Ford Planning Four-Cylinder EcoBoost Engine for F-150
07-14-08, 06:11 AM
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Ford Planning Four-Cylinder EcoBoost Engine for F-150
Ford Planning Four-Cylinder EcoBoost Engine for F-150
By: Mike Levine Posted: 07-14-08 00:01 ET
Are you ready for a four-cylinder full-size pickup? Sources say Ford is planning to offer a version of the F-150 with a four-cylinder EcoBoost engine by 2013. The move is a response to rapidly rising gas prices and new federal standards that raise Corporate Average Fuel Economy for light trucks to 28.6 mpg by 2015. Lending credibility to what we’ve heard from our sources, Derrick Kuzak, Ford’s group vice president for Product Development, has told Automotive News that Ford is considering this option.
Ford EcoBoost engines use high-pressure direct gas injection and turbocharging to get better performance and up to 20 percent better fuel economy compared to larger displacement engines. V-6 engines are said to perform like V-8s, and four-cylinder engines are said to perform as if they had six cylinders.
In an appearance before the Motor Press Guild, Dan Kapp, Ford’s director of powertrain research and advanced engineering, told journalists that "in probably the most extreme cases (using EcoBoost engines), we’re going to be downsizing on the order of 40, 50 percent. That would take, for example, a three-liter V6 down to a two-liter 4-cylinder engine. A 2.5-liter 4-cylinder could be something on the order of 1.5-liters."
Kapp also said, "With these factors (smaller displacement and turbocharging) in the equation, an EcoBoost 6-cylinder engine can produce like an 8-cylinder and a 4-cylinder engine like a 6."
For 2009, Ford is offering only V-8 engines for the F-150. The company is eliminating its legacy 4.2-liter V-6 for the F-150, officially saying the 4.6-liter V-8 delivers more horsepower and torque with the same fuel economy numbers as the outgoing V-6. According to EPA estimates, a 2008 Ford F-150 4x2 with a 4.2-liter V-6 is rated at 14/20 mpg city/highway. Ford says a new EcoBoost V-6 will debut for the F-150 in 2010. It’s expected to have a 3.5-liter displacement and sources say it will be rated at more than 350 hp and 390 lbs.-feet of torque. Paired with the F-150’s new six-speed transmission, fuel economy ratings are expected to be better than 16/22 mpg city/highway.
Final displacement hasn’t been determined but the four-cylinder EcoBoost is expected to be around 2.5-liters with power ratings greater than 260 hp and 300 lbs.-feet of torque. It will likely be available only for the two-door Regular Cab F-150 4x2 and 4x4, where it would work best for light-duty commercial applications. The same engine is also expected as an option under the hood of the upcoming F-100.
By: Mike Levine Posted: 07-14-08 00:01 ET
Are you ready for a four-cylinder full-size pickup? Sources say Ford is planning to offer a version of the F-150 with a four-cylinder EcoBoost engine by 2013. The move is a response to rapidly rising gas prices and new federal standards that raise Corporate Average Fuel Economy for light trucks to 28.6 mpg by 2015. Lending credibility to what we’ve heard from our sources, Derrick Kuzak, Ford’s group vice president for Product Development, has told Automotive News that Ford is considering this option.
Ford EcoBoost engines use high-pressure direct gas injection and turbocharging to get better performance and up to 20 percent better fuel economy compared to larger displacement engines. V-6 engines are said to perform like V-8s, and four-cylinder engines are said to perform as if they had six cylinders.
In an appearance before the Motor Press Guild, Dan Kapp, Ford’s director of powertrain research and advanced engineering, told journalists that "in probably the most extreme cases (using EcoBoost engines), we’re going to be downsizing on the order of 40, 50 percent. That would take, for example, a three-liter V6 down to a two-liter 4-cylinder engine. A 2.5-liter 4-cylinder could be something on the order of 1.5-liters."
Kapp also said, "With these factors (smaller displacement and turbocharging) in the equation, an EcoBoost 6-cylinder engine can produce like an 8-cylinder and a 4-cylinder engine like a 6."
For 2009, Ford is offering only V-8 engines for the F-150. The company is eliminating its legacy 4.2-liter V-6 for the F-150, officially saying the 4.6-liter V-8 delivers more horsepower and torque with the same fuel economy numbers as the outgoing V-6. According to EPA estimates, a 2008 Ford F-150 4x2 with a 4.2-liter V-6 is rated at 14/20 mpg city/highway. Ford says a new EcoBoost V-6 will debut for the F-150 in 2010. It’s expected to have a 3.5-liter displacement and sources say it will be rated at more than 350 hp and 390 lbs.-feet of torque. Paired with the F-150’s new six-speed transmission, fuel economy ratings are expected to be better than 16/22 mpg city/highway.
