Ford has revealed its most economical Focus yet - barring the electric version which uses no fuel at all - and this one could just prove to be the winner in the real world.
Going head to head with ultra-green European cars like the 99g/km VW Golf BlueMotion, Ford is aiming to achieve an official combined fuel consumption figure of less than 3.5 litres per 100km and CO2 emissions of under 95g/km when it undergoes final certification. Not that those tests produce real-world figures, but this Focus should still become the most economical car in its class.
To keep this car at the cutting edge of greenness, Ford has tinkered with the familiar 1.6-litre Duratorq TDCi turbodiesel engine, endowing it with a redesigned commonrail injection system and turbocharger, enhancing charge air cooling and reducing friction.
Aerodynamics play a key roll too to that end, the Focus ECOnetic gets low-rolling-resistance tyres, chassis undershields, low-drag wheel covers and an active grille shutter. This in addition to a host of mechanical technologies like idle-stop, regenerative charging and a revised final drive ratio.
“It's also going to be a great car to drive,” says Ford's medium car director Gunnar Herrmann. If not great, it should at least be brawny enough for the average driver, with 77kW on tap - enough to match the Golf. The engine is mated to a low-friction, six-speed manual transmission.
Set to go on sale in right-hand drive countries early next year, Ford South Africa could do worse than add this one to the order books.