Ford Fiesta Econetic – Australia’s most fuel efficient car
October 16, 2009 by Alborz Fallah
Updated 3 pm: Ford Australia has revealed details of Australia’s most fuel efficient car, the Ford Fiesta Econetic.
Using just 3.7 litres of fuel per 100km, and producing 98 grams of CO2 emissions per kilometre, the Fiesta takes the title from the Prius and Mini Cooper D.
Pricing is $24,990 drive away and the Fiesta comes with a 5-star ANCAP safety rating.
Ford Australia President and CEO Marin Burela told CarAdvice the development of the Fiesta Econetic, which has been on sale in Europe for some time, was heavily supported by Ford Australia. The eco-friendly Fiesta has so far sold to over 60,000 buyers in Europe, despite having an initial target of around 2-3,000.
Australia’s most fuel efficient car is expected to go on sale in December and Ford Australia believes its priced just right to appeal to young and young-at-heart buyers alike.
Mr Burela said Ford’s own testing has shown to car to use around 3.2-litres per 100km on a normal urban cycle. According to Ford’s research the new third generation Prius is indeed more fuel economical in city traffic, however given the massive price gap between the two cars, Ford has worked out that it will take 115 years (based on September fuel prices) to make up the cost of the additional fuel the Fiesta uses over the Prius during city driving.
The diesel powered Fiesta makes use of a 1.6-litre 66kW engine with 200Nm of torque. Fuel saving technologies used include low resistance tyres (tyre size: 175/65 R14), uniquely tuned transmission, lowered suspension for better aerodynamics, low friction oils and weight reduction everywhere possible.
In regards to the transmission, the Fiesta Econetic is only available with a five-speed manual with no current plans for an automatic. The Fiesta weighs 1088kg (kerb weight).
You can see the full technical specification document: Ford-Fiesta-Technical Specifications
Print it: 
Now we’re talking!
This will show the Prius/Civic Hybrid/Insight how it’s done!
I honestly don’t see the point in spending 40+K on the cars above to achieve decent fuel economy. For me that defeats the purpose of fuel efficient cars.
Hell, a 13K Hyundai Getz would be cheaper to run in a 10-20 year period than the cars listed above simply due to its price.
The Fiesta sits at a decent mid price range and offers very good features and fuel economy to boot.
Ford should market the hell out of this car as Australia’s most fuel efficient vehicle.
Thats assuming your getz actually lasts 10-20 years. The fiesta is a better quality car all round. Not to mention the resale of the fiesta vs the resale of the getz. Depreciation is the biggest cost of owning a car.
Spot on!! People only looking at the price when you buy a car but never look at the RESALE VALUE of the car. I better pay 2-4000 more and when I trade in or sell privately I can get that much more.
Sorry but did you say you are happier to pay more to get more at trade in time?? I am just wondering if I missed the pun in that or were you really serious? If you were serious why not pay less and invest the extra into your home or other investment and get a decent return??
Yes, you get what you pay for. This car is better quality, scores 10 more ANCAP points and drinks almost half the amount of fuel of the Hyundai but yet offers more torque, and drives like a decent car not a shopping trolley. Sorry but I see that as a no brainer.
Car is not an investment. It’s just a liability. If I had extra 4000 I would invest that money in assets such as shares or properties.
Agree.
buying a car is a write off! I wouldn’t bet to get better re-sale values given the a new technological advanced car coming out every 2 years!
the lifecycle of cars are so short now, akin to mobile phones and electronics!
Try living without all these things, then call them liabilities.
Shares huh ! hows the depreciation been on them the past year or so ???
Check the figures, Getz will hold its value just as good if not better than a Ford Fiesta. My wife sold a Getz 2.5 years after buying new and lost $1000
I think you are missing a zero off of that figure you stated
In response to the actual comment, if you are keeping the car for 10 >20 years whywould you care about resale??
Agreed! Ford need to fix their marketing department in a BIG way! This Fiesta looks impressive :)
Finally a diesel-powered Fiesta! Good on Ford! This proves you don’t have to spend alot to be efficient (unlike the stupid Prius which only works in the city)!
