Ford’s innovative 1,0-litre, three-cylinder EcoBoost engine has claimed the 2013 international engine of the Year award, as well as netting top honours in the sub-1,0-litre category.
We first sampled this powerplant in the Ford Fiesta 1,0 EcoBoost Trend back in March, and were immediately impressed with the little turbocharged, direct-injection unit’s ability to punch above its weight; a sentiment shared by a panel of 87 automotive journalists from around the world who awarded it the engine of the year for the second year running.
“With a technology as mature as the internal combustion engine, it’s very rare to achieve a true breakthrough, but that is exactly what the team accomplished with this engine,” said Joe Bakaj, Ford vice president, Global Powertrain. “You have to drive it to believe a small three-cylinder engine can deliver such performance and fuel economy.”
Because of its 999 cc displacement, the 1,0-litre EcoBoost also managed to win the sub-1,0-litre category.
In addition to the Fiesta, the EcoBoost engine, in various states of tune, has been applied to such Ford models as the B-MAX, Focus, C-MAX and Grand C-MAX. It’s also been earmarked for larger models such as the Transit, Tourneo, EcoSport and Mondeo in certain markets.
Results of the 2013 Engine of the Year awards:
International Engine of the Year: Ford 999 cc three-cylinder turbo (Ford Focus)
New Engine: Volkswagen 1,4-litre turbo (Volkswagen Golf)
Green Engine: GM 1,4-litre range extender (Chevrolet Volt, Opel Ampera)
Performance Engine: Ferrari 4,5-litre V8 (Ferrari 458 Italia, 458 Spider)
Sub 1,0-litre: Ford 999 cc three-cylinder turbo (Ford Focus)
1,0-litre to 1,4-litre: Volkswagen 1.4-litre TSI Twincharger (Polo, Beetle Golf, etc.)
1,4-litre to 1,8-litre: BMW-PSA 1.6-litre turbopetrol (MINI Cooper S, Peugeot 207, Citroen DS3, etc.)
1,8-litre to 2,0-litre: BMW 2,0-litre twin-turbo four-cylinder petrol (BMW 125i, 320i, 328i, 520i, X1 20i, X3, etc.)
2,0-litre to 2,5-litre: Audi 2,5-litre five-cylinder turbopetrol (Audi TT RS, RS3 Sportback)
2,5-litre to 3,0-litre: BMW 3,0-litre bi-turbo six-cylinder petrol (BMW 1-Series M Coupe, 335is, Z4 35is)
