Review: 2015 Ford Focus 1.0 Liter

While we’re fans of high-horsepower cars like the Dodge Challenger Hellcat, Chevrolet Corvette, and Jaguar F TYPE, they’re not really practical for daily driving.. especially if you’ve got a long commute. That’s why you see many supercar owners with a “beater” car that doesn’t suck them dry at the pump.

Sure, you can offset that carbon footprint with a Toyota Prius or some other hybrid vehicle, but Ford has an alternative that’s actually fun(ish) to drive and doesn’t look like an economy car: The 2015 Ford Focus 1.0L EcoBoost Sedan.

The 1.0L three-cylinder EcoBoost engine was first introduced in the Fiesta last year, and now the refreshed 2015 Focus offers this engine as well (as a $795 option). In Europe, where it’s already on five nameplates, the 1.0L EcoBoost engine accounts for 32% of sales of Focus and 26% of Fiesta sales.

But things are different here in the States, and only time will tell if Americans are willing to give the little three-cylinder 1.0L a chance in the name of fuel economy, especially amid dropping gas prices. Not to mention the fact that it’s only available with a six-speed manual transmission.

And despite being down one cylinder compared to other compact sedans in this segment, the Focus delivers some respectable numbers thanks to turbocharging and direct injection, squeezing out 123HP and 148 lb-ft of torque. With a 0-60 time of 9.4 seconds, it’s definitely not going to win any races, but that’s not what this car is about. As for the quarter mile time, don’t even ask..

During our week with the Focus EcoBoost, our fuel economy was right in line with their estimates (29MPG city / 40MPG highway). Helping to squeeze every last mile out of the tank was a shift-advisor light in the dash that told you what gear to shift to (sometimes suggesting an upshift of one, two, and sometimes three gears at a time) to help keep the engine below 2000 rpm. In addition, there’s a stop-start system that switches the engine off when the car is at rest, the shift lever is in neutral, and the driver’s foot is off the clutch.

I’d be lying if I said I liked the stop-start system (especially when the A/C is running and the engine needs to switch on just seconds after it turns off), but there is a switch to turn it off if you prefer. But to Ford’s credit, it restarts the engine rather quickly and quietly. How much gas does one save by utilizing this system? I’m not really sure, but I can’t imagine it’s all that much.

At the end of the day, the 2015 Ford Focus 1.0L EcoBoost Sedan is a nice little car that delivers decent fuel economy in a package that you won’t be embarrassed to be seen driving around in. But is it worth sacrificing some speed for a few extra miles per gallon versus the regular Focus? That’s for you to decide..