Ford Marks 30 Years Of Diesel Power

THE MIGHTY Blue Oval is marking 30 years of diesel power this year. 1984 saw the introduction of Ford’s derv-powered Fiesta and, to illustrate the power of the black pump, the firm now sells almost 119,000 of them.

According to the carmaker, today diesel power represents 38.5 per cent of all Ford car sales, making the introduction of its first mainstream diesel car a significant landmark.

Now, 30 years on, today’s Ford Fiesta has been named “Small Car of the Year 2014” by Diesel Car magazine for the third year in a row.

The UK’s best-selling car for the past five years, the Fiesta, was launched with the company’s first volume diesel engine in April 1984. At the time, Ford’s large car range, including the Granada, had offered a 2.1-litre, 64 horsepower diesel from 1977.

The original 1,608cc diesel engine, also used to power the Ford Escort and Orion models, was boosted to 1,753cc in 1988 and became a mainstay of Ford products for the next 20 years.

Today’s Fiesta diesel range is a world apart from its low power beginnings, with all variations emitting less than 100g/km of CO2. The 1.6-litre Econetic variant with engine start-stop technology returns a combined 85.6mpg, with CO2 emissions as low as 85g/km.

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