The new Ford ECOnetic 1.0 litre will cost between £8,350 and £13,590. We take a look at the car today and reveal if it is worth the price tag or not.
Excellent economical values
The car is all about its outstanding economy. It is able to achieve a staggering 85.6 MPG and hit emissions of 87g/km of C02 emissions. That’s an outstanding improvement from the last Ford ECOnetic which hit 95g/km of C02 emissions and 78.5 MPG, which many though were good enough!
Testing in real life conditions
Tests have shown that a driving on a mixture of A-roads, motorways and cities return approximately 60 MPG.
The Hyundai i20 still better
However these figures still do not beat those of the Hyundai i20 Blue which achieves 84g/km of C02 emissions.
Newly implemented features
The improvements came about thanks to Ford introducing a stop start system in the car. This was surprisingly left out of the previous ECOnetic Fiesta. Ford’s ECOnetic gear ratios are now much longer. Various components have also been altered in order to bring about a performance that is a lot more economical.
Even the 1.6 TDCi is not the fastest
Needless to say, the car is not the fastest you will ever drive. From 0 – 62 MPH the car will reach a time of 12.9 seconds. The 1.6 TDCi diesel engine is suitable for all conventional driving situations.
Wonderful driving experience
The driving experience will not let you down. The handling is spot on and very sharp with accurate and well weighted steering. The low resistance tyres were developed for a more economical drive but they also give off the feeling of increased agility.
Inside the cabin
The interior comes with a great amount of quality within. All materials used are solid and will last. Zetec models come with electric windows along with a Quickclear windscreen air conditioning feature. Upgrading to the titanium version gives you a DAB Radio, automatic air conditioning and tinted glass. Going for all the optional extras will give you a bill of £18,000 plus. Is it really worth that much? Wouldn’t most customers go for the Hyundai i20 at £11,975?
There is no road tax to pay and the Ford Fiesta Econetic comes cheaper than the Volkswagen Polo Bluemotion. The Fiesta would be the better option in our opinion as it offers a better all round driving experience.
Ford is implementing a clever strategy throughout the Chinese automotive market. They understand that the current trend and best sellers are sports utility vehicles.
Building SUV’s in China
Ford wants to heavily concentrate on SUV’s for the world’s largest car market. Ford want to go as far building two of them in China according to reports. We already know of one currently being built in the country. The Ford EcoSport is destined to be built in the South West of China where total investment has reached $4.9 billion from Ford. The EcoSport contains a one litre engine and is the smallest of the EcoBoost range. It does have a very respectable amount of power within and is also able to give back an outstanding amount of economy.
The other vehicle to be built in China is expected to be the Ford Kuga, which will be developed at the Chongqing factory.
Ford aiming for the middle class market
Ford aim to target the middle class market, fending off competition from the likes of Audi and BMW.
15 new cars released in China
Ford hope to release 15 brand new vehicles to China by 2015. The majority of these vehicles will be utility vehicles. This will enable Ford to gain higher profits and catch up with rivals in a car market that is extremely competitive amongst foreign automakers.
The Ford ST
Ford was dominant at the 2012 Beijing Motor Show as expected, showing off the Ford Explorer, the Ford Kuga and the Ford Focus ST. The Ford Focus ST has not yet been introduced to China. The standard Ford Focus currently being sold in the country is expected to be labelled as the “Classic Focus”.
Why can’t Ford just release their current sports utility vehicle into the country? It is not as simple as that unfortunately. China’s road infrastructure is not as sturdy as that of American roads. Chinese vehicles need to appear to be more rugged and able to cope with pressure.
One Ford model that is exported to China currently is the Ford Edge. This model is imported from Oakville, Ontario.
Every new Ford model released within China will contain Ford’s Sync connectivity system. This is a voice recognition system, helping to bring about safer driving, allowing drivers to avoid activities such as using their phone whilst on the road.
The Ford Focus Zetec 1.0 Ecoboost promises to be one of the economically friendly vehicles on the market. It will go on sale for a price of £19,195, but is it worth it?
