Ford Fiesta 1.6 TDCi Econetic 95 CO2 - how good is it ?

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Thu 1 Dec 2011 15:30
Ford Fiesta 1.6 TDCi Econetic 95 CO2 - how good is it ? - MikeTorque

I am seriously considering purchasing this car but a few niggles concern me. The brakes are a little soft at the beginning of brake pressure and the ride and comfort levels over bumps tends to be a bit choppy, the clutch - read below.

Also on the test car I drove the clutch bite was only 1 cm from the floor. It was a used car with 3.5k on the clock, other non-econetic Fiesta's I've tried didn't have this problem. Is there an issue with the Econetic or did this car have a clutch issue ? Even the sales guy had problems controlling the clutch even though he insisted they were all like that, I disagreed with him and said it was fault.

Is this the norm for this car in your experience and if not can anything be done to resolve these issues ? Thanks.

Edited by MikeTorque on 01/12/2011 at 15:30

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Thu 1 Dec 2011 21:53
Ford Fiesta 1.6 TDCi Econetic 95 CO2 - how good is it ? - Avant

Not sure if you're buying new or used, but all versions are reviewed on this site - look under 'car reviews' and you should find (under 'what's bad') any endemic problems.

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Thu 1 Dec 2011 22:17
Ford Fiesta 1.6 TDCi Econetic 95 CO2 - how good is it ? - jamie745

Its overpriced, i'll tell you that much.

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Thu 1 Dec 2011 22:17
Ford Fiesta 1.6 TDCi Econetic 95 CO2 - how good is it ? - MikeTorque

Not sure if you're buying new or used, but all versions are reviewed on this site - look under 'car reviews' and you should find (under 'what's bad') any endemic problems.

I've read the Fiesta review but there is no mention about the issuesI've raised so would appreciate hearing from otherswith Fiesta Econetic driving experiences.

Good discounts for new and used cars are available.

Edited by MikeTorque on 01/12/2011 at 22:18

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Thu 1 Dec 2011 22:18
Ford Fiesta 1.6 TDCi Econetic 95 CO2 - how good is it ? - jamie745

Ive driven the 1.4TDCi, not the Econetic but all the Econetic really is is a 1.6TDCi Fiesta which has been lowered a little, made a bit more aerodynamic, couple of minor engine tweaks and the gearbox ratio's changed. Whatever issues apply to the standard TDCi Fiesta can pretty much be applied to the Econetic.

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Fri 2 Dec 2011 18:08
Ford Fiesta 1.6 TDCi Econetic 95 CO2 - how good is it ? - MikeTorque

Ive driven the 1.4TDCi, not the Econetic but all the Econetic really is is a 1.6TDCi Fiesta which has been lowered a little, made a bit more aerodynamic, couple of minor engine tweaks and the gearbox ratio's changed. Whatever issues apply to the standard TDCi Fiesta can pretty much be applied to the Econetic.

I've driven the 1.4 TDCi and it's nosier than the 1.6 TDCi. The Econetic has 175/65 tyres compared to 195/50 for Edge/Zetec so I'm wondering if the Econetic is more comfortable due to the higher profile tyres ?

Also I've read the gear box sump nut can rub on the ground when the Econetic is driven over large roard bumps due to the reduction in ground clearance when driven over large speed humps, anyone ever experience this ?

The longer drive ratios on the 1.6 TDCi Econetic blunts acceleration a little compared with the standrad 1,6 TDCi, with 70mph being only at 2000 rpm in 5th gear. Does this mean day to day driving on urban roads & rural roads is any problem ?

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Wed 7 Dec 2011 17:50
Ford Fiesta 1.6 TDCi Econetic 95 CO2 - how good is it ? - MikeTorque

Having had another test drive using a different 1.6 TDCi Econetic I can confirm the ride is more comfortable with the 175/65 tyres compared to the 195/50 tyres on non-econetic cars.

Also the smaller overall footprint of the 4 tyres (some 80mm less than standard tyres) means there is less road surface to ride over and this translates to less road noise and fewer bumps being transmitted into the cable area. This in turn translates to a real improvement in cable refinement and comfort, and at the legal max speed (70 mph) road noise is well suppressed on all roads surfaces.

However, the 1.6 TDCi Econetic 95 CO2 version felt a little over geared as a result of the recent change made to the final drive ration. The 1.6 TDCi Econetic 98 CO2 version and the 1.6 TDCi 107 CO2 versions both feel more responsive and low down torque characteristics were noticably better in real life city driving conditions. Out of the open the road similar differences are also noticable but there is enough mid range torque from around 1500 rpm to cope with any road conditions.

What are your experiences of driving the various Fiesta 1.6 TDCi configurations ? Any preferences ?

Also how does the Fiesta Edge/Zetec 1.25 82 ps petrol compare with the 1.6 TDCi in day to day driving in your experience ?

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