Say hallelujah with me brothers and sisters, Ford has finally given the Fiesta the engine it deserves. The 2014 Ford Fiesta gets the turbocharged, 123 horsepower EcoBoost three-cylinder makes a friggin’ awesome 148 lbs-feet of torque! YES – all of that out of an engine so small, it can fit in a 12-pack cooler.
If you have spent any time with The Fast Lane Car, you may know about our giggling-little-girl response to cool small cars. I personally find that, when an automaker puts their mind to it, small cars can return more joy than many vehicles costing twice as much.
Why am I so excited? Dude, 148 lb-ft of torque is a lot for a vehicle that should weigh under 2,600 lbs. The dynamics of the Fiesta are already superb for the class. We know that it’s a hoot to corner in, compliant on the highway and fairly comfortable. The only things that keeps the Ford Fiesta down is the lack of oomph and, to a lesser extent, its utility.
Honda’s Fit owns the utility quotient in this class and that won’t change any time soon – but with the force-inducted,123 hp EcoBoost three-cylinder chugging 148 lb-ft of torque, nothing will be able to touch the 2014 Ford Fiesta in this class.
Joe Bakaj, Ford vice president of Powertrain Engineering, stated: “Customers are going to be pleasantly surprised at what the smallest member of the EcoBoost engine family can do. Most customers are not going to be thinking about the number of cylinders under the hood when they drive the new 1.0-liter EcoBoost Fiesta. They’ll notice an extremely smooth and quiet idle, terrific acceleration accompanied by a sporty sound at high revs, and – most importantly – outstanding fuel economy.”
The exterior and interior will get a mild refreshing and I hear that the infotainment setup will be revamped as well. Rumor has it that the same team that is bringing us the Focus ST will be making a Fiesta ST (perhaps with a 200 hp EcoBoost 4-cylinder) but that’s just a rumor. One thing we know is true is that the 2014 Ford Fiesta will be at the 2012 Los Angeles Auto Show which The Fast Lane Car will be covering.
I don’t have any other details, not even a confirmation on the manual and automatic gear boxes. I was told that the European version has a five-speed manual and a six-speed auto, but I have no idea if that is what the American market will get.
One thing I am certain of is the target mpg Ford is aiming for – they want to beat the magic number of 40 mpg highway by a large margin. In Europe, it gets well over 50 mpg.
It’s all about waiting and seeing. The minute we get information at the L.A. Auto Show, we’ll pass it on to you!
Here’s a fun, three-way mashup that features the current Ford Fiesta!
