New technology...

[Jim Warman]

In another thread, I'd mentioned that Fiesta Production started on May 11 in Mexico. I was 'driven' (pun intended) to check out this new little piss-cutter and Im beginning to be nearly amazed.

 

It isn't getting the 1.6 EcoBoost.... yet, but I can see it in the cars future. As it stands, the car will have twin independantly variable cam timing. Rated at 120 HP, I imagine they can make the torque curve do back flips with cam tining events. The EcoBoost 1.6 is touted as having up to 180 HP.

 

It will have the PowerShift as an option - this is an automatic trans that isn't an automatic trans... if you're interested, the WSM is up for this car... This is the trans that has two clutches mounted to two concentric input shafts.

 

Some of the other nifty (or maybe not so nifty) stuff. It will have EPAS, something that Ford seems to be heading for. Stability control appears to be standard equipment and now the steering system features "active nibble control" as well as "pull/drift compensation". Basically, the car can compensate for crosswind, road crown, misalignment, tire and balance issues... Wow! The EPAS section in the WSM features interactive diagnostics in place of a symptom chart (remember what I said about "dumbing down" the techs role?).

 

Of course it will include all of the mundane electronic toys we are seeing on several models now... and only a matter of time before they imagine some more new ones.