cyrenepenya: Ford touts "Four in the Forties": Four vehicles with 40 mpg highway or better

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

Ford touts "Four in the Forties": Four vehicles with 40 mpg highway or better

Filed under: Ford

2011 Ford Fiesta - Click above for high-res image gallery

Ford wants you to know that it has Four in the Forties. More specifically, four of its vehicles are rated at 40 miles per gallon or better. This reminder comes hot on the heels of an announcement made by Hyundai last Friday that every model of new 2012 Elantra, lineup will achieve 40 mpg on the highway.

Right now, only three of the Blue Oval's vehicles actually wear the 40-mpg badge of honor: the Fiesta SE with SFE package, Fusion Hybrid and Lincoln MKZ Hybrid. Despite what Ford's press release after the jump claims, each member of this trio is NOT rated at 41 mpg in the city and 40 mpg on the highway - only the hybrids. The Fiesta tops out at 29 city/40 highway. The fourth member to join this family is expected to be the 2012 Focus, as soon as Ford finishes tuning its 2.0-liter, direct-injection engine and six-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission. Once the Focus is ready to go, Ford claims it will be the first, and only, full-line automaker to offer four vehicles that are capable 40 mpg. Ford also claims that its fleet fuel economy has risen faster than any other automaker, some 19.2 percent from 2004 to 2009.

It's really a matter of investment dollars, and Ford's decision to invest in new powertrains is clearly paying off with a more fuel efficient fleet. That fleet will get even more thrifty once Ford's new 2.0-liter four-cylinder EcoBoost becomes available in the Edge and Explorer, two CUVs that would traditionally offer only a large V6 or V8 option.

But Ford shouldn't get too cocky, as all of its competitors are on the same path towards fleet-wide fuel savings and gaining momentum, not the least of which to be worried about is truck-free Hyundai/Kia juggernaut out of Korea.

Gallery: Review: 2011 Ford Fiesta SES