibly light throttle and changing up as soon as the arrow appeared. I suspect if you had the patience to cruise at 55 or 60 mph then economy would be better, and of course the Bmax will have more frontal area which hits the economy.

I picked up mum's 91 year old friend, ex engineer, and car enthusiast (he still owns a RR Silver Shadow). He commented (with no provocation) on how harsh and vibey the engine was and asked if there was something wrong.

Paul

[UncleZen]

If you do buy a ford 1.0 ecoboost, make sure it has the fix that prevents oil getting to the turbo and destroying turbo+engine. Many example of this on the internet and honest john, mse. I think its an oil pipe union that gets brittle from heat and breaks (but dont quote me). TBH this issue has put me right off the ecoboost engine and ford for their handling of it.

[bungeejumper]

If you do buy a ford 1.0 ecoboost, make sure it has the fix that prevents oil getting to the turbo and destroying turbo+engine. Many example of this on the internet and honest john, mse. I think its an oil pipe union that gets brittle from heat and breaks (but dont quote me). TBH this issue has put me right off the ecoboost engine and ford for their handling of it.

Yes, it's about heat and the oil pipe. The usual reason for turbos failing is that people habitually forget to "spool them down" at the ends of their journeys. The turbo is spinning at up to 140,000 rpm in normal use, and it can get orange-hot, if not yellow.

So you're supposed to drive modestly for the last five minutes of any journey, so as let the heat dissipate. But do you always do that when stopping at a motorway services area? And did the previous owner?

If you don't spool it down but just switch your engine straight off with the turbo still glowing hot, you'll eventually get a build-up of cooked oil deposits inside the oil feed pipe, and that'll restrict the oil flow to the turbo. The first you'll know about that is when you get a faint noise like a police siren that tells you the oil seals on your turbo have gone. If you're unlucky, that'll have killed the bearings, and the noise you're hearing is the fan blades colliding with the housing. Worst-case scenario (which is fairly rare) is that bits of the blades break off and end up inside the engine. That will often mean a rebuild (at best) - but in all cases it means a new turbo (£1,500-ish), and a new oil feed pipe, and a new year's resolution not to forget to spool it down again.

I had a turbo fail on my diesel Focus, and I was lucky to be able to get it fixed for under a grand. But these days it's a complication I can do without, quite honestly. I went for the bigger engine without the turbo.

BJ

[UncleZen]

Agree with the spooling down, but in this case its a fundamental design floor.

[scotia]

We have a Ford C-max with the 125PS 1litre 3 cylinder turbo petrol engine, and a Skoda Fabia estate with a 1 litre 3 cylinder turbo petrol engine. Very pleased with both. The Ford returned 50mpg on a motorway drive from Central Scotland to Surrey and back. The Skoda returns around 55mpg on runs back and forward across Central Scotland. Both of them have plenty of oomph. I don't know about reliability - Ford is 18 month old, Skoda is 3 month old, and so far no problems.

[raybarrow]

Hi Folks, Just another thought. What are these 1.0 Ecoboosts like for towing. I have a camping trailer which we no longer use for camping, kids have grown up and getting down and up off the floor is more of a challenge. We are thinking of getting rid of it but just in case how would the 1.0 engine cope. I think the 1.4 'conventional' engine would be fine with it for the occasional use I might find for the trailer.

Ray.