2014 Ford Fusion to get 1.5L EcoBoost three-cylinder?

Just one year after launching the all-new 2013 Fusion, Ford is reportedly set to alter the sedan's powertrain lineup with the addition of a new 1.5-liter turbocharged three-cylinder EcoBoost engine. A member of Blue Oval Forums apparently got their hands on the ordering guide for the 2014 model year Fusion, and this 1.5-liter mill is set to be introduced with late availability.

This lines up with other news about the Chinese-market Mondeo being offered with a new 1.5-liter EcoBoost – a derivative of the 1.0-liter triple that will come to North America under the hood of the Fiesta. In the Chinese application, the larger three-pot engine produces 177 horsepower and 177 pound-feet of torque, which is very close to the current 1.6-liter inline-four's output numbers of 178 hp and 184 lb-ft.

What's interesting, however, is that the 1.6-liter engine will reportedly still be offered in the Fusion, but only with the six-speed manual transmission. The smaller 1.5-liter EcoBoost will only be mated to a six-speed SelectShift automatic, and will feature start/stop. This means that while the 1.5 is slightly down on power compared to the 1.6, it could easily improve fuel economy numbers, allowing the Fusion to regain the title of having the best mileage in the segment, likely besting the 38 miles per gallon of the Nissan Altima. Currently, the Fusion 1.6 is rated at 23 mpg city and 36 mpg highway.

Blue Oval Forums also states that the 2014 Fusion will get a number of other changes, including an optional heated steering wheel, cooled seats, summer tire options for select models, and a couple of new exterior paint colors.

A Ford spokesperson could not be reached for comment at this time, but stay tuned for updates as they become available.

http://www.autoblog.com/2013/04/09/2...hree-cylinder/

 

I have a hard enough time accepting 4's, a 3 cylinder although may have better fuel economy will be inherently more buzzy and unrefined.

 

There's going to be 3-cylinder BMWs very soon now too.

 

If the current 4-cyl EcoBoost engines in the Fusion have a hard time matching their EPA fuel consumption estimates (perhaps because they are overworked in such a large car), can we expect the 3-cyl to be any different?

Ford may want to say -- on paper -- that they have great EPA-rated engines but their real-life mileage won't match those lofty numbers.

 

There is, and it make it even more unappealing to me

 

Fiat's 2-cly engine has a lot of problems meeting its official ratings as well :-)

 

The whole point of engine downsizing is to load them more heavily (i.e. work harder) because fuel burns more efficiently under heavier loads than at lighter loads. Some manufacturers like Ford seem to be having trouble figuring this out, but others are having no problems.

 

Under-sizing and over turbo charging engines in heavier and heavier cars is getting out of hand. It's doing nothing for fuel economy. Ther *is* a breaking point and they past it a long time ago.

 

The Germans seem to have figured this out just fine.

 

Another EPA "special edition"...

 

My sentiments exactly.

 

My motorcycle nearly has as much displacement and horsepower.

 

twin weed whacker engines sounds more exciting than this

 

Unless Ford fixes the intercooler problems I'm reading about on the Ecoboost F-150s, this engine series is going to end badly.

 

Personally I think where manufacturers are going wrong on these smaller turbo engines is when they drop the compression ratio down into the 9:1 range for compatibility with regular fuel. Hyundai does it and comes up short, Ford does it and comes up short. The Germans stick with higher 10:1 range CRs and tell you to stick with premium fuel and they're all doing great as far as power and fuel economy goes. The Ford Escape with the 2.0L EcoBoost engine I had for a rental definitely seemed to be stumbling a bit at times and was exhibiting what I thought for sure was timing pull, which is a lot of wasted gas right there. So I'm thinking this has to be it.