Ford's 2014 Fiesta. Photo Credit: Ford
Ford's (F 0.47%) 2014 Fiesta, which is the globe's best-selling subcompact car, will be the first vehicle to receive Ford's award-winning 1.0-liter EcoBoost engine in the U.S. market. It had previously been selling in Europe.
Ford's Fiesta SE, with the 1.0-liter EcoBoost and manual transmission, will get 45 mpg highway and produce more than 120 horsepower, according to the company. That would make Ford's Fiesta the only subcompact to reach 45 mpg under highway driving conditions.
"With the new Fiesta 1.0-liter EcoBoost we're pushing into fuel economy numbers only seen on hybrids and diesels," said Joe Hinrichs, executive vice president and president of the Americas for Ford, in a press release. "Coupled with the new Fiesta ST, Fiesta covers the performance-efficiency continuum in the subcompact segment better than any other nameplate in the market."
According to Ford, automotive journalists named the 1.0-liter EcoBoost engine in the 2014 Fiesta the International Engine of the Year in 2012 and 2013. With the addition of the engine, the EcoBoost family now includes the 1.5-liter, 1.6-liter and 2.0-liter four cylinder engines and a 3.5-liter V6 engine. This gives Ford unprecedented flexibility to accommodate customers wanting fuel efficiency on approximately 80% of the company's nameplate vehicles.
This is big for one reason. Fuel economy is often the No. 1 purchase consideration for any vehicle purchase, especially in the subcompact class. Ford has made a resurgence in North America partially because of its newer fuel-efficient models in the hottest market segments, and now EcoBoost engines will be more available.
