Little beauty lives up to hype
The Age
Saturday December 19, 2009
Whichever way you look at it, the figures are mighty impressive, writes MATT CAMPBELL. THE hype surrounding the Ford Fiesta Econetic has been unsurprising.Any car that claims to have better consumption than a hybrid for a much smaller price tag deserves some attention.The 1.6-litre turbo-diesel Fiesta Econetic's goal is to be frugal and affordable. At $24,990 drive-away, it is significantly cheaper than its low-consumption competitors €” Toyota's evergreen Prius ($39,900 plus on-road and dealer costs) and the Mini Cooper D ($33,750 plus on-roads).It's also officially better on fuel than both of those cars. How does it do it?Low-rolling resistance tyres help the car move along the road smoothly, as do aerodynamic aids including air-deflecting hubcaps and smoother lines on the bumper bars.These features, combined with a lower ride height and an economical common-rail diesel mill matched to a five-speed manual gearbox with taller ratios, have allowed the Fiesta Econetic to claim an average fuel consumption of just 3.7 litres per 100 kilometres €” 0.2L/100km less than the much-applauded Prius.The good news? On Drive's time behind the wheel of the Econetic, it proved even better than its claim.Though we weren't able to replicate the sub-3.0L/100km figure achieved when the Fiesta Econetic won a moral (if not actual) victory in the recent Green Car Challenge, the figure we achieved on a 200-kilometre (approximate) drive was still very impressive.The number? 3.1L/100km. It has to be said, though, that this figure wouldn't be possible unless you drove the car with low fuel consumption as your key intention.So don't expect to sit in air-conditioned comfort. Nor should you hope to drive the car above 100km/h (unless you're in neutral on a decent down-hill).Our drive on rural roads surrounding Canberra included no shortage of hills and small towns with 50km/h zones, and even a few stops for roadworks.Turning the engine on in the Econetic is just like any other Fiesta and the quietness of the engine is surprising, both at idle and at speed. With the windows up, and the stereo off, you can hear only a faint hum from under the bonnet. Happily, there is little diesel rattle.Inside, the car feels the same as other Fiestas. It drives well, has good presence on the road and could even comfortably carry five €” preferably small €” passengers. Our drive took in a wide mix of bumpy tracks and windy roads and the Fiesta felt composed on all of them.The turbo-diesel engine also offers plenty of poke for its size. Despite a rather slight 66kW of power, it boasts a healthy 200Nm of torque. This pulling power allows you to let the engine do the work, particularly when driving up hills, and means you have to change gears less often.The Fiesta Econetic offers a helping hand to those attempting to beat the official fuel-use figures. A shift-light illuminates on the instrument cluster to indicate the ideal time for the driver to shift up to the next gear.Though this could be confusing at first €” the shift indicator is an up arrow, the same green arrow as the left and right turn signals €” it did turn out to be a handy reference point.That said, it could be a little annoying if you just want to drive the Fiesta without the car telling you how. Thank goodness Ford didn't make it beep.Ambling up hills at 80km/h in fifth gear with no air-con to get a good fuel figure may not be your idea of fun but even if you drive the Econetic normally, it still surprises.Another driver had been doing just that, including having the air-conditioning on. He recorded a still-lower-than-Prius figure of just 3.6L/100km on the mix of rural, urban and freeway driving.Having driven both the 1.6-litre and 1.4-litre petrol versions of the Fiesta, I can safely say that most people could hop in the Econetic, drive it like any other Fiesta and probably not even notice the difference.So yes, there has been hype surrounding the Ford Fiesta Econetic. And deservedly so.For more on the Ford Fiesta Econetic,go to drive.com.au/ford
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