Ford Focus 1 litre EcoBoost. Picture by Robin Crossley.
ROADTEST FACT FILE
Car...Ford Focus
Model...125PS 1 litre EcoBoost
Mpg (comb cycle)...56.5mpg
CO2...114g/km
Price...£19,195 (on the road)
Loaned by Premier Ford, Newport
THE AA reported in April that some families now spend more on petrol than on groceries.
This struck a chord: sharing my car with a son who drives across the Island every day means we get through more fuel than ever before.
This is denting the budget and makes the concept of a car that delivers exceptional fuel economy very appealing indeed.
Until now, economical has usually meant sensible, if not dull. How-ever, that is changing. Enter the Ford Focus 100PS one-litre petrol EcoBoost.
Thanks to sophisticated technology, including turbocharging and direct injection, this new exciting new engine has the performance of a traditional 1.6 litre, combined with one-litre fuel economy.
Despite a 34 per cent hike in fuel prices, the Focus with EcoBoost is cheaper to run than the 1.6 Focus was in 2008 (10.8p a mile compared to 11.2p).
The people at Ford are very excited about the new EcoBoost. A petrol-sipper that drives like a gas-guzzling bat out of hell sounds great. However, the proof of the car is always in the driving.
The road test convinced me the Focus EcoBoost is, indeed, an amazing phenomenon — economical but not remotely dull. This is a nippy, zippy, fun motor with oodles of pedal power.
There’s acceleration aplenty to get you safely out of sticky situations or for a blast down the Military Road. The Focus Eco-Boost could hold its own in a motorway fast lane.
While power and economy are the EcoBoost’s unique selling point, it is worth mentioning this is a great-looking hatchback and the Titanium trim level comes with an array of gadgets and gizmos, including automatic parallel parking.
I was very reluctant to give the Focus back to Premier Ford. Readers, if you’re looking to cut your fuel costs without compromising on driving pleasure, it is well worth considering.