WHEN I told a colleague I’d be test driving a one-litre car for It’s Our World he scoffed.

“That’ll be great going up hills,” Robbo sniffed.

A day later and I’m cruising at 70mph on the steepest and longest hill the M62 can throw at me, between Milnrow and Rishworth Moor.

The car, Ford’s new Focus EcoBoost, seems to be managing just fine. I could even, if I wanted to, break the law and drive faster with relative ease, but I wouldn’t recommend that kind of caper.

EcoBoost is Ford’s latest range for those whose hobbies include pastimes other than visiting petrol stations and sending their wages out the exhaust pipe in smoke. In the past the idea of one-litre, three-cylinder engine sounded about as attractive as a hernia. But when you realise this engine generates 125hp that hernia is starting to sound quite desirable.

The EcoBoost, which is Ford’s cleanest petrol engine yet, has some high-tech turbo technology which means you’ll only empty the fuel tank when you put your foot right down. When you bury your foot, by the way, it’s pretty sprightly.

While official figures claim the car will average 56.5mpg on the combined cycle, I managed 43mpg which isn’t bad. I dare say I could have achieved more had I driven it like my late grandma.

When you stop at the traffic lights and put the car in neutral the engine switches off so you don’t waste any fuel keeping it ticking over. Press the clutch again and it’s up and running again.

One thing you’ll notice about the Focus EcoBoost is how comfortable and quiet it is. Occasionally you’ll think you’ve stalled only to see the rev counter is still alive and breathing.

And if you opt for Zetec spec or above you won’t be short of comforts either; alloy wheels, air conditioning, digital radio, MP3 player etc.

The real draw however is how (relatively) cheap the Focus EcoBoost is to run. It produces just 109g of CO2 per kilometre, which means a year’s road tax will cost a measly £20. Compare that to Ford’s 1.6-litre petrol Focus which will cost £115 a year to tax.

Compared to the 1.6-litre model there was very little difference. In fact, I found the turbo boost you get in the one-litre version more exciting.

If you’re a hardcore environmentalist the Focus EcoBoost isn’t going to interest you, and until they invent an electric vehicle you can actually use, neither will any car.

But for the rest of us, who can’t (or won’t) rely on public transport and don’t want a miserable, sluggish drive, the Focus EcoBoost is a wise choice.

The Facts

Model: Ford Focus EcoBoost 1.0 (125ps) Zetec

Price: £17,945

0-62mph: 11.3sec

Fuel consumption: 56.5mpg (claimed)

Thanks to Polar Ford, St Andrew’s Road: 01484 429675

www.polarford.co.uk/dealers/huddersfield