Ford 1.0L takes third-straight International Engine of the Year award

Thu, 26 Jun 2014

Ford's 1.0-liter EcoBoost is proving to be The Little Engine That Could, and it continues to acquit itself well, finding favor as one of the best powerplants in the world. To confirm it yet again, the tiny mill just won the International Engine of the Year award for the third year in a row, likewise also nabbing the title in the Sub 1.0-liter category.

Packing 123 horsepower and 148 pound-feet of torque with overboost (125 lb-ft normally), the tiny engine combines impressive power in a size small enough to be a carry-on item for a commercial flight. US buyers only got a taste of the award winner in the 2014 Fiesta, while the 1.0 EcoBoost has been available throughout the Ford lineup in Europe for a few years now. American sales have reportedly been strong, however, and next up in the US, the mill will find its way into the 2015 Focus.

The panel of 82 jury members from 34 countries also named the Mercedes-AMG 2.0-liter turbo found in the A45, CLA45 and GLA45 AMG models with 355 hp and 332 lb-ft as the best New Engine for 2014. The electric powertrain from Tesla won Green Engine prize, and the 4.5-liter V8 from the Ferrari 458 Italia took home the honor of top Performance Engine yet again. You can check out all the winners below, and scroll down further to read Ford's celebratory announcement of its award.

International Engine of the Year - Ford 999cc three-cylinder turbo
Green Engine - Tesla full-electric powertrain
New Engine - Mercedes-AMG 2.0-liter turbo
Performance Engine - Ferrari 4.5-liter eight-cylinder
Sub 1.0-liter - Ford 999cc three-cylinder turbo
1.0-liter to 1.4-liter - Volkswagen Group 1.4-liter four-cylinder TSI Twincharger
1.4-liter to 1.8-liter - BMW-PSA Peugeot Citroën 1.6-liter four-cylinder turbo petrol
1.8-liter to 2.0-liter - Mercedes-AMG 2.0-liter four-cylinder turbo
2.0-liter to 2.5-liter - Audi 2.5-liter five-cylinder turbo
2.5-liter to 3-liter - BMW 3.0-liter twin-power turbo six-cylinder gasoline
3.0-liter to 4-liter - McLaren 3.8-liter eight-cylinder
Above 4.0-liter - Ferrari 4.5-liter eight-cylinder

FORD 1.0-LITER ECOBOOST ENGINE WINS UNPRECEDENTED THIRD CONSECUTIVE INTERNATIONAL ENGINE OF THE YEAR HONORS

Ford 1.0-liter EcoBoost® engine named 2014 International Engine of the Year for an unprecedented third consecutive year

Fuel-efficient and powerful 1.0-liter EcoBoost – available in Ford Fiesta and upcoming 2015 Focus – also named Best Engine Under 1.0-Liter for third year in a row

Judges call 1.0-liter EcoBoost engine "one of the finest examples of powertrain engineering" as it finishes ahead of entries from premium and supercar brands

Ford Motor Company's 1.0-liter EcoBoost® engine, which lowers fuel consumption without sacrificing power, was today named 2014 International Engine of the Year for an unprecedented third straight year.

The 1.0-liter EcoBoost – available for Ford Fiesta and slated as a power offering for the 2015 Focus as well – fought off competition from premium brands and supercar contenders to win the award for its driveability, performance, economy, refinement and technology.

A panel of 82 automotive journalists from 35 countries also named the engine Best Engine Under 1.0-Liter for the third year in a row at Engine Expo 2014 in Stuttgart, Germany.

"To deliver the complete package of eye-popping fuel economy, surprising performance and real refinement, we knew this little 1.0-liter engine would have to be a game changer," said Bob Fascetti, vice president, Ford Powertrain Engineering. "Through our One Ford approach to development, EcoBoost continues to set the benchmark for power combined with fuel efficiency from a gasoline engine."

The 1.0-liter EcoBoost has now won 13 major awards. In addition to collecting seven International Engine of the Year awards in three years – including Best New Engine in 2012 – the 1.0-liter EcoBoost also was awarded the International Paul Pietsch Award 2013 for technological innovation in Germany; the Dewar Trophy from Royal Automobile Club in Great Britain; and the Breakthrough Award from Popular Mechanics in the United States. Ford is the first automaker to win a Ward's 10 Best Engines trophy for a three-cylinder engine.

"This year's competition was the fiercest yet, but the 1.0-liter EcoBoost continues to stand out for all the right reasons – great refinement, surprising flexibility and excellent efficiency," said Dean Slavnich, co-chairman, 16th International Engine of the Year awards and editor, Engine Technology International magazine. "The 1.0-liter EcoBoost engine is one of the finest examples of powertrain engineering."

Global power

Ford vehicles equipped with the 1.0-liter EcoBoost engine are now available in 72 countries worldwide. Later this year, U.S. customers will be able to buy the new Focus 1.0-liter EcoBoost. The Fiesta 1.0-liter EcoBoost is in dealerships now.

More than 200 engineers and designers from Ford research and development centers in Aachen and Merkenich in Germany, and Dagenham and Dunton in the United Kingdom spent 5 million-plus hours developing the 1.0-liter EcoBoost engine.

The engine's compact, low-inertia turbocharger spins at up to 248,000 rpm – more than 4,000 times per second and almost twice the maximum rpm of the turbochargers powering 2014 Formula 1 race car engines.

With an engine block small enough to fit in the overhead luggage compartment of an airplane, the 1.0-liter features a cylinder head with an integrated and cooled exhaust manifold that lowers exhaust temperatures for optimizing the fuel-to-air ratio. An innovative flywheel and front pulley design delivers improved refinement compared with traditional three-cylinder engine designs.

Engine friction is reduced by specially coated pistons, low-tension piston rings, low-friction crank seals and a cam-belt-in-oil design. A variable-displacement oil pump tailors lubrication to demand and optimizes oil pressure for improved fuel efficiency.

"The 1.0-liter EcoBoost was created as a radical, smaller-displacement engine to meet the biggest automotive challenge in the world – no-compromise refinement, performance and great fuel economy," said Andrew Fraser, manager, Gasoline Calibration, Ford of Europe. "The secret to EcoBoost success is a range of innovative technologies that deliver big-car benefits from a small engine."

By Chris Bruce