Ford’s 1.0-litre EcoBoost engine named 2015 International Engine of the Year



Hollywood has the Academy Awards, music has the Grammy Awards. And then there’s the International Engine of the Year award. And Ford has won not once, but eight times now, three of them were consecutive wins. Ford’s new 1.0-litre EcoBoost engine was awarded this honour by a panel of 87 motoring journalists hailing from 35 nations.

This tiny three cylinder engine, one that’s small enough to fit the block on an A4 piece of paper has been touted for its good fuel economy and notable performance has won its eighth award in four years at the 2015 International Engine of the Year Awards. The award was won by virtue of attributes such as drivability, performance, fuel economy, levels of refinement and technological advancements.

Ford has succeeded in changing the ballgame when it comes to powering city runabout hatchbacks and tiny crossovers such as the Ford EcoSport, Fiesta and Focus in regards to the 1.0-litre engine variant of the EcoBoost family. Fords is also reportedly looking into cylinder deactivation technology in pursuit of reducing fuel consumption.

They are currently collaborating with the Schaeffler Group to research dual mass flywheel technology that enables cylinder deactivation to take place at a wider range of engine loads and speeds. Besides that, Ford is also pursuing acoustic, harshness and vibration reduction in the upcoming powertrain units, which have showed promising results of up to six percent in better fuel consumption.

Ford Fiesta EcoBoost

Progress isn’t necessarily boring and derivative. On the other end of the spectrum, Ford is also developing a V6 EcoBoost mill that is capable of making an excess of 600 hp. This heyday is found on the new Ford GT that will be competing in the legendary Le Mans race series, commemorating Ford’s 50th anniversary of their momentous win in 1966. 

Locally however, Ford, via official distributor Sime Darby Auto Connexion is offering various models that are powered by the brand’s EcoBoost engines, such as the Fiesta 1.0-litre EcoBoost, the Fiesta ST and Kuga with the 1.6-litre EcoBoost. The D-segment Mondeo and S-Max people carrier variety is powered with a 237 hp 2.0-litre EcoBoost block, which is also used in the Focus ST.