FORD has set a new benchmark for low cost motoring by developing Britain's greenest family car.
The new Fiesta ECOnetic has CO2 emissions of only 98g/km and is said to be capable of averaging more than 76 miles per gallon.
It makes the eco version of the nation's favourite hatchback exempt from road tax while managing more than 750 miles between fill-ups.
Theoretically that means monthly fuel costs for the average motorist of around £50.
The Fiesta ECOnetic is powered by a 1.6-litre diesel engine, recalibrated for optimum economy.
It costs from £12,445 for a three-door version, some £500 less than the 1.6 Zetec diesel Fiesta on which it is based. Five-door ECOnetics are priced from £12,945.
At a glance the ECOnetic looks the same as the regular Fiesta, distinguished in its latest guise with sharp body lines.
Examination of the eco car reveals rear air deflectors and lowered suspension, all designed to improve aerodynamics.
Special tyres with low rolling resistance reduce drag further while the engine uses low friction oil and fifth gear operates at a lower ratio to eke the most out of each precious gallon.
There is no spare wheel to save weight - the car comes with a temporary puncture repair kit - and there is no air conditioning.
To encourage drivers to change gear correctly Ford has fitted the Fiesta ECOnetic with a shift indicator - a green arrow which flashes on the dashboard at the appropriate moment.
The result is the greenest five seat diesel car money can buy and one of only a handful of models on sale at the moment with CO2 emissions lower than 100g/km.
It is cleaner than any hybrid and joins Ford's growing green club. The company now produces 51 models with emissions below 120g/km and has already developed ECOnetic versions of the Focus and Mondeo with others to follow.
Performance is slightly slower than the standard Fiesta 1.6 diesel with the ECOnetic taking 12.3 seconds 0 to 60 but most drivers would never spot the difference. Fuel economy is claimed to be an improvement of nine mpg with CO2 down 12g/km.
Fifth gear is noticeably different and the lower ratio means this is now purely for cruising. A drop down to fourth is necessary for most overtaking manoeuvres.
Official figures rate the ECOnetic at 61.4mpg around town but in reality most drivers will be averaging around 55mpg.
On a 50-mile trip taking in urban work and a 30-mile stretch of dual carriageway I achieved 61.8mpg according to the car's onboard computer. That's good but not as impressive as I was expecting.
The pattern appeared to be in the low-to-mid 50s around town and high 60s on the open road, although the feeling is the longer the cruise the better the mpg is going to be.
Whichever way you look at it the ECOnetic is going to save drivers money.
With diesel hovering around a pound a litre, the average driver covering 10,000 miles a year will pay around £585 to fuel a Fiesta ECOnetic - that's £90, or two tanks of fuel, less than you would expect to pay for a standard 1.6-litre diesel Fiesta.
Factor in the tax savings and that adds up to £125 a year. Do the same sums for a petrol-engined Fiesta and the ECOnetic represents a saving of around £200 a year in fuel costs - not a fortune but in these credit crunch days every penny counts.