While sampling our great nation's flu virus, this automotive editor covered the 2013 Consumer Electronic Show in cold, windy Las Vegas – before heading directly to colder and windier Detroit to cover the 2013 North America International Auto Show.
So, despite battling a bug that would kill lesser men, I had to do a lot of traveling. Part of that journey took me from Los Angeles to Las Vegas across the California desert for CES. That trek along I-15 gave me an opportunity to try out the 2014 Ford Fiesta 1.0 Liter Ecoboost over a long haul.
It’s a rare moment when NAIAS Detroit and CES Vegas cross over – since Ford and its Fiesta are obviously on prominent display here in Michigan.
I tested the car on a shorter run during a Ford press event in late 2012. At the time, I wrote that it was a surprisingly fun car to drive, considering that it’s powered by a 3 cylinder, 1.0 liter engine (below). After putting the through its paces during both road and track testing, I defied any average driver to tell the difference between the Fiesta Ecoboost model and the any little four cylinder car.
I found the pep of Ecoboost engine (…We call it 1.0, but it’s 1.6 – give or take…) adequate. It doesn’t jerk your head back, but the little 3 cylinder power-plant provides everything the car needs for city or highway driving – including a long drive through a lonely desert. And it’s the “long” part of the drive that highlighted the new Fiesta’s prime feature.
By shrinking the engine, adding the Ecoboost turbocharger and reducing weight, the Fiesta scores a projected average mileage of 47 mpg from a gasoline driven car. On the Vegas run, with its sea level to 4,000 foot climbs to the high desert, I was unable to replicate that 47 mpg. However, I did squeeze out 40+ for much of the drive.
The real bottom line is I was able to drive from LAX near the ocean to the Hard Rock Hotel Las Vegas on half a tank of gas. That’s roughly 300 miles logged with half a tank to spare as I ran around CES events.
At about $15,500, the 2014 Ford Fiesta Ecoboost offers an excellent alternative to a hybrid likely to cost as much as $10,000 more – whether viva’ing in Las Vegas or motown’ing to Detroit.
Check out all of Crave Online's coverage from NAIAS 2013 here!