Wow I can’t believe you are comparing a mid-size car like the Prius to a small car like the Fiesta. Not everyone wants such a small car.
Good work on Ford’s part though. It’s an affordable car that has very good fuel economy. Should be a good amount of torque from the diesel engine too.
Haven’t you seen the Ford ad S? The Fiesta is supposed to have more head and leg room than a Corolla, which funnily enough is what the Prius is based on! NOTE: TVFPIC. ;-) ;-) ;-)
Ford has definitely made a move in the right direction.
Ford is really getting its act together. This car now as well as the falcon getting 10.0l/100km sets the bar well and truly up for the rest of the industry. Dont believe all the hype about the generals SIDI engine its low torque means it doesnt come close to falcon in performance or econmoy for that matter.
The Fiesta is an awesome car and this oil burner makes it even better, – well done Ford!
Holdens SIDI is getting very bad economy reviews from all corners recently. I went to the age website and was hit with the 900km on a tank advert. Followed the link and had a good laugh at Holdens expense. Mainly because of this youtube…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BdhzBQEwsrs
if nothing else they are the great marketers! Pity too many people in this country are blinded by hype and marketing on so called “aussie cars”. More aussie parts and development goes into a falcon and territory than any other car, – no dispute.
For its power, econmomy and performance the falcon/territory I6 petrol or lpg engine beats anything going around.
Except the Holden SIDI 3.6l engine. Go buy a copy of MOTOR mag Nov edition.
um
A 25 grand small car?…how is that saving anyone any $$ once you put some options onto it, get it on the road, insure it, looking at over 30 grand yeah?
This would probably work at 20 grand max…as with the Prius, false economy
There aint no more to pay on that price.
If you read that is the on road price which is stated at 24,990
I know someone who ended up paying low 20K for a Getz……..
I know I’d rather spend another couple for this car especially when its still around half the price of a Hybrid.
I agree. Price is good. I better buy a Ford Fiesta diesel than the Getz. The new VW Polo 1.6 diesel got 250 Nm from 1500 rpm. I am sure Ford would be very close to that. When I buy a new car I always check the engine, gearbox, quality of the car, safety and last is the price unless is very expensive.
Did you not option anything onto your vehicle when you bought it?
Nothing?
The Fiesta pictured has hubcaps…how much are alloys? At 25 grand they should be included.
$24990 is the drive away price, any optional extras you buy, and everyone buys extras, are not included in the $24990, which in my opinion is prohibitively expensive for a small car.
Dont forget safety isnt even an option on the cheaper models ou speak of.
Getz and Barina would have to be the cheapest cars in tha class, and look what you get for a cheaper price. (or should that be dont get for the cheaper price)
Andrew M: At $13990 drive away Barina/Getz is the same class of car as this overpriced Ford, and $11000 buys a lot of petrol.
Premium price for a non-premium car. This car’s asking price almost buys you a Barina and a Suzuki Alto if economy is your thing. Ridiculous.
If Holden has any smarts, the replacement generation Barina should have a similar small capacity diesel, made in the Korean factory, sell the thing for $17000-$18000 drive away.
@ Blah: all of Holden’s smarts are in their marketing department
Listen to you lot whinge, I’d like to see anyone of you build a car like this for that kind of money. When you take into account, the cost of raw materials, the money spent on design and manufacture and the shipping costs, plus local taxes for something that gets you from A to B in comfort, $25,000 isn’t that much money.
Well done Ford, the Fiesta is a great Product
Blah is an idiot, the ford is of better quality and drives better then a Getz or Korean Barina. Don’t pick on the Ford, what about the Mini D at 34ishK?
You may have missed news section from many weeks, legislation change has made dealers to release drive away price only.
LOL @ Blah for his 30k theory….. Its driveaway at 25k, and you dont NEED to get options, its reasonably equiped already…. and as for insurance? what the?? Is someone going to try and buy car insurance from Ford or something? ridiculous…
No need for A$4xxxx prius now, let’s get fiesta electric, and hopefully save some trees. It is first time some one release a green car with decent price.
