Ford's 1.0-liter EcoBoost engine. Image: Ford Motor Company
Automobiles with three cylinder engines have long been the butt of jokes among auto enthusiasts. Anyone who’s ever driven a Geo Metro, for example, knows that acceleration wasn’t one of the car’s strengths. It returned amazing fuel economy and offered a fair amount of practicality, but getting from point A to point B in a hurry wasn’t one of its strong points.
Even four-cylinder engines weren’t always enough to keep car guys amused, but automakers have now topped 100 horsepower per liter in normally aspirated engines. Throw some forced induction into the recipe, and suddenly the smaller and lighter engines have serious potential.
That’s Ford’s thinking behind its latest engine, a 1.0-liter, three-cylinder EcoBoost model that’s currently under development. Reports from Autocar, via Left Lane News, say that Ford is pushing to get 177-horsepower from the engine, courtesy of both an electric supercharger and a conventionally spun turbocharger.
While the performance variant probably wouldn’t be a mainstream engine, it could make an appearance in a Focus model slotted below the Focus ST, or in a higher-performance version of the subcompact Fiesta. In more pedestrian trim, Ford is planning on building some 1.3 million units of its three cylinder per year.
Ford is also rumored to be working on a 320 horsepower version of its 2.3-liter four, likely using a similar method of combined forced induction. When it comes to engines, it looks like sixes are the new eights, fours are the new sixes and triples are the new fours. Since less weight equals better handling, we’re good with this plan.
Kurt Ernst has been passionate about automobiles and driving nearly his entire life. His early years were shaped working in the family service station, though his real passion was auto racing. After graduating from the University of Colorado, Kurt spent a year club racing with the Sports Car Club of America, before focusing on a business career in marketing and project management. Later, his passion for writing and the automotive hobby found him freelancing for a variety of automotive news sites, including Automotive Addicts and Motor Authority, where his work was syndicated and appeared in several national publications. Recognized as an expert in the automotive field, Kurt joined Hemmings Motor News as an Associate Editor in 2013, and in the years since has progressed to Editor, Hemmings Daily; Managing Editor for Hemmings Motor News, Hemmings Classic Car, Hemmings Muscle Machines, and the Hemmings Daily; and now, Managing Editor, Hemmings Auctions. Kurt was instrumental in organizing the Hemmings Motor News Concours d’Elegance from 2013-2019, and has served as a judge at this event and The Vintage Racing Stable Concours d’Elegance. A Skip Barber Racing School graduate and prolific writer, Ernst is also skilled in copyediting, project management, brand development, and public relations.
