Ford Fiesta ECOnetic triumphs at Global Green Challenge
October 31, 2009 by Matt Brogan
Ford’s Fiesta ECOnetic is Australia’s most fuel efficient car, consuming 98 litres of fuel on the 3147km trip from Darwin to Adelaide for the Global Green Challenge.
This result rates the Fiesta ECOnetic as the most fuel efficient of all entrants in the Global Green Challenge, and the most economical through the entire event.
The Fiesta averaged 3.1L/100km and was the only vehicle to use less than 100 litres of fuel. Going one step further the Fiesta broke through the sub 3.0 litre mark achieving 2.9L/100km, this was for the Alice Springs to Cooper Pedy nine hour drive.
The Fiesta’s CO2 emissions rated 84.47g/km which is better than the petroal/electric hybrid in the real world.
“There are many different category winners in this event and the Fiesta ECOnetic is one of them, winning the diesel light car class,” said Ford’s Team Manager Justin Lacey.
“However, only one vehicle can claim to have used the least fuel overall and to officially achieve the best fuel economy of any vehicle in the Challenge. Fiesta ECOnetic has done just that through a combination of clever engineering and appropriate driving styles.
“With a driveaway price of only $24,990, the Fiesta ECOnetic proves that it is possible to have a vehicle that leads the industry in terms of fuel economy but is also affordable, while also offering a full range of technology benefits and creature comforts, such as Voice Control, Bluetooth, and iPod connectivity.”
The Falcon XR6 Turbo also had outstanding fuel economy proving you can have performance as well as fuel economy. Wining its class in the Global Green Challenge averaging a fuel consumption of only 7.0L/100km, this being 39.8 per cent less than its official ADR fuel figure.
“The Falcon’s result disproves the notion that large performance cars can’t be economical too,” said Mr Lacey.
“Its final fuel figure is on a par with many smaller, 4-cylinder cars – which proves that you really can have your cake and eat it too.”
Print it: 
Take that Holden !
take what? a small 4 cy diesel against a large car with a 6 cy. lets see a family of five and luggage from darwin to adelaide in a fiesta . where is the commodore made ? and where is the fiesta made ? !
Where is every Holden made besides the commodore? (even then its very American) Holden is Korean lol they have Korean cars and one Australian car
John
Um dude all of Ford’s range besides the Falcon is imported too.
Focus=Africa
Ranger=Thailand
Escape=Taiwan
Fiesta=Germany possibly Thailand soon
Mondeo=Belgium
BTW Colorado is made in Thailand & Combo in Europe not all imported Holdens are from Korea.
AH you forgot the territory……
where do they make that……
Andyboy
They make the Terry in OZ
But where do they make the Statesman/Caprice in OZ too.
Don’t bother saying it’s just a Commodore the only panel they share is front doors.
Yes true but most are designed in Europe. Compared to Holden’s which are mainly designed and built in Korea. Just because of that fact i wouldn’t be incline 2 buy anything from Holden besides the commodore (tho i would chose a falcon because they have much better engines i.e the I6), tho the Koreans are getting better.
Johnny
Combo designed in Europe
Colorado designed in US/Japan
Cruze designed with imput from US/Aust/Korea
Captiva ditto Cruze
only Barina & Epica are Korean designed.
um who cares where they are designed?
if its designed in germany and made by penguins in antarctica?
means zilch
even commodores glass is made in CHINA!
Nemo nice skewing of the facts:
Captiva and Cruze are designed by GM Daewoo with minor input from other GM agencies.
Daewoo are the lead designers for thes cars, how anyone interprets that fact is up to them.
Fiesta: soon to be made in Taiwan, I believe.
No, its soon to be Thailand, in the joint Mazda/Ford plant where both the Mazda 2 and Fiesta will be built.
MAte do nto compare Holdens results to Fords. Im a Holden fan and even i think the Fiesta should have won as it actually consumed the least fuel. But the competition is about the biggest improvement and that honour goes to the HSV
It wasn’t about which car used the least fuel…it was about which car could improve the most on it’s fuel consumption.
Learn to read he said that.
Just so you know, the competition was about overall improvement in each individual class. The HSV definitely won its class – of one – there was no other entrant in the Ute section. Congrats to them…but they did NOT win anything overall, despite what they’re saying. There’s no official award for the Fiesta achieving the lowest overall fuel economy either (something we think there should be obviously), but you’ll notice we didn’t say we won overall…The Falcon won its class, the Fiesta one the light car diesel class AND it was the lowest overall.
But Sinead, you very rarely say anything when you do win…and when you do, you say it to softly :-(
We have the best product, we need to shout about it….
I mean, really, who’s marketing team is most likely going to let this slip unoticed in to oblivion??? (do you want the answer?)
Yes it does effect me directly so please do a Holden (or Toyota for that matter) and sing your praises “based” on the truth. They realise they only need to state the facts, admittedly in their barest simplist forms, and let people embellish as they see fit, so join the club..
CA if this is the Sinead I’m thinking it is and she want contact details you may forward them…
Oh dear some spin spin from the folks at Ford.
Actually, Sinead, the Maloo won the overall prize for the most improved % and is the overall winner of this ‘competition’.
Nice that the Falcon gets a big beat up by the folks at Car Advice while ignoring the fact that the Commodore’s consumption was a highly credible 6.48l/100 at 30.33% improvement.
Where’s the Holden article at? I can’t find mention of anything about the Commodore 3.0 Sportwagon throughout this entire competition on Car Advice…
Mr Bent Holden Man, why would they need “spin” if the FACTS will do?
OFFICIAL ECO CHALLENGE AWARDS
Production Class Small Car Diesel
= Ford Fiesta ECOnetic
Production Class Small Car Petrol
= Suzuki Alto GLX
Production Class Ute/Light Truck
= HSV Maloo Ute
Production Class Large Car Petrol
= Ford Falcon XR6 Turbo
Production Class Large Car Diesel
= Skoda Superb
Production Class Medium/ Off Road
= Hyundai Santa Fe SLX – Entry#5
Production Class 2 seat Electric
= Tesla
Modified Production Small Electric
= Deep Green Research
Modified Production Hybrid
= Annesley College
Modified Production Motor Bike
= Top Gear Magazine – Honda CT-110
What would be real interesting is to know what some of the support vehicles achieved in feul economy.
eg How did a Turbo Territory, driven as any normal person would drive, and with full air-con use, go over a trip of this type?
YEah your right. Id like to know how the LPG Senator did.
I drove from Newcastle to Mudgee and back over the weekend in my FG XR6T as normal people would drive… air con on, cruise control on the speed limit, stereo cranking, overtaking every chance I got to hit the go-fast pedal… got 8.1L/100 kms
Bigger cars have an easier time improving economy than smaller cars… totally unfair results.
But hey, they are what they are and the Malloo won.
Still, why would you buy an XR6 Turbo then pussyfoot it?…
Congrats to the Ford’s! Fiesta with 3.1L is mega impressive. Nice to see the adverts for Fiesta being Australia’s most economical car by virtue of being ‘more economical than a hybrid’.
ah ist so easy to see this challenge coming up, and jack up the rating on the new engines fuel sticker. no one cares if a maloo’s sticker says 25L per 100. who buys a maloo for anything other than an ego / mid life crisis? jack the number up on the sticker, have a big difference, free publicity!! holden has the best marketing dept on the planet! :)
this challenge is crap! its should be about the numbers achieved NOTHING to do with the sticker on the windscreen and CLAIMED figures.