Here is the Ford Fiesta diesel standard futures:
Key Features
* 1.6L Duratorq TDCi Common-Rail diesel engine with Diesel Particulate Filter (DPF)
* 5 speed manual transmission
* Driver and front passenger airbags
* Driver’s knee airbag, side head and thorax airbags
* Dynamic Stability Control (DSC) with Emergency Brake Assist and Traction Control
* Anti-Lock Braking System (ABS) with Electronic Brakeforce Distribution (EBD)
* Bluetooth® with Voice Control*
* USB input facility (to play MP3 files from a memory stick or integrate an iPod#)
* Single slot CD player with AM/FM radio
* Steering wheel mounted audio controls
* 3.5mm auxiliary audio input
* Green shift indicator
* Cruise control
* Air-conditioning
* Front power windows
* 14” steel wheels with low rolling resistance tyres
* Fuel consumption: 3.7L/100km+
* CO2 emissions: 98g/km+
Optional
* Prestige colour
I think everyone is forgetting that the prius is a much larger and more well equipped for.
To be honest, none of these eco cars are worth the money…. yet… By the time you gain back your initial loses, I believe there will be plenty of more mature eco options available.
The biggest problem with these ‘eco’ models is that they all have to have cheap looking wheels- who the hell wants hub caps?
Someone not fused with how the wheels look when they are spinning whilst doing 60km/h.
How do you fuse a person ???????????
Learn to spell goosey.
I can’t imagine those low rolling resistant tyres go cheap
Just inflate you’re normal tyres a extra 3psi and you will have you’re own low resistance tyres.
Yes and lose steering response, handling traits and braking ability. Not to mention uneven tyre wear which means shorter tyre life, poor traction and danger in adverse conditions.
I’d just buy low rolling resistant tyres. The good news is more manufacturers are making them now. The prices will come down.
I dont know where you get your info but a car with higher tyre pressure will handle and steer better than one with lower tyre pressure as well as use less fuel, run cooler and clear water better. The trade off is more noise,a rougher ride and slightly increased braking distances. Unless you inflate above the tyres rated maximum pressure, you wont see uneven tyre wear and if you drive hard, you will get better tyre wear than if you have less pressure as you wont get as much sidewall flex and tyre roll.
The ford uk websites listed the performance as below
Power – 66kw
Torque – 200nm
0-100 – 12.3
Heavy little bugger at 1555kg.
Fiesta econetic kerb weight is 1088kg.
Your other figures are correct.
The Fiesta does look nice, but I personally won’t be happy paying $25K for a car with plastic wheels and manual wind down rear windows…
Seriously, build a bridge people!! The whole idea of this vehicle is to save you on fuel, so Ford is doing everything it can to reduce the weight of this vehicle where ever they can, hence why you’ll get plastic hub caps and wind down windows in the back!!
Don’t like the plastic hup cabs?? Then go get yourself some after market rimms! Also, say goodbye to the low fuel consumption while your at it…..
This is great news from Ford Australia! Now all they need to do now is import the the Econetic Focus and Econetic Mondeo from Europe too!!
No thank you… if you can’t afford that extra bit more fuel in a better powered, quieter, smoother, less embarrassing, better equipped, cheaper in price, “Fiesta Patrol”, then you should just get a bike and ride to where every u want to go, or just walk… a Patrol Fiesta CL 5 dr is only 18250 drive away… a LX with power windows and alloy cruise control is only 21880 drive away. (base on Brisbane dealer price) which is a lot less then the 25000 Econetic… that is a lot of money to spend of fuel…
What is a Patrol Fiesta? Is it a ‘party version’ of the popular large Nissan 4WD? $18250 drive away is an awesome price for a full size 4WD… ;-)
Seriously, not everyone buys a diesel just for the fuel economy. Some actually buy them for the performance, and I don’t mean 0-100 performance as that is not really a true indication of how well a car goes in the real world. Not every situation is a ‘traffic light’ grand prix! The diesel would be much quicker than the petrol when overtaking at highway speeds as well as climbing hills etc more comfortably. Torque wins on the open road! :-)
Sorry About the typo… I should of paid more attention … I love Diesel as well… I have test driven a BMW X5 Diesel Twin Turbo along with a RX450h piece of junk on the same day… X5 is really good, Both 0-100 and Overtaking… i would buy one over the RX450h any day. But in a 1.6 city car it deserves to have a Petrol, if you use the correct gears, overtaking is just as good… what I’m trying to say is that I really don’t see the point of suffering a lot “$7000 extra, more noise, less well equip, less smooth, smelly exhaust(yes EVEN the X5 cant remove this problem)” for the exact same car that uses slightly less fuel. I think people is getting fooled by this marketing image “diesel is the future”. Just like how the Hollywood stars got fooled by Toyota of the marketing image “Hybrid is the future”
ALSO, Just to let you know, the X5 averaged 14L/100k in the city + highway test drive from Brisbane CBD to airport and back, the RX450h averaged 10.5L/100k. I would still prefer the X5 just because its a better car with better engine and better drive overall.
