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4.5
By Glen Waddington
First Drives
30 April 2008 12:44
Ford’s gone green with the Focus Econetic, so you can put that order for a Toyota Prius on hold. Stick a pair of sill extensions and narrow tyres on a Focus, lower it, and you get a drag factor of 0.31 and a class-leading carbon output of 115g/km. It even comes with a natty little Econetic badge on the bootlid, too.
This Focus makes no pretence at being a hot hatch. Ford’s after an entirely different sector of the market – although maybe not that different. Clearly it’s after people who want to show off, just in a different way.
You see, you could save yourself £250 and buy a Focus Style with the same engine: a particulate-filtered 109bhp diesel. You’d pump out slightly more CO2 (119g/km) and be slightly less frugal (62.7mpg rather than 65.6mpg) but you’d do so without feeling as self-conscious as the gawky-looking Econetic makes you feel.
You’re right. Ford’s facelifted Focus looks a bit stuffy in the company of its S-Max and forthcoming Fiesta. And the skinny tyres, hubcaps and sill extensions only make this one look all the nerdier.
Click 'Next' below to read the rest of our Ford Focus Econetic first drive
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Ford Focus 1.6 Econetic (2008) CAR review
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babametca says
RE: Ford Focus Econetic driven
"Gmbh" "if that were true then surely all cars would have skinny tyres as standard? " This is easy. They sell the cars with bigger tires, because they have contracts with the tire manufacturers and bigger tires means "bigger" money for tires when it comes to changing them. And I Do belive that with the standart 1.6 Diesel and those skinny tires you can achieve the same fuel economy and CO2 levels. It's pure phisics - skinny tyres = less friction = less fuel = lower CO2. And there is no need for Ford to tell us that by making this thing, or this is a pure marketing decision to put this on production for those people that are only seeking the "ECO" badge in a car, and not using their brains.
21 July 2009 12:12
mini1 says
Ford should be commended. IF Ford can do this, and the 119g/km normal TDCi, then anyone can. It just shows that Volkswagen aren't trying very hard with the Bluemotions!
11 May 2008 17:43
Gmbh says
What a waste of time! A car dreamt up by marketing men. 115g/km or 119g/km of co2. The difference is so small its irrelevant.You'll pay exactly the same in road tax, company car tax and most probably fuel, so why bother? Ford should just be proud that the standard Focus 1.6TDCi comes in at just 119g/km. Thats the REAL acheivement. Oh, and im tired of hearing that these skinny tyred cars drive just as well as the regular models - if that were true then surely all cars would have skinny tyres as standard?
30 April 2008 17:09
comment8 says
... It’s just that the Econetic seems a bit of a token gesture, engineered to garner headlines with its ‘lowest in class’ CO2 claims. In every respect apart from its shallow re-engineering... Funny how the same tricks played by BMW got them a CAR car of the year award (your stop-start Mini 1.6 is less economical than your 2.0 Civic "R")
30 April 2008 13:49
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