Ford has made some bold moves when it comes to offering unique powertrains with vehicles. The Fiesta SFE EcoBoost is possibly the boldest powertrain offering for a subcompact vehicle. While the base Fiesta and most of its competitors offer standard 4-cylinder powertrains, the SFE EcoBoost is a unique option that cuts off one cylinder to maximize fuel economy. However, to make up for one less cylinder, Ford straps on a small turbocharger to make similar amounts of power as its base 1.6-liter 4-cylinder but features a much better torque curve. When we drove the 2014 Ford Fiesta SFE EcoBoost back in March, we found it to provide an unbeatable combination of style, driving dynamics, and standard features that can achieve 45 MPG without an expensive hybrid system, which made it more desirable and affordable than a Toyota Prius.
As gearheads, we wanted to learn more about the 1.0-liter turbo 3-cylinder so we teamed up with Drift Office LLC in Auburn, Wash. to see how much power the motor puts to the wheels. For those not from the Pacific Northwest or familiar with Drift Office, it’s one of the more prominent local tuning shops with an in-house AWD Dynojet dyno. The shop is known for tuning and boosting a variety of Japanese cars, with the Subaru BRZ and Scion FR-S being the latest hotness. Bob W, founder of Drift Office owns a variety of cars as well, including a several keen AE86 Corolla’s, a pair of R32 Skylines and a 400WHP Scion FR-S equipped with an AVO Turbo kit.
We stopped by Drift Office on September 23, 2014. The temperature was around 64° F with a light sprinkling of rain and humidity was about 78%. Drift Office sits at an elevation of 62 feet. The car was strapped down on a Dynojet with a large industrial fan blowing air cross the front to keep the car from overheating. We started with a jogging run to make sure everything was reading correctly and followed it with two runs.
The car made 127 horsepower and 124 lb.-ft. of torque at the wheels with peak torque available by 2500 RPM. This is quite impressive as the car is rated for 123 horsepower and 125 lb.-ft., which leads us to believe it’s a little underrated from the factory. With a 2,537 pound curb weight and virtually instant torque, the car is quite entertaining to drive. Now if only Ford would create a model that combines the steering rack and suspension of the Fiesta ST with the economical 1.0-liter EcoBoost, we could have something that’s a ton of fun and economical. During our few days with the 2015 Ford Fiesta SFE EcoBoost, we averaged 36 MPG while driving very enthusiastically, which are fuel economy numbers the ST could never see.
See Corner Lights for 2015 Ford Fiesta for sale on eBay.