Cars are not really your thing are they Jon?
Spetty, i think he makes a perfectly valid point.
Car is my thing… It just makes me sad to see how people get fooled and sucked into the “ECO car” marketing image which most of them (hybrids, econetic, diesel, Holden’s ecoline – AFM V8, SIDI, electric G-wiz, low resistant tyres) are rubbish.
I personally think the ECO stuff on the market at the moment which are not fake marketing imagery are the
1.”traffic Stop-start engines (those in manual mini copperD which switch off the engine completely when stationary),
2.small turbo charge petrol engine(e.g Golf 1.4 turbo with 118kw & 6.2L/100km, Mercedes E250 CGI 1.8 turbo with 150kw & 7.3L/100km for a 2 ton+ car!!),
3.and also twin clutch automatic rather than traditional torque converters(DSG, Powershift, DCT, MCT things like that).
Generally don’t diesels run out of mid to top end puff?
What speeds are you talking? Baring in mind the max speed in Australia is 130Km/h in NT, which this car would easily be capable of.
I believe he is talking about Mid to top Revs
That’s BEARING, learn to spell u tool.
You miss the point. The idea is use LESS fuel and here the Fiesta Econetic shines.
As for “embarrassing”, perhaps you are working in Holden management? I cannot think of any other reason why anyone would be embarrased by one of these, particularly given it’s green cred.
how did i miss the point… Simon, you are exactly one of those who falls into the marketing of “green cred” and saving fuel is “THE IDEA”.
if you want to use less fuel, walk… u use no fuel. if you would want to have the privilege to using a car, its fair to use fuel. and if u want the privilege of a better car, its fair to use more fuel…
the point I am making is that u pay more money in order to get a car that is worst then its petrol counter part. in terms of performance, equipment, ride comfort and so on in order to get a “green cred” which is just a marketing trap. Look @ holly wood stars driving around in Prius!! Toyota had them fooled big time.
As for the part of embarrassing, Trust me on this because i know. My good friend from high school used to be picked up by his mum drive a Mercedes diesel E-class. EVERY TIME other students would make fun @ him by saying, “Hey your mum’s here” as she stops @ the pickup zone with the “duck duck duck” truck noise, this made him very well known in the grade (in the bad way) and He had been living under this sham for years… he would rather hop on anonymous Hyundai which catches no attention. I am not saying diesel is all bad, getting picked up by a diesel X5 is perfectly fine. people wont pay attention because its a big SUV, its fine to have a twin turbo diesel.
If you have children and you want them to be traumatise by their peers then go on, get one of the Econetic. If u want something that is better then walking, get the Fiesta Petrol.
Interesting high school you went to..
I suspect he is still at school.
For the record – I’d gladly have a new E class diesel no matter how far others have their heads shoved up their proverbial.
Life is more than what your “mates” think.
Oh dear… another person who got poisoned by marketing ploys and lost the ability to see that good cars need to be judged in their whole package.
A E-class 250 petrol CGI BlueEffiency 1.8 4 cylinder gives out 150KW uses 7.5l/100k (thanks to crazy German engineering)
E-calss 250 CDI 2.2 4 cylinder uses 6.0l/100k with 150kw, but comes with a 5000 dollar premium. Be honest, is it worth that extra bit of fuel saving to pay a 5000 dollars premium + the fact that you are driving a $100k new car with a second grade technology?
