MOTORING 3FRIDAY 23 OCTOBER 2009 THE SCOTSMAN
Ford's Focus on green issue produces a sleek
eco-car that's perfect for all the family
Ford's super-green 1.6 TDCi 90 ECOnetic five-door Focus sells from �18,445. The 110 ECOnetic Estate version will set you back �19,695
The car rides 8mm lower at the rear for a more slippery shape The start/stop technology switches the engine off when idle The improved aerodynamics of the car enhance the styling
STEVE WALKER
UNTILsomebodyinventsacarthatruns
on sea water or liquorice, the world's car
makers look destined to wrestle with
the environment.
While men in white coats beaver
away behind the scenes on next genera-
tion clean propulsion technologies,
models like Ford's Focus ECOnetic at-
tempt to push the limits of what can be
achieved with the good old internal
combustion engine.
The environmental issue crept up on
the automotive industry. Warnings
were ignored, action was avoided and
now it looms over the bow like an ice-
berg the size of India. Fuel cells, hydro-
gen, biofuels, hybrids, none look like
providing a silver bullet for the prob-
lem, at least not yet, so manufacturers
have been forced to work with what
they have.
Ford'sFocusECOneticisagoodexam-
ple of the kinds of short-term solutions
the major brands have come up with.
The original version was quite effective
withacombinedfueleconomyfigureof
65mpg and a 115g/km return of CO2 but
wasn't especially high-tech, using little
more than a retuned engine, skinnier
tyres and sleeker aerodynamics, one
reason why it wasn't that much greener
than the standard 1.6-litre TDCi diesel
model upon which it was based.
The ECOnetic model we're looking at
here is a very different proposition.
There's a start/stop system to cut the en-
gine in traffic when not needed. There's
also a regenerative braking function to
captureenergythatwouldotherwisebe
lost under deceleration or when coast-
ing.
Plus Ford's Eco Mode system can even
helpyoubecomeamoreefficientdriver.
The result of all this is a CO2 figure that
can be as low as 99g/km and a possible
combined fuel economy figure of as
much as 74.2mpg.
There are five-door or estate
bodystyle options and, as before, it's all
basedonthemosteconomicalenginein
theFocusrange.The1.6-litreTDCidiesel
engine is an advanced unit that's been
available to Focus buyers for some time.
It features mod cons like a common-rail
multi-point fuel injection system, a
variable geometry turbocharger, a dual
mass flywheel and a transient torque
over-boost function which means it's
fairly close to the cutting edge for 1.6-
litre four-cylinder diesels.
Ford's engineers haven't tinkered
with the engine to produce the ECOnet-
icmodel,soit'sthesameasyou'dgetina
less-green Focus. That means a 109 met-
ric horsepower (PS) and the eco-friend-
linessofadieselparticulatefilter.The0-
60mph sprint takes 10.9s and top speed
is 119mph. It means there's no straight-
line performance penalty for the green
benefits the ECOnetic delivers.
You also get the exemplary Focus
driving dynamics which go further to
discredit the assertion green cars need
to be dull. The pointy steering and sup-
ple suspension have become trade-
marksoftheFocus,andthiscarmanages
to strike a good compromise between
its sporty side and general comfort and
refinement.
How can the Focus ECOnetic achieve
its sparkling environmental perfor-
mance? The answer is partly based
around aerodynamics. Ford has taken
the latest Focus shape and set about
making it as slippery as a Teflon-coated
banana skin. The car rides 10mm lower
at the front and 8mm lower at the rear.
The under-bumper skirt is repro-
filed, blanking plates are inserted at the
insideedgesoftheair-intakeandthere's
a rear spoiler. These small measures
help the ECOnetic achieve a lower drag
coefficient, meaning the engine has to
work less hard to move the car along.
All these aerodynamic appendages
havethehappysideeffectofmakingthe
ECOnetic quite a sporty car to look at.
As for that start/stop system, it works
like other set-ups used by other manu-
facturers, shutting down the engine
when the vehicle is at idle � at a traffic
light, for example � and restarting it
when the driver wants to move off, sav-
ing the fuel wasted while the vehicle is
stationary.
Ford reckon savings of around 10 per
into electric energy without having to
use additional fuel.
There's also something called `Low
Tension FEAD' that reduces the tension
on the alternator belt for improved effi-
ciency.
Of course, improving efficiency is as
much about the driver as the car. To that
end, this Focus offers `Ford Eco Mode', a
software application added to the in-
strument cluster to give the driver use-
able and realistic eco-driving advice.
This system monitors major parame-
ters relevant for optimal fuel consump-
tion that can actively be influenced by
altering driving behaviour. These in-
clude gear shifting, anticipation (driv-
ing as consistently and smoothly as
possible) and motorway driving (driv-
ing with the most efficient speed on
motorways and country roads). In addi-
tion, the system considers the percent-
age of cold-engine short trips.
Asaresultofthismonitoringprocess,
Ford's Eco Mode generates a driver
profile with a scoring scheme for these
drivingparameters,andoffersinforma-
tion on how to improve fuel economy
over time. This ongoing process can be
translated into driver advice that can
help make the best of the vehicle's tech-
nology.
In terms of practicality, the Focus is
up with the best that the family hatch-
back sector has to offer. Space for pas-
sengers in the back is plentiful and
there's a large well shaped boot. The lat-
est cars have upped the ante in terms of
trim materials and a certain classiness
resounds through the cabin. Who'd
havethoughtgoinggreencouldfeelthis
plush?
The Ford Focus ECOnetic is priced
from around �18,000 in five-door hatch
form and the Estate is available for
around a grand more.
The trick to making car buyers take
the green option is to make the green
option preferable. Ford's Focus ECOnet-
ic achieves this more effectively than
mostoftheenvironmentalspecialsthat
have cropped up in recent times.
Rather than jump aboard the hybrid
or fuel cell bandwagons, Ford's short-
term strategy is to see how much it can
squeeze from the old faithful internal
combustion engine. On this evidence,
there's life in the old dog yet.
"With 74.2mpg
achievable on the
combined cycle running
costs are very healthy"
cent in fuel consumption are possible,
but if you can do without this, you can
make a small saving yourself by opting
out of the stop/start system: you'll still
get 104g/km of CO2 and return around
70mpg on the combined cycle. That's
because you do still get the Smart Re-
generative Charging system that in-
creases the alternator output when the
vehicle brakes or decelerates. This con-
verts the kinetic energy of the vehicle

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