Ford’s 1.0-litre is No. 1 again

FORD’S diminutive 1.0-litre EcoBoost engine has been crowned International Engine of the Year for the third successive year – a record in the 19 years of the award.

The 999cc three-cylinder turbo-petrol engine that powers Ford’s Fiesta Sport and EcoSport in Australia fought off some formidable opponents from the likes of Ferrari, Volkswagen and Mercedes-Benz to take out the top prize that it also won in 2012 and 2013.

Hosted by Engine Technology International Magazine, the award’s judging panel made up of of 82 motoring journalists from 34 countries judge the shortlisted engines from their driving impressions and technical knowledge.

Each panelist has 25 points to allocate to their favourite engines, with a maximum of 15 points allowed for an engine.

The 11 categories for the awards include capacity classes from sub-1.0-litre to above 4.0-litre Green Engine of the Year Best Performance Engine and Best New Engine. The winner of each category goes into the final round to fight it out for the International Engine of the year Award.

The winners of each of the categories are chosen on how well they combine performance, advanced technology, emissions and fuel economy.

Both the Performance and the above 4.0-litre categories were won by Ferrari’s 4.5-litre petrol V8 found in the 458 Italia.

Taking out two wins as well was Mercedes-AMG’s 2.0-litre turbo petrol engine from the A45 AMG which won in the New Engine category and 1.8-litre to 2.0-litre class.

The Green Engine award went to Tesla’s full-electric powertrain from the Model S.

McLaren’s 3.8-litre petrol V8 from the 650s trumped the 3.0-litre-to-4.0-litre class.

Audi’s 2.5-litre five-cylinder petrol turbo from the RSQ3 fast SUV won the 2.0-litre-to-2.5-litre class. Winning the 1.4-litre-to-1.8-litre class was the joint BMW-Peugeot Citroen 1.6-litre petrol engine used in the Mini Clubman Cooper S, the Peugeot 208 and Citroen DS3.

Volkswagen’s 1.4-litre TSI turbo petrol found in the Polo and Audi A1 won the 1-litre to 1.4-litre.

In the overall Engine of the Year round, Ford’s 1.0-litre EcoBoost engine scored 351 points, 70 points ahead of the Ferrari V8 (281 points), with Volkswagen’s 1.4-litre in third place on 254 points and Mercedes-AMG’s 2.0-litre hot on its heels with 252. Ford Australia’s brand communications manager Martin Gunsberg described the award as fantastic news.

“We’re really proud to have taken this award for the third year in a row,” he said. “The 1.0-litre EcoBoost really showcases the technology which goes into every EcoBoost engine which provides customers with excellent performance, drivability and economy.” Ford’s three-cylinder turbo petrol engine made its first appearance in Australia in the EcoSport compact SUV in 2013.

The Fiesta Sport arrived with the engine in 2014, has proving a hit thanks to an excellent fuel economy of 4.9 litres per 100km while delivering 92kW of power - more than the 1.5-litre four-cylinder Fiesta. Torque is also impressive with 170Nm on tap from 1400rpm to 4500rpm.

The revised Ford Focus range due to go on sale in Australia next year is also expected to include the 1.0-litre three cylinder engine in its line-up.