Also on the subject of price,how can Ford be applauded when they sell “the same fiesta” with a less powerful diesel engine but charge close to 7000 dollar premium over the petrol one??
Jon, paying the premium isn’t a problem, run a petrol and Diesel car side by side constantly and guess what? The Diesel engine will still be running long after the petrol engine has given up and been replaced by another petrol engine. And by that time, not only will you still be running your original engine you will have saved thousands in running costs
How are you so sure that a diesel is going to last longer then other petrols? you read it from an article somewhere? or did the salesman told you? Did the salesman told you how much is it to replace a set of injectors when comparing with spark plugs?
I’ll tell u an experience of my own. when I am young, my Family drive around in a Mercedes 200D or 220D (as I was only in preschool, I cant remember, also D stands for diesel) after the car just passed its 10th birthday, while travelling in the highway, it suddenly lost all its power, including BREAKS. steering is fine as cars don’t have power steering yet. That is one of the most terrifying experience I ever had in my life. Yes “in theory” and engine made out of steel should last longer then a engine made out of alloy. The same way that “in theory a hybrid would save to world” but all i can say is that the car went straight to the scrapyard after the indecent and never been seen ever again. In contrast, my granny’s VL commodore with a nissan engine is still running perfectly fine today. 22 years and she wouldn’t sell it.(main reason is because it works fine, second reason is because its worthless and she cant replace a car for $300).
Also let me tell you a secret, I’ve worked as a car sales person for a short period of time… and what they tell you cannot be truly believed.
Jon, how does walking use no fuel? If you don’t eat you don’t have energy to walk and last time I checked food wasn’t free. Plus what if you have to travel 100km a day, like to see you walk that and still have time for work, play, sleep etc.
And what is embarassing about an E class CDi? Unless every other kids Mothers drove Bugatti’s, Bentleys and Rollers.
I am not joking… this is the fact… even a E class Cdi is embarrassing. most other kids mum drive SUV’s like X5, Lexus RX Hybrids, Toyota LC Sahara. As it is sort of a prestige school, The poorer kid would be transported in a ford territory or Toyota Kluger. Even those are not embarrassing as it wont catch attention. SUV is sort of the thing, and going home in a really loud Diesel E-class saloon(no joking, everyone standing @ the pickup zone can hear it) is just not cool. (for your information, its beige) An non-officially conducted survey (my observation) shows only two person in the whole grade gets pickup in a diesel. (one of them is my friend) Because the other one is a BIG manly 4X4 (home built big chassis things, base on LC 70 may be??) , no one cares.
In regards to the fuel thing… your missing the point… I understand u need to eat, I understand u need to put in fuel in a car to make it move. but the point i am getting is that WHY pay $7000 extra for something that is not as good as the Petrol counter part which use slightly more fuel? if u can afford 7000 extra, you can afford more fuel on the petrol 1.6. Just like Hollywood star who can afford Rolls and Ferrari, get fooled by Toyota to get Prius iron on wheels.
With regards to your earlier post,origional is spelt this way, learn to spell retard.
As much as I applaud Ford bringing in this model, they should also have the mainstream TDCi model Fiestas too. While the Econetic should do well for its green credentials, the TDCi model is a hoot to drive and should have been added as part of the Fiesta family 5 years ago. Even South Africa has them!
Exactly my feelings as well. I drive a current model Focus Diesel with Powershift which has a brillant transmission and engine, I could just imagine how great a TDCI Fiesta would be. So come on FoA bring out Fiesta TDCi here and if they are good enough for South Africa, they are good enough for Australia.
I really wanted a TDCI Fiesta with Powershift, but had to settle for Focus.
Good work Ford – but yet another example of a 5 star car I wouldn’t want to be in during a head-on (unless it was with a similar small car or bike)!!
Checked the ANCAP ratings on this vehicle have you ? Had a look at the engineering and awards one for safety have you ? Do your homework instead of making ignorant statements then we wouldn’t be reading this rubbish. By the way a train beats a truck in a collision.
