EcoModder member bondo is well known for his aerodynamic pickup bed cap, which he designed, builds, and sells himself. Recently he hit us over the head with another great aero design, this time a scale vehicle model he donated to the Ford Motor Company to help them pull through their current rough patch.

As you can see in the original thread, bondo built the model himself in his garage and chose Ford as the recipient because of their insistence to go it alone without federal bailout money and because he believes the company is under good stewardship. Personally, I think this this is a great design and Ford is lucky to have it. Congrats to bondo for putting it together.

When was the last time you heard of a full-size work van getting better fuel economy than your average sedan? If you don’t remember, that’s okay, neither do I. Like their other ecoNetic cars, Ford has ecomodded their standard Transit work van with a high-efficiency diesel engine, aerodynamic wheels, and low-rolling resistance tires.

However, because the 32.6 MPG rating is adjusted from the EU test cycle, you should take it with a grain of salt. This is because the EU cycle tends to give better ratings than EPA testing, so 32.6 MPG in Europe might actually be a bit less on this side of the pond. But again, as ABG notes, the EPA cycle has notoriously underwhelming diesel ratings, and it might be that the European ratings are a bit closer to reality.

Perhaps this is a prelude to a Ford Transit Connect ecoNetic model, which would combine the same ecomods with the smaller model of the van. This opens up the possibility of getting such a vehicle in the United States, where the Transit Connect will soon be on sale.

For more pictures, check out our high resolution Ford Fusion Hybrid gallery at the bottom of the post. Click on the images for bigger versions.

At the New York International Auto Show I got the opportunity to test drive both the 2011 Ford Fiesta and the 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid and check out their gas mileage. The Ford Fiesta test drive went well, and I was very impressed with the small car’s feel and performance. Next up was the Ford Fusion Hybrid, the Fiesta’s larger, more expensive sibling.

When the car was release at the LA Auto Show, I was a bit skeptical of it. How could such a large, expensive vehicle put up any kind of decent fuel economy numbers to make it worth driving? Even after the car scored a 41 mpg EPA estimate I remained skeptical. Was it really capable of that mileage, or was it optimized for the EPA testing cycle?

Ford Fusion Hybrid – Impressive Gas Mileage for a Large Car

As the Ford tech I drove with was keen to point out, this car is designed for ecodriving. It takes advantage of the two-mode hybrid system in order to exploit the most common techniques that are used to get better gas mileage. Also important are several aerodynamic tweaks on the hybrid version that allow the car to passively get better fuel economy without changing the overall look of the car.

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However, the most striking feature of the Ford Fusion Hybrid is Ford’s new Smartgauge, an all-digital dash display that almost gives you too much information. Besides the expected standard gauges (including fuel economy), you get an ecodriving skill rating and a very helpful EV mode gauge. The EV mode gauge, which is perhaps my favorite thing about the entire car, tells you how much work the electric engine is doing. Most importantly, it indicates the small window in which the car will run completely on the electric motor, allowing precise control of the vehicles two-mode hybrid system.

The Smartgauge is what made this car such a pleasure to drive. Even though I didn’t pay attention to the ecodriving rating, trying to keep the car in EV mode while monitoring the battery charge became quite a fun game. During the test drive, I wasn’t paying attention to my fuel economy but rather testing out the many functions of the car. Even so, it was hard to ignore the temptation to ecodrive, especially considering how easy the car makes it.

Not only is the car roomy and comfortable, but it offers as good of a drive as you can expect from such a large sedan. Not considering fuel economy at all, this impressed me as a quality car from Ford. When you toss in the Smartgauge and two-mode hybrid system, the Ford Fusion Hybrid is an absolute pleasure for any ecodriver looking for something larger that can still throw down some good fuel economy. On my full-throttle test drive around midtown I still managed 40.4 mpg, better than I would’ve expected with any car.

Perhaps this car will be a real winner for Ford.

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For more photos, navigate our gallery at the bottom of the post. Click on the image for an even larger version.

Last week at the 2009 New York International Auto Show, I got the chance to drive the all new 2011 Ford Fiesta. The folks over at Ford have been able to generate a lot of buzz around the car with their innovative marketing campaign, so I was excited to get a chance to drive one at the show.

The Ford Fiesta, which is now on sale in Europe in a variety of packages, is based on the Mazda2, which should be coming to Canada fairly soon. No one knows what engine/trim packages will be available in the United States yet, but I was grateful to be able to take my test drive on the 1.6 liter, 5-speed manual Titanium edition.

My first impression of the Fiesta was that it had a very high level of fit and finish. Playing with it on the showroom floor I was surprised that I could fit in the back seat easily and that the rear hatch had lots of cargo room (for a car that size). None of the knobs or buttons felt cheap and nothing fell off in my hands while I was yanking at it. My only complaint is that the gauge cluster seemed a bit cramped. Unfortunately, this seems to be the style of the times, and I felt a bit better about the cluster after playing with the built-in fuel economy gauge.

Driving the car felt almost as good as playing with it on the showroom floor. Having driven a lot of different cars in the time that I have been working on EcoModder, I’ve developed a sort of sixth sense about what is and is not a good car. I’m sure many of you have experienced: sometimes you get behind the wheel of a car and think “wow, something’s missing.”

I’ve experienced this with many cars in the past, including many Fords, but when driving the new Ford Fiesta I felt very confident. The engine feels strong and smooth, and the manual transmission shifts precisely. Driving the car is comfortable but not so comfortable that you don’t feel connected to the road.

Steering is tight and responsive, and the vehicle handles turns well, even in midtown Manhattan traffic. To be honest, I didn’t get the longest test drive, but I didn’t feel any major flaws with the car. Even though we sat parked in traffic for half an hour and I made no effort to ecodrive the car, we still managed a bit under 30 mpg, which is a great number for the kind of driving I did. Though there are no official numbers, I’m told we can expect high 30s for the EPA rating on the 2011 model.

So, what are the flaws? Well, it’s a small, efficient car. While that might mean a lot of good things to most ecomodders, it also means that you won’t be able to haul much cargo and you will have a tough time cramming many people into the back seats. Also, it doesn’t have the power you are used to in most new cars. The Fiesta can get you up to speed, but you shouldn’t expect any self-induced whiplash.

In any case, I wish I could give a more thorough review, but I haven’t had as much time with the car as I would’ve liked. Nevertheless, the Ford Fiesta is now up there with the Scion iQ and Smart fortwo in terms of eco-friendly personal transportation.

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More than other automakers, Ford designed its floor space at the 2009 New York International Auto Show to highlight the company’s efforts to produce new, fuel efficient vehicles.

Ford used its corner positioning to mount two very large displays on the wall, both highlighting the company’s move towards fuel efficiency and away from fossil-based fuels. These displays, which hang above the vehicles, set the tone for the entire floor.

On the floor was the Ford Fiesta, examples of EcoBoost technology and vehicles, as well as a Ford Fusion hybrid driving game and SmartGauge demo. As you would expect, you can crawl into and explore the Fiesta, a full year and a half before it even hits the showrooms in the United States. This gives you a real sense of the car and the fact that it will be in the U.S. before we know it.

However, the Ford display was not just shiny cars parked on a white carpet. Ford has built a driving simulation game to help prospective buyers understand how to get fuel economy by exploiting the hybrid system of their Ford Fusion. While the game is a little wonky, it’s also a good way to teach the basic of hybrid driving to new consumers.

So, if you are in town for the rest of the show, be sure to check out the Ford display on the main floor!