Hey all, I recently sold my little Mazda 2. Great little car, didn't have it for long as I ended up biting the bullet and going for something made on the same shared platform:
A 2010 Ford Fiesta... in 1.6TDCi 'Econetic' guise. Yes, an oil-burning Fiesta
The differences from a standard Fiesta of the era focus on the drivetrain and aero mods as follows:
1) 10mm lowered ride height
2) Extensive underbody streamlining
3) 175/65R14 low rolling resistance tyres
4) Aerodynamic wheel covers & radiator opening
5) Lightened / minimal sound deadening
6) Spare wheel replaced with puncture kit
7) 1.6L turbo-diesel 4cyl with 5spd manual
8) Shift light recommending ~1900rpm shifts
9) Optimized gear ratios & final drive with economy in mind
The combination of the modifications above gives a city rating of 53mpg(US) with 73 highway and 65 combined. These are Australian-based figures in our equivalent testing and they vary depending on country / standard of test, but at the time of release (2010) they were the most efficient vehicles available in Australia. This included the Prius and Hybrid Camry which were relaitvely new on the scene so it was a clear move by Ford to try and get a slice of the eco-action.
This 2010 example is a German-made unit, imported at the time by Ford Australia from Europe where the small car / diesel engine combo was far more popular. It has 160,000km on the clock (100k miles) and feels quite well cared for, with all services performed and no major issues documented. The only cosmetic issues are a few stone chips in the paint, expected for age, the headlights being a bit yellowed and a small area of discolouration in the centre console area near the digital display. No big issues there.
Aaaaanyway...
The plan is to replace all fluids with recommended synthetic options, treat engine and gearbox with Nulon PTFE treatment - I've used this before in a variety of things and it drops gearbox temps nicely and seems to give about a 5% boost in economy. I'll likely replace the crappy puncture kit with an actual spare wheel as I do a fair bit of highway driving and don't like the idea of relying on a kit alone.
The first tank fill I got was 25.9L for 552km, or a solid 50mpg / 4.7L/100km. Not bad, especially considering it was full with gear and passengers and had tyres underinflated by 10psi! Tyres are now 3psi over recommended at 38psi, no more mistakes like that haha.
I'm treating it to a fuel system cleaner for the next tank so we'll see how things go after it settles into my routine.
Thats all for now, we'll see how we go. Cheers!