This car is exactly what ford needs for its image right now. Perfect, love it
There are SO MANY people out there who don’t realise how much of an impact driving style has on fuel economy. The standard practice of flooring it from the lights and jumping on the brakes at the last second when there is a red light burn a lot more fuel than SMOOTHLY accelerating away from the lights and backing off gently to anticipate the green light so you don’t have to stop. Stopping is your worst enemy WRT fuel consumption. It is not as if you would be able to get through the intersection any quicker jumping on the brakes at the last second!
Even simple things like ensuring your tyres are inflated correctly (comfort biased placard pressure plus 10% when cold works wonders), removing roof racks etc when not in use and removing superfluous ‘crap’ from the car to reduce weight can make a HUGE difference. From what I see with drivers every single day, what is the point of car manufacturers building cars like this when we don’t change our attitude/habits to driving?
Good point DA. Changing driving habits is probably the cheapest way to save on fuel. I find avoiding peak hour traffic by leaving 30 minutes earlier in the morning shaves 10% off my fuel average. I would be curious to see what the Fiesta averages in stop/start traffic…which is more representative of typical driving conditions these days. :)
Define typical……
I would be curious to see what the Prius achieves on the hyway which is the typical driving of people I know.
In heavy traffic as a Guide, my diesel Golf does around 8.0 l/100, and I’m talking heavy sydney traffic over a distance of say 30 kilometres, it peaks at around nine when statioary and drops to 5.4 when moving steadily. Over all our mix of driving returns 5.9 Litres per hundred. I’d hate to have a petrol car in heavy traffic like that and I’m talking petrol with euqivalent Torque.
I reckon in heavy traffic this Fiesta would do high 5’s or low 6’s which is still impressive
What does “euqivlent ” mean ?
Sydney is spelt with a kapitul letter like wot I just done.
Be careful what you pick on in the future ,lamb to the slaughter.
You don’t always have a choice as to when you leave for work – for example: you might not be able to sleep so you leave early.. or you might sleep in and are late for work.
Even then that’s not necessarily going to guarantee that you will always get a smooth run into work – you still have to contend with the possibility of accidents or roadworks [no two days are ever the same].
The main thing that will help improve your fuel economy is changing driving style
Because sure you may leave 30 minutes early However; if once behind the wheel you still try to beat those on the road away from the lights and are hardon the brakes you’re not going to make a significant improvement in your fuel efficiency as you would if you left at the usual time or even 30 minutes later… its more about your attitude.
Driving in Stop Start traffic when you go from 0-60-0-60-0Km/h is worse for your car than it is go from 0-20-0-20-0Km/h
dont believe all these marketing ploys….
if you really want to save fuel, take a bus, ride a bicycle! to even better, walk.
otherwise laws of thermodynamics always prevail when it comes to fossil fuels.
thermodynamics?
Only when it comes to fossil fuels?
This is Car Advice, not hug a tree and hate capitalism dot org.
Amazes me that people some people cannot see the good in this story.
Completely agree… if you want to use less fuel, go on public transport
Public Transport? Hmmmm, which kind, electric trains which draw electricity from Coal fired powerstation which I might add are one of the most polluting things in this world? Let’s see, I want to got from my house ( Berowra Heights) to let’s say RouseHill every day because for arguements I work there ( which I don’t but this will hilight the issue of Public Transport versus owning a car) I walk 2 k’s to the staion, ( 20 minutes) I want to make sure I’m not late so arrive before the train does ( 5 minute wait). I catch the morning train, all Stations to Strathfield ( 45 Minutes) I change platforms and catch a train to Parramatta ( 5 minute wait, 20 minute trip) I get off the train walk to the bus station ( 5 Minute wait in an ideal world) Catch the Bus to Rouse Hill ( another 45 Minutes) . I finally arrive at work 2 hours and 20 Minutes after I leave home, but if one train is late and I miss the bus I’m stuffed. Not to mention the Coal generated electricity used by the train or the fossil fuels used by the bus, because they aren’t Hybrid buses to Rouse hill.
