Rated at a combined efficiency of 76.3mpg (Imperial gallons) or 63.6mpg by U.S. standards (or 3.7L/100km), the EcoNetic Fiesta is also good for a rated 51.4mpg U.S. (4.57L/100km) in the European city cycle and 73.6mpg U.S. (3.2L/100km) on the European 'extra-urban', or highway cycle. The primary modifications that get the car to such stratospheric returns include aerodynamic rear air deflectors, lowered suspension, optimized rolling resistance tires in a suitable size (175/65R14) and low friction oil, 'green' shift indicator light, modified engine calibration, and a transmission final drive ratio changed from 3.37 to 3.05
The 89hp (66kW) 1.6L TCDi diesel is also rated at a mere 98g/km CO2, and with a starting price of just £11,845 ($23,700) and available in either three-door or five-door variations, both rated at identical efficiency values, the Fiesta EcoNetic is a serious bargain in addition to being a hybrid-killer.
Original: Ford's EcoNetic program will be seeing some of the fruits of its labor soon with the introduction of a new highly-economical Ford Fiesta. According to Ford of Europe's Chairman, Lewis Booth, the new Fiesta will emit just 99g of carbon-dioxide per kilometer and should be on the market soon after July 21st.
The EcoNetic Fiesta will use conventional technology to achieve the low figure, which should keep costs to a minimum. Expect to see more aerodynamic body parts, low rolling resistance tires and low displacement engines. Booth argued that while customers were interested in emissions levels of cars, they had yet to reach the stage where they were willing to pay more to reduce emissions, reports Automotive News.
The Fiesta is not the first car by any means to go below the 100g per kilometer mark, with models such as the VW Polo, Seat Ibiza and Smart Fortwo having variants that emit less than this figure. Other manufacturers are also running programs similar to Ford's EcoNetic plan, including Renault's eco² line and Volkswagen's BlueMotion range in a bid to reduce emissions and appeal to more environmentally conscious consumers.
The new highly efficient Fiesta should pave the path for Ford to meet new emissions standards being imposed in Europe, where carmakers could be soon forced to have fleet average carbon levels as low as 120g/km.
Ford Fiesta EcoNetic
New Ford Fiesta S
2009 Ford Fiesta five-door
2009 Ford Fiesta three-door
Reader Comments
Mon May 5 2008 8:48 AM
Raptor says
Okay, I don't really care about grams of CO2. Tell me how much fuel it burns?
100g of CO2 per km equals... 4 liters per 100km? Close?
Glad I don't own a Prius. If I had, this news would have ruined my day. Costs less, burns less fuel and looks about 4 times better.
Mon May 5 2008 10:04 AM
chris says
raptor; I know what you mean. as a driver, you care about the economy, not the pollution. fortunately it appears that all of the european enviro-nazis actually know something about pollution and rate their cars in respect of pollution.
you cant say that 100g = 4L/100km, because the pollution is a measure of how clean it burns. conceivably you could get horrible mileage and still put out little carbon. they're loosely related but not entirely.
but you're absolutely right about the prius. the problem is that apparently the prius has the same interior space as a camry,.. where as the fiesta,... well........ you're right.. it looks so good you wouldnt care.
Mon May 5 2008 4:43 PM
james says
good looking car, let's hope ford has the chutzpah to pull it off and with good fuel economy
Mon May 5 2008 5:54 PM
HECTOR says
One of the quickest ways to make me NOT buy a car is to tell me how many grams of CO2 it emits. It's humanly impossible for me to care less about the subject and for a car manufacturer to tell me this bit of ultrauseless trivia tells me they're more interested in catering to the lunacies of treehuggers and demi-green morons.
Incidentally, there's a major car magazine (Car & Driver?) that now prints the CO2 emissions of their test cars. How low can you go? Sell outs....
Wed May 7 2008 2:42 AM
RB says
Hector - if you are taxed on how much CO2 comes out the back you would soon get interested in it !!
There are a number of different rates for the yearly road tax you have to pay in the UK based around levels of CO2 emissions
So its part and part of what you pay to drive your car
And don't forget the real reason which is often forgotten about in the states ;-)
- less CO2 is better for the environment!
Fri May 9 2008 2:55 PM
NaBUru38 says
I agree with Raptor than fuel consumption is easier to nderstand than carbon dioxide emissions. In part because people can relate fuel with money: the more your car drinks, the more you pay.
140 g/km of CO2 equals to about 6,0 L/100km for gasoline engines and 5,0 L/100km for diesel engines.
Tue Jul 22 2008 4:24 PM
Knight3058 says
I think that they got the L/KM numbers mixed up when comparing to US gallons.
Tue Jul 22 2008 8:22 PM
NoNameDenton says
CO2 is good for the enviroment, because plants feed off of CO2 and release oxygen.
Wed Jul 23 2008 1:54 AM
Dandan says
lol at Denton - most of the plants in todays world are near saturation point whereby they aren't that efficient at converting carbon dioxide to oxygen.
its baby trees that are meant to be most efficient...perhaps scientists and botanists (?) should look at making a super plant that converts carbon dioxide to oxygen super well = global warming sorted
Tue Aug 5 2008 11:00 AM
Kenneth Aaron says
In 1991 I owned a Diahatsu charade 3cyl 5speed od with a/c and I averaged 46-49 mpg on the interstate. When I bought the car I watched a film on the same three door hatchback with the 3cyl diesel and 5 speed od in a mileage run in Australia and a statement that it got 122mpg. Later I read an article on the internet that in 1991 the same car got 101 mpg in a 3,000 plus mileage run in England which is supposed to be in Guiness book of records.
I personally believe that the down sizing and layoffs and plant closings are to stop or end the financial obligations of the auto industry and to break the unions to get cheaper foreign and off shore labor.
The technology is there to get high mileage with better transmissions and smaller more efficient engines but these cars will have to be built to hold up which goes against the economy of waste that the USA is built upon. Automobiles engines that last 500,000 miles goes against the basics of the automobile industry.
Respectfully
Kenneth Aaron
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