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AUSTRALIA – Which automobile company has beaten Toyota Prius with a fuel-efficient diesel car? That was the first question posed by a general knowledge challenge in the country’s biggest-selling national newspaper on Wednesday.
The answer: Ford, of course.
While the 10-question quiz in The Australian tests a wide breadth of knowledge ranging from the local (Abbotsleigh School for Girls is located in which Sydney suburb?) to the general (What grows from the walls of caves in any direction?), the Fiesta ECOnetic was undoubtedly the star of the quiz.
Due to go on sale on December 1, Ford’s latest fuel sipper has dethroned the Prius as Australia’s most fuel-efficient car, a position that the hybrid held since its launch in 2001. The Fiesta ECOnetic uses just 3.7 litres of fuel per 100km in official tests, shading the Toyota by 0.2 litres per 100k.
It also produces fewer CO2 emissions than any other conventional, internal combustion engine vehicle, with an official CO2 emission rating of 98 grams per kilometre – making it only the second vehicle in Australia to achieve CO2 emissions under 100g/km and the only non-hybrid vehicle to attain such an ultra-low CO2 standard.
Setting a new benchmark for fuel economy and being crowned Australia’s most fuel-efficient car, the Fiesta ECOnetic is expected to get people rethinking perceptions of Ford vehicles as gas guzzlers.
Not only will it trump the Prius at the pump – costing just AUD 0.14 less than Toyota’s hybrid for every 100km driven – but with a drive-away price of AUD 24,900, it will also have a big price advantage over the more than AUD 40,000 for the Prius.
The Fiesta ECOnetic looks and functions just like a conventional Fiesta, using a combination of the latest-generation common rail diesel powertrain, together with a carefully selected list of features specifically engineered to reduce fuel consumption and CO2 emissions.
"Ford is fully committed to working towards fuel economy leadership in every segment in which we compete, across local and imported vehicles," said Ford Australia president and CEO Marin Burela.
"Fiesta ECOnetic perfectly balances a stylish, affordable car that considers the environment and our future, without compromising the style or technology which has made the Fiesta one of Australia and the world’s most popular small cars," he added.
"It brings together a whole range of clever thinking and technologies that are available right now, creating a 'greener' vehicle that delivers economy without compromise and genuine savings against the fuel cost of daily driving."