Inside the cabin
Inside the cabin there is a plenty to be admired. The equipment list includes Torque Vectoring Control, a Bluetooth and USB connectivity ability along with Sports suspension and a DAB radio. There is a great deal of space as may expect with it being a Ford Focus.
Find your perfect driving position
The driving position is wonderfully positioned for the driver to get a get a view ahead. All equipment and controls are within easy reach. The steering wheel is easily able to be adjusted for every type of driver to find their perfect driving position.
Sporty driving experience
The car feels quite comfortable when driving at speed and can take most road surfaces well thanks it to it’s Sports Suspension. Expert testers have also said that the car performs pretty well when taking corners at speed.
Power and acceleration
The 1.0 litre petrol engine will be turbocharged hitting a maximum of 125 BHP. It may sound like a little but the car is actually a great all rounder. It will hit 0 – 62 MPH in only 11.3 seconds.
Economy all important
The main USP of the vehicle is it’s economical factor. It achieves economy of 114g/km if C02 and also achieves 56.5 MPG. The six speed manual gearbox helps the car report a better economy. Some testers have claimed that even driving the car in a relatively fast fashion will give back an excellent MPG reading. The engine delivers a satisfying roar at the same time.
A game changer
Ford’s Ecoboost engine is a game changer. With such little weight and capacity, the engine is still able to produce an outstanding amount of power whilst being wholly economical at the same time.
Fun to drive even when being careful
The Fiesta Zetec provides a very smooth type of driving experience. There is hardly any sound from the engine, leaving the driver to believe that they might have stalled. The double variable valve allows the driver to get an exciting driving experience when driving in an economical fashion. Even below 2,000 RPM there is a great sensation when changing gears, despite the red line being 6,700 RPM.
Ford’s Dagenham plant is perhaps its most famous site across the UK as well as Europe. During the factories heyday there were a total of 34,000 employees, back in 1960. A total of 340,000 cars per year were produced. In 1996 the 10 millionth Ford was built. No one would have expected what was to come four years later when the company announced that they would stop car production at the plant.
Things have certainly changed since then. Ford’s Dagenham plant is one of the most productive car factories in the world. It plays a vital part within Ford’s global operations and is a major reason as to why the company is so successful.
£800 million spent on making the facility greener
Now Ford are taking it a step further. We have heard of how Ford’s new technology is helping making their vehicles as economical as possible, but now they are ensuring that their famous Dagenham plant has a new eco-friendly reputation. In total Ford have spend almost £1 billion in rejuvenations, including three huge wind turbines.
4,500 employees, 2,100 engines created a day
The previous figure of 34,000 employees mentioned has now dipped to just 4,500. Despite that there is certainly a bright future for the facility. Modern factory equipment is now in place with fresher buildings. The previous gloomy look is now a thing of the past. Daily those 4,500 employees produce 2,100 engines, an outstanding achievement. Over the year that adds up to 1 million plus engines created.
Excellent eco values
The Ford Focus Ecoboost will be produced at the Dagenham factory. The car will come with the highly discussed 1 litre EcoBoost engine. This weighs only 97kg. The superb engine allows the car to hit a brilliant 58 MPG, a great reading by anyone’s standards. Carbon emissions are said to be as good as 109g/km. The car also drives wonderfully, making it one of the best choices in terms of economically friendly cars.
Powerful too
The car will be able to produce a great deal of power whilst being economical at the same time, something you don’t usually hear of within a 1 litre engine. The car’s top speed will be 120 MPH, hitting 0 – 62 MPH in just 11.3 seconds.
Same looks
There are no differences in terms of the exterior looks when comparing a standard Ford Focus.
Recently there has been plenty of hype surrounding the 2013 Ford Escape, due out in the United States next year.
Why change?
2011 was the vehicles best year ever. It managed to shift more than 250,000 units alone. If the car is seemingly performing so well in the sales charts, why change it? The style and mechanical structure will now be completely changed. There won’t just be hints of upgrades here and there, the car will be fully rejuvenated.
