Have any tech questions about the Fiesta 1.0L turbo? (45 MPG US highway rating)

[MetroMPG]

Forum member Cletus (who wrote that refreshingly level-headed article about hypermiling for Postmedia/Driving) has let me know he's going to be writing about the Ford Fiesta 1.0 turbo ecoboost.

The Fiesta 1.0T currently has the highest EPA highway rating (45 mpg US) for non-diesels & non-hybrids, and the second highest combined rating (37 mpg US, tied with several vehicles) after the Mirage.

He'll be getting some seat time in one later this month, plus the chance to talk to the engineers.

Anybody have any questions about the car?

I know I do!

1) Aerodynamics: is the drag coefficient for this version the same as the garden variety Fiestas? If not, what did they change?

2) Gearing: Several media reviews of the car have mentioned its unusually "tall" gearing, which would be a fuel economy benefit, if true (and an annoyance to the hotshoe journos who don't want to downshift). Yet an EcoModder member posted an excerpt from a service manual that suggests the gearing isn't at all unusual for a 3-cyl -- meaning, actually pretty revvy at highway speeds in top gear. Who's right?

3) Engine-off ability: shutting off an engine is one of the biggest fuel-saving driving techniques. Is it OK to shut down this turbo engine at will at lights and off ramps, etc? (Implications for turbo health?) Does the UK turbo 1.0 version have stop/start?

[MetroMPG]

4) Instrumentation: Another thought: since fuel economy is one of the car's big selling points, I'd be interested in knowing what related displays/gauges it has.

[user removed]

If it's like mine it has average MPG, trip distance, average speed, and distance to empty.

Push the end of the signal switch in towards the base of the switch to toggle through the menu and hold the switch a couple of seconds to reset each mode. It does not have instant MPG but you can reset it and get it very close in a couple of seconds. I think max reading is 99.9. Its the same screen that has the odometer reading when you first key on the car.

To calculate idle fuel consumption coast in neutral with the engne running and keep resetting the MPG reading, when it drops below 99.9, that speed divided by 99.9 gives you the idle fuel consumption. I think it's around 17 MPH when mine drops below 99.9. It works out to .17 gph at idle for my 1.6.

Mine idles at the same RPM coasting in neutral or sitting still, but the 1.0 is only manual in the USA.

Mine is rated at 38 highway.

regards
Mech

[MetroMPG]

Thanks!

If that's the case for the 1.0t, I think the absense of an instant gauge is an oversight in a car focused on fuel economy.

The Mirage also lacks an instant readout. It has a pair of resettable "trip" gauges only.

[Superfuelgero]

I would like to know if the ECU code will be released to the aftermarket. Also what the max AFR reading is for the O2. Hmm.... DI and LB.....

[Cletus]

These are great questions, guys. I'll write them down and do my best to get answers for you. I'm excited to drive this little car!

[MetroMPG]

I would be excited too. Fun to drive AND efficient when you keep your foot out of it.

Another question: this is more marketing-related, but Ford doesn't break down Fiesta sales by drivetrain (or even hatch/sedan) in its monthly numbers. I'd be interested to know how many of these they're moving in Canada/U.S.

[niky]

I'd like to see BSFC charts (if they have them), and perhaps ask them about wear items like the clutch packs. Dual clutches historically have been a pain, but I've heard clutch pack kits have become available locally through dealerships. Was wondering if that was the same there.

Also, since the 3-cylinder is internally balanced, does that mean the manual version gets a standard (not dual mass) flywheel?

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Be interested to hear about the gearing, too. When I drove one (a DCT) a while back, it felt longer than the gearing in the old 1.6, but not really unusually so. Sadly, my drive was hobbled by a very "green" engine and low-octane gas. Supposedly, the car does better on higher octane.

[user removed]

While the Fiesta does not give you a bar graph instant MPG reading, on my ride back home I tried to see how fast it would reset and read. It took all of 3 seconds, 2 to reset and 1 more for it to read you mileage from the reset point.

That's instant enough for me and the gauges there are more than almost every other car I have owned.

regards
Mech

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

Originally Posted by niky

Sadly, my drive was hobbled by a very "green" engine and low-octane gas. Supposedly, the car does better on higher octane.

Sure it fares better on higher octane. I'd actually like to see it running on Brazilian standard E96h ethanol