Or I get in my car and Drive down the Pacific Highway, take the back way through Thornleigh and down toward Cherrybrook, shoot through Castlehill where I get onto Windsor road which takes me to Rouse Hill, yes I’ve used fuel to get their but I did it in approx 45 minutes. Whcih means I have more time at home with the family, I am not constantly rushing from the bus to meet the train, or the train to meet the other train. I don’t have to sit next to a big fat smelly man reading the Sydney morning herald, because I’m in my car alone with my favourite CD on and the aircon to keep me cool. End of Story.
Very good points Carfanatic. I will also add what about people who live in a regional centre where Public Transport is either thin on the ground or totally non-existant? Not everyone has the option to take public transport, even it they wanted to!
” I want to got from my house ”
CHIOCE BRO’
I am not saying Public transport is good… i would rather pay for fuel in a v8 then to take a bus… But don’t get fooled by marketing ploys to believe that Econetic is a good thing… Ford is ripping u off with something that is more expensive and worst then its petrol counter part. Yes its use 3.7l/100km, but is it worth it… is it worth the extra money and pain for a little bit of fuel saving?
I am sure Holden can fit a 3 cylinder engine in a commodore that use 4l/100km, and green people would go “well done holden, save the whale and polar bears”… but they wont do it coz it would be SH!T. 0-100 in 40 seconds? it would be a dangerous thing that kill people while trying to get on the highway… the real life fuel consumption would be off the scale… The ratio of fuel saving, price, and performance doesn’t add up… Same with the Econetic…
Jon did you even read the article?
This car will sell, and not because people are gulible or stupid. It is a stylish car and as it says – the most ecconomical car in Oz. In fact, this car will sell well to people like your parents that want to buy their little kiddies a new car. It wouldn’t matter what badge is on the front given what is offers. Seriously mate, once you leave school you will realise its not all about what everyone else thinks. You may actually start thinking for yourself!
Just to let you know I have left school ages ago and I drive a Accord Euro…Yes it use a lot of fuel but I am willing to pay the extra fuel used when compared to a Fiesta for the driving pleasure, power, handling, comfort, space I get out of it. This is my point. If I am a parent and buying a car for my kids, then i would go for the petrol powered Fiesta. It is just better when you consider the whole package.
Also Simon, if personal attack is the sort of skills that you need to use in order to win in an argument, then so be it… I will now announce you have won the comment section of this article and I shall award you a Bachelor…
Um Jon, I’d like to pick you up on the handling of your Euro, the Fiesta actually handles better. FACT.
Good on you… now go get a Petrol Powered Fiesta.
The petrol actually handles better. FACT.
I never stated petrol or diesel you idiot. But either way both Fiesta’s handle better than the Accord Euro.
The Ford Fiesta Econetic is a joke as an economy car.
1. Too expensive
2. Typical Euro high maintenance costs especially brakes.
3. In 7-10 years it is junk like most Eurocars
Buy it for style yes to save money it’s laughable, buy a Yaris instead.
If you are going to use that argument, I’d rather buy a regular Fiesta than a unrefined, gutless buzzbox Yaris. The point of this car is fuel efficiency and lower CO2, if you don’t care much about those things then get the regular Fiesta. If you are a tighta*se then buy a Getz.
Just purchased a EB XR-8S Falcon for $2500 in excellent condition I just worked out using fords calculations of fuel econo figures and price and I worked out that it would take 19 years to catch the 2009 fiesta verses 1991 falcon plus I am recycling the car.
This is using 9,000 ks/year as this is about what i do per year
Riiigght got a friend who bought a similar vintage statesman. In the 2 years he has had it has cost him @ $3000.00 for other maintenance ie. aircon , starter motor etc etc. You pay in other ways for buying older cars with no warranties. But at least you got a Ford and despite more Holdens being sold in the last 15-20 years there are more Fords on the Road which tells a story.
Be interesting to see how this goes in the upcoming Eco challenge from Darwin to Adelaide.
It might only use 3.7l of DIEsel per 100km BUT THE FACT is the larger, safer and auto-tranny Kia Cerato LPG/Hybrid @ 5.6l of LPG will be over $2 per 100km to run!That is a HUGE SAVING
Now THAT is the car we should be shouting about from the roof-tops, will/can they sell it for mid/high $20k’s?