Toned down
Why? It appears that Ford want the car to be success beyond the United States. They want the Ford Escape to be a success worldwide. This time car will not contain as much bulk as the current model. It almost looks as if it has toned down to look more athletic. The car’s weight loss will do wonders for it’s economy and acceleration.
The weight loss has not contributed to a loss of practicality or space within. Long journeys will remain comfortable and pleasurable.
The Ford EcoBoost
The new Ford Escape will contain Ford’s next generation of engines, the highly publicised “EcoBoost” engine. This particular engine is able to produce a great deal of power whilst not using much fuel or pushing out many emissions whilst doing so. In 2011 vehicles equipped with EcoBoost engines sold 127,000 altogether, which is was a great achievement for the company.
As far as the Ford Escape is concerned, there will be two variants of the EcoBoost engine available, a 2.0 litre and a 1.6 litre, both being four cylinder variants. For those who are not interested there will also be a 2.5 litre version available.
First 1.6 EcoBoost in the United States
So far the 1.6 litre EcoBoost engine has only been available in Europe. Ford believes that the United States is now ready for the engine with the Ford Escape being the first to vehicle to contain one. It is expected to be the most popular selection, reaching a maximum of 178 BHP and being the most economical choice. It will contain a six speed automatic gear transmission along with a four wheel drive system.
The 2013 Ford Escape is expected to have Ford’s park assist system too. The system parks the car by itself. This is a neat feature seen on the Ford Focus here in the UK. The Blind Spot system is a wonderful safety feature which produces sound alerts whenever there is potential danger.
Let’s hope that the Ford Escape comes to the United Kingdom.
The financial aspect of Ford took a positive step today. Fitch ratings have upgraded the company to investment grade. This will allow Ford’s repayment costs down to a minimum. The upgrade was down to Ford’s improvement since their near bankruptcy back in 2006.
Ford’s One Plan
Ford’s “One Ford” plan has brought around a lower breakeven point for the company. Ford have since added some of the best and most desired car technology into their improved car line up and brought around a reduction of risk upon it’s pension scheme.
Ford’s financial ratings improved
Ford’s debt is now making progress from it being rated as junk, a rating which meant higher payback costs. This also meant that the company had a bad reputation when attempting to borrow from banks. Ford can now take out loans with lower borrowing costs. If another credit company were to upgrades Ford’s financial rating, it would significantly help the company in the amount that it has to repay.
Fitch statement
Fitch Ratings released a statement saying “Fitch believes that the work that has been accomplished has put the company in a solid position to withstand the significant cyclical and secular pressures faced by the global auto industry.”
Ford’s Blue Oval
Alan Mulally took drastic steps to borrow money when he took over in 2006. This included mortgaging Ford’s assets of it’s Blue Oval, an intellectual property of the company. This was done in an attempt to borrow £14 billion in order to turn the company around.
Ford reclaiming the famous Blue Oval symbol, a logo that appears on all of Ford vehicles would be a majorly positive step for the company.
Alan Mullaly wishes to continue unifying Ford’s business units, which were previously unattached. He also aims to drive down costs across the board.
More on the way?
Ford may have their ratings upgraded by the other two major ratings agencies later on this year. The last time this occurred was back in 2005. It is hoped that if more borrowing costs are driven down then they will be nicely passed on to Ford’s customers. With Ford vehicles being cheaper, it will then naturally allow room for more sales.
Ford have managed to cleverly change their scope and invest in economical cars. The Focus and Fusion are great examples, with them being some of Ford’s best sellers around the world.
The Ford Focus is undoubtedly one of the most popular family vehicles in the world. You get a lot of a quality for a low price with the Focus. We take a look as to why the car is so good.
The drive
We start off the wonderful drive that the Ford Focus offers as the car offers a superb driving experience. With most Ford’s you will get a car that handles superbly on the road. The Focus appears to be no different. The car has great body control on most road conditions. The vehicle also feels quite agile around bends and twisty roads. The steering is wonderfully weighted and accurate at the same time. No one will complain of poor comfort levels.
