WardsAuto editors drove a lot of impressive engines during the course of their 2015 Ward’s 10 Best Engines testing, so the base engine in the least-expensive model of all cars tested was not an intuitive choice. It was, Ford’s gutsy 1.0L EcoBoost that won the judges over for a second year with its 15 seconds of grin-inducing, 200 Nm of overboost, throaty exhaust note and excellent fuel economy.
WardsAuto editor Dave Zoia summed it up when he declared, “once again, we find the car a hoot to drive despite the fact the engine has to motivate a car weighing 1,169 kg with motorcycle-like displacement. No matter the price of the test vehicle, the 1.0L EcoBoost just isn’t an entry-level engine. It doesn’t drive like one, it doesn’t sound like one and there is nothing cheap about its engineering.
Most budget-car engines are outdated and neutered in an effort to call as little attention to themselves as possible. The 1.0L EcoBoost stands up on its hind legs and barks. It loves to rev and a specific output of 123 hp/L puts it in the same league as some of the best mainstream engines available.
The strong throttle response and high output are achieved with the aid of a very small, low-inertia turbocharger, capable of spinning at up to 248,000 rpm, which greatly reduces lag.
It also has all the latest engine design technology, including an exhaust manifold integrated into the cylinder head, variable intake- and exhaust-cam timing and a Bosch high-pressure fuel pump that can deliver multiple injections per combustion cycle directly into the cylinders through 6-hole solenoid sprayers at up to 2,176 psi (150 bar).
And, instead of solving the inherent vibration problem of a 3-cyl. engine with an expensive and efficiency-robbing balance shaft, Ford engineers found an ingenious solution to counter the pitch and yaw motion that creates vibration and a booming noise. They intentionally “unbalanced” the flywheel and crank pulley in conjunction with optimizing the engine mounts to offset the shaking forces. This solved the issue while avoiding extra parts, cost and friction. And that results in excellent and repeatable fuel economy.
