2 replies to this topic

[Ravenger]

I bought a new 1.6TDCi 115 Grand C-Max titanium last week, and though I love the car, the engine and gearbox performance compared to my old 1.8TDCi C-Max is terrible.

First gear is very short, the power bands are very narrow - it only seems to pull at around 2000 revs - and there seems to be a lot of turbo lag. 3rd gear is particually problematic, as even if I change up at 2000 revs it drops down to just over 1000 and then bogs down. It just doesn't 'pull' as well as my old car, and feels like it's holding back all the time. I realise the grand is bigger and heavier than my old car, and the engine CC is smaller, but it should perform better than it does.

It's definitely better than when I first got it - I've only done 300 miles so far - but I am concerned that the performance isn't what it should be, and possibly I should reject the car. However I've read some reports that other ford owners with the same engine are having similar issues, and it may be a general problem with the newer 1.6 TDCi engines.

Has anyone else here had the same problem?

[DaveMondy]

I just swapped my 2008 1.8TDCi Titanium for a 2011 1.6TDCi Titanium.

Both engines should have 115PS output. However, the 1.8 has more torque, even though it's older and a (much) smokier engine too. I'm also really disappointed in the performance of my car, which I bought used with 20,000 miles on the clock.

The engine is definitely run-in, but around town in cold weather, I'm only getting around 34-35mpg. My 1.8 was giving me 37-38mpg.

In my 1.8, in first gear, I'd gradually let the clutch out for smooth pulling-away. However, I find that if I do that in the 1.6, it bogs down and I get nothing. Today i'm trying to modify my driving by increasing the revs and letting the clutch out quickly. It's not smooth and elegant, but it makes for much quicker pulling away, without the fear of stalling due to bogging down.

Interestingly enough, this engine also appears in the (much lighter) Fiesta with 95PS. I owned one for 6 months and it drove really well. I wonder what it's like in the Mondeo Econetic though?

I'm taking the car on a longer run to France next week, so I'll try and remember to report back upon my return.

[Focus TDCi 115]

Yeah, I knew Ford customers would find the 1.6 diesel a bit underpowered in the larger models. Can you believe the 1.6 TDCi 115 engine can also be found in the Mondeo/S-Max and Galaxy models. I would hate to drive a Galaxy with this engine. Clearly these larger cars need the 2.0 TDCi engine for more than adequate pulling power.