Safety
The Ford Focus has been described as a perfect type of family car. With praise such as that, the Focus has to contain to a great amount of safety equipment. As standard all cars contain stability control as standard along with airbags all over the vehicle. ESP is also included.
Practicality
The Ford Focus contains a great amount of space and practicality within which is another reason why it is such a great car. Four people are able to sit in great comfort. The boot is fairly large too.
Ford Focus variants
- Hatchback 1.6 85 Studio 5dr – £13,995
- Hatchback 1.6 105 Edge 5dr – £15,995
- Hatchback 1.0 100 Ecoboost Edge 5dr – £16,245
- Hatchback 1.0 125 Ecoboost Edge 5dr – £16,745
- Hatchback 1.6 105 Zetec 5dr – £16,995
- Hatchback 1.6 TDCi 95 Edge 5dr – £17,095
- Hatchback 1.0 100 Ecoboost Zetec 5dr – £17,245
- Hatchback 1.6 125 Zetec 5dr – £17,495
- Hatchback 1.6 TDCi 115 Edge 5dr – £17,595
- Hatchback 1.0 125 Ecoboost Zetec 5dr – £17,745
- Hatchback 1.6 125 Edge auto 5dr – £17,745
- Hatchback 1.6 125 Zetec S 5dr – £18,475
- Hatchback 1.6 TDCi 115 Zetec 5dr – £18,595
- Hatchback 1.6 125 Titanium 5dr – £18,745
- Hatchback 2.0 TDCi 140 Zetec 5dr – £19,595
- Hatchback 1.6T 150 Ecoboost Titanium 5dr – £19,745
- Hatchback 1.6 TDCi 115 Titanium 5dr – £19,845
- Hatchback 1.6 TDCi 115 Zetec S 5dr – £19,845
- Hatchback 1.6T 180 Ecoboost Zetec S 5dr – £20,495
- Hatchback 2.0 TDCi 140 Titanium 5dr – £20,845
- Hatchback 2.0 TDCi 163 Zetec S 5dr – £21,345
- Hatchback 1.6T 150 Ecoboost Titanium X 5dr – £21,495
- Hatchback 1.6 TDCi 115 Titanium X 5dr – £21,595
- Hatchback 2.0 TDCi 163 Titanium X 5dr – £23,095
Ford unveiled another version of the Ford B-Max which will be the one that is put into final production.
After viewing the last version at the Geneva Motor Show, which was a concept car, many experts and journalists are full of praise for the car once again.Most importantly the car will receive Ford’s new 1.0 EcoBoost engine, which offers great performance as well as fantastic economical benefits to the owner.
The new sliding doors
The new Ford B-Max is based upon the same structure as the Ford Fiesta. What’s special about the Ford Fiesta is that it is compact yet practical at the same time. The B-Max can be described as a compact multipurpose vehicle which uses a brand new unique door opening technique, making the car extremely practical. There is no standard central pillar seen amongst normal road vehicles. Everyone is able to enter the vehicle with great ease, giving the car great family creditability.
Still very safe
Ford’s typically strong safety attributes are not lessened by the lack of a central pillar. There is no doubt that Ford will be chasing a five star rating from the Euro NCAP tests. Ford have used Boron steel to surround the front wheel arches as well as the rear hatch in order to make up for the removal of the central pillar.
Large boot
The boot is big enough for plenty of storage. If that is not enough the seats can be folded flat allowing 2.3 meters in length of storage in total. In terms of structure the Ford B-Max is ultimately solid.
Great drive
Don’t be fooled by the car’s family guise. It does have the potential to offer a great and responsive drive as is typical with Ford hatchbacks.
Manually operated doors
The doors are manually operated, unlike the Peugeot 1007 which has electric sliding doors which caused great frustration. They are very light and extremely easy to operate.
Intelligently the door will not open when the fuel filler cap is open. This will prevent potential injuries.