Final displacement hasn’t been determined but the four-cylinder EcoBoost is expected to be around 2.5-liters with power ratings greater than 260 hp and 300 lbs.-feet of torque. It will likely be available only for the two-door Regular Cab F-150 4x2 and 4x4, where it would work best for light-duty commercial applications. The same engine is also expected as an option under the hood of the upcoming F-100.
07-14-08, 09:00 PM
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Perhaps they should combine technologies.
A 200 HP, direct injected 4 cylinder (perhaps even negating the turbo) and a hybrid powetrain augmenting the ICE with 50-70 HP. We'll see how a hybrid pickup works for GM, but also note that the hybrid Escape is quite efficient.
A 200 HP, direct injected 4 cylinder (perhaps even negating the turbo) and a hybrid powetrain augmenting the ICE with 50-70 HP. We'll see how a hybrid pickup works for GM, but also note that the hybrid Escape is quite efficient.
07-14-08, 09:04 PM
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Or maybe this baby will be the wave of the future. I like it!
http://www.pickuptrucks.com/html/201...-on-f-150.html
Guarantee Ford's 2.5L 4 cylinder will be in it attached to a 6 speed AT/MT.
http://www.pickuptrucks.com/html/201...-on-f-150.html
Guarantee Ford's 2.5L 4 cylinder will be in it attached to a 6 speed AT/MT.
07-14-08, 11:37 PM
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That's good for normal driving, but why dont they make a smaller truck? I mean the truck will be good driving alone, but if it pulls anything, it's will become dangerous. Trying to go up a hill with a boat on the back of a 1.5L could get bad. And people will say, no one is that stupid to tow with it, but hey, its a full size truck, they'll tow when they need to...
But props to Ford for trying to change, I do support that aspect of it.
But props to Ford for trying to change, I do support that aspect of it.
07-15-08, 07:34 AM
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That's good for normal driving, but why dont they make a smaller truck? I mean the truck will be good driving alone, but if it pulls anything, it's will become dangerous. Trying to go up a hill with a boat on the back of a 1.5L could get bad. And people will say, no one is that stupid to tow with it, but hey, its a full size truck, they'll tow when they need to...
But props to Ford for trying to change, I do support that aspect of it.
But props to Ford for trying to change, I do support that aspect of it.
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07-15-08, 08:02 AM
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The fuel efficiency race will be won by the marketing department. Most of the pickups you see on the road have little or nothing in the bed - indicating they are not full-time haulers, they are image vehicles. A majority of people buy pickups (at least in the South and Southwest) for their rugged, machismo image. It makes sense because this image can be had at a relatively low price, a 1/2-ton pickup becomes a preferable alternative to a Corolla or a Kia that doesn't reflect the desired image. Fuel economy can be sacrificed because it is a recurring payment, much like the note on the truck.
Now, if one of the domestic truck makers would smarten up and deliver a full to mid-sized lightweight pickup with an extended cab, short bed, broad track, and good ground clearance - all of the cues that shout, "power", then back it with a competent but thrifty V-6 that borders on the loud, but delivers 20mpg city/25mpg hwy, they would have a winner. Couple that engine to a 6-speed manual or a 5-speed auto with a tall overdrive, and they can have a bit of low end grunt with their highway economy, even with an engine that produces no more than 225 hp. A 4-cyl turbodiesel could be an option for those who have a little more wallet and a need for towing power.
I think Ford is on the right track here with the F-100 - an almost F-150. If they can hold the entry level price to $16-$18K and let the buyer dress out his truck from a long list of accessories that include rims, a wide range of dramatic color choices and graphics, a series of accessories like bull bars, steps, roll hoops, etc. and top with a solid ad campaign that pushes image and they'll sell everything they can paint.
Now, if one of the domestic truck makers would smarten up and deliver a full to mid-sized lightweight pickup with an extended cab, short bed, broad track, and good ground clearance - all of the cues that shout, "power", then back it with a competent but thrifty V-6 that borders on the loud, but delivers 20mpg city/25mpg hwy, they would have a winner. Couple that engine to a 6-speed manual or a 5-speed auto with a tall overdrive, and they can have a bit of low end grunt with their highway economy, even with an engine that produces no more than 225 hp. A 4-cyl turbodiesel could be an option for those who have a little more wallet and a need for towing power.
I think Ford is on the right track here with the F-100 - an almost F-150. If they can hold the entry level price to $16-$18K and let the buyer dress out his truck from a long list of accessories that include rims, a wide range of dramatic color choices and graphics, a series of accessories like bull bars, steps, roll hoops, etc. and top with a solid ad campaign that pushes image and they'll sell everything they can paint.
Last edited by Lil4X; 07-15-08 at 08:08 AM.
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