I wonder how much this would cost to run on biodeisel? M

Ford Introduces 63.6 MPG ECOnetic Diesel Fiesta... Only in Europe : TreeHugger

Ford Introduces 63.6 MPG ECOnetic Diesel Fiesta... Only in Europe

by Michael Graham Richard, Gatineau, Canada on 07.24.08
Cars & Transportation
Buzz up!


Ford Fiesta ECOnetic photo


Ford Fiesta ECOnetic Diesel


At the British International Motor Show, Ford has introduced the ECOnetic version of its Ford Fiesta. The engine is a 1.6-liter Duratorq TDCi (diesel) that has been tweaked for efficiency. Fuel economy for the ECOnetic Fiesta is 3.7 L/100km (63.6 mpg US) combined, or 3.2 L/100km (73.5 mpg US) on the highway! It's not exactly a race car, with 0 to 60 mph in 12 seconds, but those who will buy it won't care, the mileage will more than make up for it.

Fuel Saving Tricks
The ECOnetic Fiesta uses a bunch of tricks to reduce fuel consumption, things like improved aerodynamics (its coefficient of drag is 0.33), weight reduction, low rolling resistance tires, and enhanced lubrication. Simple enhancements that could be used on most cars.


Ford Fiesta ECOnetic photo

Bad News and Good News

The ECOnetic Fiesta would undoubtedly be a big hit in the USA (especially with the biodiesel crowd), but unfortunately, Ford will only sell them in Europe for now. They have plans to bring the Fiesta to the US market, but probably not before about a year and a half (come on!). There's also a chance that other Euro-models will come to the North-American market under the Mercury brand, probably manufactured in re-tooled truck and SUV factories.

It is also not clear if only the regular Fiesta will come to the US or if the ECOnetic version will too. At least it is coming, but Ford could probably sell a ton of them if it only hurried up a bit. If they wait too long, who knows what their competitors will have on the market by then.

Ford Fiesta ECOnetic photo

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National Debt =

But given the cost of diesel, I don't see where this is going to save a lot of money.

I think it would be great to have cars in the US that get 60+ mpg - as long as they're kept under $15,000 so that most people can afford them.

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A panda walks into a cafe. He orders a sandwich, eats it, then draws a gun and fires two shots in the air.

"Why?" asks the confused waiter, as the panda makes toward the exit. The panda produces a badly punctuated wildlife manual and tosses it over his shoulder.

"I'm a panda," he says at the door. "Look it up."

The waiter turns to the relevant entry and, sure enough, finds an explanation.

"Panda. Large black-and-white bear-like mammal, native to China. Eats, shoots and leaves."

That's why I was specifically saying I would be interested in seeing how much it would cost to fuel this car on biodiesel.

Diesel locally here is over $5 a gallon and that would make this the equivalent of running an average car making half of that gas mileage at $2.50 a gallon.

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National Debt =

But is the gas tank as large as the average car's?

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A panda walks into a cafe. He orders a sandwich, eats it, then draws a gun and fires two shots in the air.

"Why?" asks the confused waiter, as the panda makes toward the exit. The panda produces a badly punctuated wildlife manual and tosses it over his shoulder.

"I'm a panda," he says at the door. "Look it up."

The waiter turns to the relevant entry and, sure enough, finds an explanation.

"Panda. Large black-and-white bear-like mammal, native to China. Eats, shoots and leaves."