I recently replaced my 2013 one litre 99bhp EcoBoost Fiesta for a 2020 Mk8 Vignale with the 125bhp one litre EcoBoost engine with the timing chain rather than wet belt. Driving the new car I've been a little surprised by how gutless it feels compared to my old one. You have to really push the accelerator to get it moving in first. The idle is also noticeably noisier, to the extent that I wondered if I'd been mis-sold a diesel until I opened the bonnet to check!

Is this normal? I know that the new car will be heavier because it's a newer model and being the Vignale has a lot of kit which all adds weight. My old car had 80K on the clock and the new one has 25K miles.

I'm interested to hear any experiences or opinions from people who've driven both the Mk7.5 and Mk8 1L EcoBoost cars. Are the newer ones simply more sluggish, or could there be something wrong with mine?

Could be weight to a degree with a Vignale, particularly if you have a pan roof. The Mk 8 is porkier than the Mk 7.5 anyway.

According to Ford's figures 0-62 in your old car was 11.2 secs, compared to 9.4 for the Mk 8 125, so it should be quicker, just may not feel it as it is a more refined car generally.

Could just be different mapping though - is Sport mode any more responsive? 

I've generally felt the later engine is not as "sweet" as the original 1.0 Ecoboost, wet belt issues aside 

 

 

Just to add, I remembered posting my first impressions of my previous Mk 8 1.0 (though that was still a wet belt engine) back in 2018, I said then: 

So my overall thoughts remain very much in line with my first drive, very much like the Mk 7/7.5 to drive, but with a sophistication that wasn't there before. I would sum up the difference a bit like this, if you jumped into a Mk 7 it said "C'mon! Let's go play!", But this one is more "I'm happy to play if you want to". Hope that makes sense!

 

Having had a very satisfactory 100 HP Mk8, fully loaded with a pan roof,  I now have a 125 with a higher spec than a chain drive Vignale.  I find the performance very good. 100 BHP/ Tonne is quite adequate for  everyday motoring and it is certainly quicker than a friend's Mk7. I wonder if the gear ratios are different but I suspect that the car just feels slower due to the improvement in overall refinement . I have to agree that the 2 1/2 cylinder  chain equipped engine in my parents' 2020 car is rather rougher than my wet belt triple which is smooth almost everywhere except between 3,000 and 4,500 RPM when accelerating hard.

Thanks both for the replies. My Vignale is a 2020 model, so sadly doesn't have the panoramic roof. Details of the relative kerb weights of the two cars are surprisingly hard to pin down, but broadly speaking it seems like my new car is heavier to the equivalent of carrying an extra adult male passenger around.

I've yet to try sport mode to see if it's much different, that's a good shout. I definitely agree about the sophistication/refinement comments - the Mk8 feels like a big step up.

3 hours ago, Joel Python said:

I've yet to try sport mode to see if it's much different, that's a good shout.

Yes, it won't hurt to give it a try, you may prefer the more responsive feel, or just get used to giving the accelerator a bigger push! 

The early Mk 8s, like mine, just had an Eco mode. I have wondered if when they later added Sport,  the "normal" setting was "toned down" a little to give a greater contrast and make Sport feel livelier. 

Mine has an Eco mode that I find easy to better in terms of fuel consumptiion and on Autobahnen is easily able to cruise at 185 KPH on the flat,  making about 202 in ideal conditions according to GPS which I think remarkable on a 1 litre engine. I don't think it needs a sport mode and I expect that newer cars run a detuned map in order to "create" one for extra sales appeal.  Remembering when I was a younger man, an 1100 Mini put out 45 BHP and the 850, 34.

An interesting comparison with a renowned dragster of the eighties, the incomparable  900 Turbo 8 valve of which I had more than a few.

The Fiesta is sixty Kg heavier and gives away 20 BHP with half the engine size

It gets to sixty in 9.1 seconds. The SAAB took 8.9.

So it is pretty damn' quick for a shopping trolley.

4 hours ago, anon said:

I wonder if the gear ratios are different

I have the mph/1000 rpm figures for the Mk 8 125 and the lower geared 140 (which is virtually identical to the ST). I had the 140 and often felt the lower gearing made more difference than the odd 15bhp or so.

Autocar usually give the mph/1000 figures when they do a full road test but I've never found one for the Mk7.5 1.0. If anyone has them, it would be interesting.