Luxury feel
The Ford B-Max will not be made to look cheap. There will be a luxurious feel within. Wind noise will be kept down to a minimum. It will feel as if you are sitting within a larger car.
1.6 engines
On top of the 1.0 EcoBoost petrol there will also be a 1.6 Econetic diesel, which again will provide excellent fuel economy.
The Ford B-Max will surely be one of the best vehicles available on the market within it’s class when released.
The all new Ford Focus Zetec S is a sportier version of the standard Focus. It offers many practicalities of what the normal Focus can but with extra speed and performance. In our article today we take a look at the car and discuss exactly why it could be a hit on the UK car market.
Ecoboost engine
The car has the all new Ecoboost engine which has a 1.6 litre capacity. It is able to reach a maximum speed of 138 MPH and hit 0 – 60 MPH in 7.9 seconds. The car offers a wonderfully engaging drive with plenty of excitement.
Economical
Being a Ford Focus, you can expect it to be very economical. It can achieve 47.1 MPG and emit just 139 of C02 emissions. Economy is a major part of all new cars being released, even sports cars. Don’t expect any less with the sporty version of the Focus.
Looks modified
The Ford Focus Zetec S has a great looking body kit to match it’s sporty performance. The alloy wheels look very stylish and stand out. The sports suspension gives the car a wonderful balance and allows the car to take corners at speed. Despite the sportier suspension, the ride is still comfortable enough for a family. The exhaust system has also been modified, producing a great sound when high revs are reached.
One Ford
This car is developed for British roads and catered for our market only. This is a rarity for Ford, adopting a “One Ford” policy whereby all cars around the world have the same setup.
Price
The car’s price will start from £18,745. This is quite a reasonable price, as there isn’t many small hatchbacks on the road that are this fun to drive. The Ford Zetec S’s closet rival is the Vauxhall Astra GTC 1.6i SRI. This will cost £22,480, making the Ford better value for money on many fronts.
The Ford Focus Zetec S offers a perfect balance of having a family car which is also fun to drive at the same time. Family’s credentials are enhanced with the car’s great safety equipment. The upcoming Ford Focus ST is a lot more powerful, with running costs and the actual price of the car being a lot more expensive. We believe that if it’s a normal family road car which you require, the Zetec S gives all of that plus more
Ford are said to be considering building a brand new assembly plant in Indonesia. The company are clearly hoping to gain a larger stake in the emerging Asian market next year.
The Indonesian automotive market
Sales have increased by 17 % in Indonesia for Ford last year, selling a total of 893,240, which was an all-time record in the country. It is quite obvious to see that the Indonesian market shouldn’t be underestimated by any stretch of the imagination. Thanks to it’s strong performance last year in terms of sales, the company are now the top selling in the whole region. Although the Thai auto market figures have not been released but experts believe those sales will equate to 800,000 to 820,000 units. Some experts have even predicted that Indonesia may even overtake Thailand by the end of the year. The unfortunate floods in Thailand have made a huge impact in aiding Indonesia’s progress. The fourth quarter of last year in particular was indeed a drastically poor time for the Thai automotive market.
Why a plant wasn’t built before
Ford will use their production base in Thailand, where they have an Auto Alliance joint venture alongside Mazda. This is the location where the Fiesta subcompact is built along with the Ranger pickup truck. Further passenger vehicles are built here too, combining with other Ford assembly plants in the Philippines, Malaysia and Vietnam. There isn’t an assembly plant in Indonesia at the moment as the Government intervened with such plans back in 1996, thanks to a Timor national car program being implemented. Imported parts from the assembly plants mentioned earlier are the only option at present. Plans to build a new assembly plant in the country would help save costs and create more jobs too.
The Ford and Mazda partnership have recently prospered in the region recently. The Fiesta, developed and produced in Thailand helped Indonesian customers identify the car as a local one that suited them and their lifestyle. The Ford Ranger has also seen a sharp increase in demand recently.
Take into account that nothing has been confirmed as of yet. There are still plenty of clearances to go through.
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