Getting a boost from the new Ford Focus

EVERY Monday when I pick up a new car to test drive I feel there is a sense of responsibility on my shoulders for the rest of the week.

When a car company gives you a vehicle that could cost up to

?¬100,000 to drive, the basic hope is that you can return it seven days later in the same pristine condition it was in when you collected it.

With experience there is a tendency to put that responsibility to the back of your mind as you look out for various attributes in the car for your review. However, when the engine comes with a gadget than analyses every aspect of your time behind the wheel, bad driving habits tend to dwell on your mind all week.

Ford is offering a free Econo check on all their new cars until the end of November. When Ford do begin to charge for the service it won’t be much, probably

?¬10 or

?¬20. I couldn’t do much about the stop-start nature of driving in heavy traffic in the mornings and evenings, but I realise I do have a bad habit of

‘throwing it into neutral’ at traffic lights instead of stopping in second gear, so I awaited the email from Ford like a student would for their Leaving Cert results.

The best-selling Focus is the first of the Ford models to get this new technology that monitors your driving habits. And the Focus is also the first to get the new 1.0-litre EcoBoost engine, which produces a massive 125 brake horse power. This tiny petrol engine – the cylinder block would fit on A4 sheet of paper – can produce as much power as a regular 1.6 diesel engine.

The car I tested was a regular Ford Focus six-speed manual and if you were not told about this three-cylinder, one litre EcoBoost engine in advance you would be hard pressed to tell the difference between an EcoBoost and a 1.6 litre diesel engine.

Very

‘green’ while providing plenty of power, the Ecoboost is very responsive when you put your foot on the

‘gas’ and very smooth to travel in. No surprise then to learn that motoring writers from 35 different countries recently named the EcoBoost as International Engine of the Year for 2012.

Eddie Murphy, Chairman and MD of Ford Ireland, insists the EcoBoost engine isn’t just about saving on fuel bills.

“It’s a unique mixture of performance, refinement and economy and, in keeping with our brand DNA, we have delivered on economy without sacrificing drivability. Despite the rapid shift to diesel in recent years, I believe there is a latent demand out there for a petrol-engined car in this segment which can match a turbo diesel for punch and economy, but which is quieter and has less vibration.

?

Prices for the regular Focus start at

?¬19,865, while the EcoBoost starts at

?¬21,495. The Zetec model I drove will cost you

?¬24,235. Naturally C02 emissions are low at 114g/km, which equates to road tax of

?¬160 until the December budget. So who needs diesel, when you can get all this power from a 1.0 litre petrol engine?

And how was my driving? Although the assessment did not pick up on the way I stopped the car at traffic lights, it was a bit like a

‘could do better’ school report, with only a seven per cent gap separating me from optimum driving.