1.5 ECOBOOST

FOUND IN MK8 FIESTA ST & PUMA ST

Following the Mk7 Fiesta ST was never going to be easy, but when Ford needed to get the Mk8 and new Puma ST through the more stringent Euro6 emissions tests, it needed to update the trusty 1.6 EcoBoost.

The answer was the 1.5, which shares nothing in common with the earlier 1.5s found in cars like the Mk3 Focus, C-Max and Mondeo. That engine (which we shall call the I4) was a downsized version of the 1.6 four-cylinder, built to take advantage of Chinese vehicle tax regulations.

No, the 1.5 in the Mk8 Fiesta

ST is quite different. Called the Dragon, this new engine has only three cylinders. But that hasn’t affected performance; the new motor produces the same 197bhp and 214lb.ft as the top-spec ST200 Mk7. In the Puma, it boasts even more torque at 236lb.ft.

The 1.5 picks up where the 1.6 left off in terms of tuning potential too. Already we’ve seen first-stage software upgrades increase power to over 230bhp, and add if you add some fundamental bolt-ons such as air filter, exhaust and a more aggressive remap, 260-to-270bhp is easily attained.

Over 300bhp is already on offer with big turbo upgrades,and tuners are constantly developing new products to push things even further; 1.5-litre tuning is far from finished.