The Mk 8 figures, fwiw, are as below, 125 first, 140 in brackets..:

1st.     5.4          (4.84)     

2nd     9.5         (8.45)

3rd.    14.5       (12.99)

4th.     19.6       (17.59)

5th      24.6      (21.94)

6th      29.3      (26.16)

My gut feeling is that the Mk 7.5 would be lower geared, but as you say, recollection is a funny thing.

Mention of the 850 Mini reminded me of a popular mod of the day, the SPQR throttle quadrant, which you might say was similar in principle to today's "Sport mode" in enabling you to get WOT quicker. Still only got 34 bhp though!😀

One thing that's not been mentioned here is the MHEV system. If working correctly, this should give a little more "shove" at low rpm unless Joel has one of the (rare, but not unknown from posts on here) early examples of a chain cam engine without the feature.

 

Ah, yes. In those days, carpet out, slip the rack bolts, put in the column dropper and retighten. Switch extenders next and if you wanted more BHP (two or three of them,)  then an E3 needle and a blue spring was the demon tweak. My 1100 Clubman was fully upholstered inside in shag pile carpet and used to commute between Brands Hatch and Odense in about the same time as it takes today. It burned twice as much fuel and wasn't as comfortable as a Fiesta! Clearly the 140 is geared for the traffic light GP, but the 125 will happily pull 5600 in fifth which ties in well with those figures. Thanks for posting them.

19 minutes ago, anon said:

In those days, carpet out, slip the rack bolts, put in the column dropper and retighten. Switch extenders next and if you wanted more BHP (two or three of them,)  then an E3 needle and a blue spring was the demon tweak.

My past life is now flashing before my eyes!😀

18 hours ago, Eric Bloodaxe said:

One thing that's not been mentioned here is the MHEV system. If working correctly, this should give a little more "shove" at low rpm unless Joel has one of the (rare, but not unknown from posts on here) early examples of a chain cam engine without the feature.

You're right Eric, my car is not a mild hybrid. I am assuming it has the timing chain because it has the black plastic engine rocker cover and I can't see the turbocharger at the front of the engine as on the old car.

The MK8 should be much more responsive than the MK7.5 set up, what drive mode are you using?

If ECO that's why

If not, try better fuel and replace the spark plugs if you don't know when they were last changed and check the air filter is clean

42 minutes ago, Joel Python said:

You're right Eric, my car is not a mild hybrid.

As below, then? You can always post a pic of your actual engine if you want to be sure.

Interesting, the non-MHEV revised engine is pretty rare with a manual box, but the early 7 speed DCT autos were non-MHEV iirc. I don't think you mention anywhere if yours is manual or auto.

Do let us know how you get on with the drive modes. As Dave says, Eco makes it very unresponsive unless you completely floor it, which rather defeats the object.

 

On 9/1/2025 at 11:00 AM, Eric Bloodaxe said:

As below, then? You can always post a pic of your actual engine if you want to be sure.

Interesting, the non-MHEV revised engine is pretty rare with a manual box, but the early 7 speed DCT autos were non-MHEV iirc. I don't think you mention anywhere if yours is manual or auto.

Do let us know how you get on with the drive modes. As Dave says, Eco makes it very unresponsive unless you completely floor it, which rather defeats the object.

 

That's the engine my car has. It's a manual, so interesting to learn that combination is pretty rare.

Drive modes: I haven't used Eco. Been using normal (the default) or Sport. I need to experiment a little more, but I'm struggling to discern much difference between those two modes.

I think there might be something wrong with the car because I was driving it home from work today, put my foot down after changing into second and the rev counter needle was barely going up from about 1,000 rpm. In my 2013 EcoBoost it would have been flying around the dial with the same amount of accelerator pedal pressure.

I've not had the car a week yet. I need to drive it some more and maybe get a mate to give me a second opinion.

If it won't pull more than 1000rpm in second, then there is something seriously wrong and if you bought it recently from a dealer it is his problem and you camp out on his doorstep until it is fixed. I am surprised not to see a limp mode issue but I would certainly get the service department to drive it and get their opinion. Try one on another forecourt as well and see if it is different.

 

31 minutes ago, Joel Python said:

I've not had the car a week yet. I need to drive it some more and maybe get a mate to give me a second opinion.

 I've driven plenty of wet belt 1.0 ecoboosts, and the MHEV version, but not the revised engine without MHEV unfortunately, so can't comment from actual experience.

As you say, its not sounding at all right, though. 

If it's a dealer purchase, I would certainly be considering getting back there pronto. Presumably you weren't able to test drive before buying?