Consumer Reports reviewed the most recent incarnation of the Ford Fiesta, and the car they tested out featured the 123 hp 1.0-liter EcoBoost turbo engine – that’s the one that just won the 2014 International Engine of the Year Award. All good so far, but it seems that liking the characteristics of that engine is a matter of taste/preference.
Where one reviewer may hear harsh groaning from the exhaust/engine, another may find the combo raspy – if you don’t mind the different note of the three-cylinder compared to usual four-pots, and can live with a tad more interior vibration, you’ll be fine.
You also need to know how to drive stick, because it doesn’t come with an auto-box.
Tester Tom Mutchler disliked the engine, saying it was not very refined and needed to be revved hard, though, again, it depends on who you’re asking – when we drove the (heavier) Ford Focus equipped with the same engine (in lower powered 100 PS guise, even), we found it adequate par excellence.
The rest of the Fiesta package is familiar and as competent as you know it to be, and the car does end up being recommended, but with the (cheaper) 1.6-liter 120 hp engine, instead of the three-pot turbo.
By Andrei Nedelea
VIDEO