This is my first Ford TDCI without a PSA engine and I’m in two minds about recommending it to be honest.

It’s by no means the worst engine in the world but the 1.6/2.0 TDCI engines are newer, ultimately smoother and a bit more responsive and economical.
If you’re looking for something that’ll primarily live on the motorway, then it’s adequate. Otherwise it’s pretty reluctant to perform everywhere else.  Even though there’s plenty of torque to be had whilst on the turbo, there’s also a noticeable amount of lag.   Ultimately, it feels like it’s from the previous generation of diesel engines before they began to use lighter internal components, and so it just isn’t as keen to rev/respond to throttle inputs after our last 1.6.

Economy wasn’t the greatest for a diesel either; wavering around 38mpg in the city to 46mpg on the occasional motorway cruise.

That said the engine did noticeably smooth out after it had been run in (pretty much bang on at 1001 miles) and it was smooth enough when settled down at a cruise.

More importantly though; despite the engine being a bit old school, it appears to be the more reliable one of the three available in the long run!

Incidents of turbo failure appear to be more frequent in the 1.6 litre towards 100k miles. The 2.0 litre models have found fewer customers – so fewer incidents have been recorded – but these 1.8’s seem to stand the test of time better.

Spec: Zetec 3dr 2008MY
Engine: 1.8 TDCI Diesel, 113bhp, 207lb ft
Transmission: 5 Speed Manual
Mpg - Official: 54.2mpg Achieved: 39-44mpg
Performance: 0-62mph: 10.8 Secs, 118mph
Colour: Vision Blue
Running Period: Autumn 2008 – Spring 2009, 5000 Miles
Options: Sport Pack (17” 8 spoke Alloys, Privacy Glass), Rear Parking Sensors.