In the end ALL that counts is $/km
PS Mind you a near $10,000 LESS std. Fiesta of ULP is VERY economical and you can never really make up the HUGE premium you have to pay to buy this Eco
of course the LPG will win on a $ per K basis.
A large car on LPG will beat a Hybrid on a $ per K basis
I say they scrap the hybrid tech to make it cheaper and up the engine to at least a 2.0L to compensate. LPG like Diesel has better torque than Petrol
Good on Ford for bringing the diesel into the fiesta range but I think the driveaway price,plus service cost is just too high to justify the fuel saving cost over the petrol models. In my opinion, to convince customers to buy diesel of petrol car to save fuel, the premium shouldn’t be over $2500 unless it is a very GOOD diesel engine..eg more torque,power..something like the Q5 3l TDI engine and the rest of its range.
For $25000 I would rather go for the i30 CW which is a size bigger,has more cargo space,better warranty and has better resale value (i believe). It’s just the matter of following the head not the heart. I’ll understand if the blue oval fan don’t agree.lol
I meant the i30 CW crdi of course..lol
If the car does pump out less CO2, then it’s good for the environment (the making of the car maybe a different story though). If you just simply calculate the return on fuel saving and decide it’s not worth the buy and you would rather have a bigger cheaper engine car and spend the difference on fuel then you’re not doing the planet any favour at all. All you care is just the money in your wallet not how much fossil fuel you would burn at the end of the day.
I also believe that car-makers are taking advantages of consumers by sticking the fuel saving badge on the car and extract more money out of our pocket eventhough it may cost them the same. Does the cost of producing a diesel engine is so much more than the petrol engine?
Hmm – 1088kg. That’s a nice weight, but unfortunately it has to mean the car is pretty tinny, given that it has a full set of air bags, etc..
And $25000 ???? Far too much for a tinny Ford.
Whilst I am not saying that the car is or isn’t ‘tinny’, don’t forget that the Fiesta runs the same platform as the Mazda 2, which uses a lot of light weight, high tensile steel etc. But yes, $25,000k is a little bit much. Time will tell if that price will drop down the track when the Fiesta production switches to Thailand as well.
Can you actually buy aftermarket low resistance tyres and what do they cost?
Probably a fortune, no owner will pay grossly more for those tyres from the Ford dealer when the first set wear out, it is a scam. They make the fuel economy look better on the new car but in use no-one will put them back on,
You have been able to get aftermarket low rolling resistance tyres for a few years now SamR and they are quite common. Not to mention they are not all ridiculously expensive. Basically all major brands have at least one high silica, low rolling resistance ‘eco’ tyre available. An example is the Toyo Teo Plus which my parents purchased a few weeks ago for under $180 per tyre fitted and balanced in a 195/65/16 size. Quite reasonable I thought. We paid just over $180 a couple of years ago for the same tyres in 215/45/17 for the wife’s Mazda 6 and have found an improvement in fuel economy, ride and a huge reduction in noise over the Bridgestone RE050s that were fitted from the factory. They also perform better in the wet with slightly less ‘ultimate’ dry weather grip. Not bad for a tyre that was close enough to half the quoted price of the replacement OEM Bridgestones.
Thanks but most decent tyres now are high Silica compounds, as are my current tyres and so were the ones before that.
So they are just putting on a decent set of tyres?
Sounds like it!
If I could find the links I’d post them, but I have read in several places that when people go for “eco” cars they don’t end up saving as much fuel / emissions as expected because they tend to drive to drive the cars more each week than someone in a “gas guzzler”.
But anyway, some people are willing to pay a premium for the “smug factor” they get when driving an “eco” car (exhibit A Prius drivers), so its a no-brainer for Ford. Also helps in places like the US where they have CAFE rules to work to.
its about time someone brought out a fuel saving car. Even through it dont have as many features as the zetec fiesta. Also they should of put alloy wheels on it. Alloy wheels are lighter then steel wheels, alloy being a lighter and stronger metal. Which means using less fuel and a car that handles a litte better