Ford of Europe has announced it will offer its 1.0-litre EcoBoost engine in the C-MAX and Grand C-MAX MPVs from October this year.
Available in either 100- or 125hp outputs the three-cylinder petrol unit can return diesel like fuel economy of 5.1 litres/100km (55.4mpg) with CO2 emissions as low as 117g/km. The small unit (its block can supposedly sit on an A4 sheet of paper) uses turbocharging, direct injection and variable valve timing - on both intake and exhaust - to deliver what Ford describes as the power of a naturally aspirated 1.6 with the fuel efficiency of a smaller unit.
After only one month of being on sale Ford has taken more than 4,700 orders for the new Focus EcoBoost representing a quarter of the model's take-up across Europe and so Ford is expecting big things from the C-MAX and Grand C-MAX, which have found more than 200,000 homes since introduction in 2010.
"People love this engine - it puts a smile on your face when you drive and it's amazingly fuel efficient," said Roelant de Waard, vice president, Marketing, Sales & Service, Ford of Europe. "It's already very popular on the new Focus, so it makes a lot of sense to offer it in the C-MAX and Grand C-MAX as soon as possible."
Ford predicts that, by 2015, more than half of vehicles it offers in Europe will be powered by EcoBoost engines - also available in 1.6- and 2.0-litre displacements.