Ford’s tiny little powerhouse EcoBoost 1.0-lire — the engine that’s in the cute little Fiesta — is an engineering marvel. It’s only 92kW soaking wet, but it packs in a bunch of Ford’s latest tech — and that’s why it’s just won the top gong at The 2017 International Engine of the Year awards for the sub-litre class.
The annual International Engine of the Year awards are judged by a panel of 58 journalists from 31 countries, and this year’s top outright award went to Ferrari’s 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8, as seen — and heard, very heard — in the 488 GTB, for the second year in a row.
What tops that, though, is the fact that the EcoBoost 1.0 has won its particular niche six years in a row, winning top honours in its class for every single year since its 2012 launch. It’s improved for the 2018 model year with cylinder deactivation-on-demand — down to just two cylinders during light engine load, with that process taking just 14 milliseconds, which Ford says is apparently 20 times faster than the blink of an eye.
You can get that buzzy little turbo 1.0-litre in the manual or auto Fiesta Sport and the manual EcoSport Trend in Australia, by the way. [Ford]