Ford EcoBoost triple wins again

Ford's three-cylinder EcoBoost engine has notched up yet another result in the International Engine of the Year awards, making eight wins over the past four years.

Of those wins, four have been in its category – best engine under 1.0 litres – and three in a row were for the overall win. The EcoBoost triple is the only engine ever to have achieved this feat. In addition to those accolades, the three-cylinder was also judged best new engine back in 2012.

"The 1.0-litre EcoBoost engine changed the game for small petrol engines and we're proud it remains best in class despite a growing number of competitors," says Joe Bakaj, vice president, Product Development, Ford of Europe.

"The spirit of innovation that helped us create this engine is alive and well and we continue to develop new engines."

It's a remarkable achievement against other, much more fancied rivals. The three-cylinder is positioned very much in the bargain basement end of the mass market, and powers one in five Ford vehicles built in Europe during 2014.

Ford has not ended development of the highly-regarded small engine, however; it is studying cylinder deactivation to eke out even longer range for fewer CO2 emissions. In collaboration with Schaeffler Group, Ford is developing a dual-mass flywheel for the engine. Not only does the new flywheel reduce fuel consumption by up to six per cent, but prototype tests in Germany reveal it's quieter and smoother too.

"Even for an aggressively downsized engine such as the 1.0-litre EcoBoost, a significant improvement in vehicle fuel economy could be found by exploiting cylinder deactivation," said Carsten Weber, advanced powertrain manager, Ford of Europe.

"The highest priority in the development of new combustion engines for automotive applications is the ongoing reduction of fuel consumption."

The International Engine of the Year awards are judged each year by 87 motoring journalists from 35 different countries.