Ford EcoBoost Makes the V-6 a Hotter Engine

While hybrids and diesels will probably capture more of the U.S. automotive market in the future, Ford, like other automakers, believes less expensive gasoline engines will still power the majority of vehicles for many years to come. While aggressively developing plug-in hybrids and hydrogen fuel cell vehicles, Ford is also producing ever more efficient gasoline engines that offer fuel economy and emissions that rival more costly hybrid and diesel powerplants.

One example is Ford's new EcoBoost that combines two proven technologies -- direct injection and turbocharging. EcoBoost builds upon today's affordable gasoline engines to improve fuel economy and emissions without compromising performance. Unlike hybrids that are most efficient in stop-and-go traffic, an EcoBoost engine is efficient under both city and highway driving conditions.

With direct injection, fuel is injected into each cylinder in small, precise amounts. Compared to conventional port injection, direct injection produces a cooler and denser charge that results in greater fuel economy and improved performance. When coupled with turbocharging, which uses exhaust gas waste energy to drive the turbine, EcoBoost allows engine downsizing. For example, a smaller four-cylinder can produce more torque than a heavier four-cylinder engine with nearly a liter more displacement, and do it with better fuel economy. Ford says EcoBoost delivers up to 20 to 30 percent better fuel efficiency and comparable reductions in CO2 emissions.

Unveiled in the Ford Explorer America concept SUV, Ford plans to use EcoBoost first in the 2009 Lincoln MKS luxury sedan. The 3.5-liter twin-turbocharged V-6 will produce the horsepower and torque of a V-8 engine with the fuel efficiency of a V-6. With an estimated 340 horsepower and more than 340 lbs.-ft. of torque over a wide 2,000 to 5,000 rpm range, the Lincoln MKS will be the most powerful and fuel-efficient all-wheel-drive luxury sedan on the market. This compares to a conventional naturally aspirated 4.6-liter V-8 that produces 270 to 310 lbs.-ft of torque over the same speed range. This broad torque bands means the engine is well suited for moderate towing and off-road duty, thus making it a viable alterative to diesel engines.

Over the next five years Ford plans to use the new EcoBoost technology in half a million Ford, Lincoln, and Mercury vehicles with 4- and 6-cylinder engines annually in North America. This includes the Ford Flex, Explorer, and F-150 plus the Lincoln MKS and MKT. The 3.5-liter EcoBoost V-6 will also likely be used in the 2010 Mustang. Turbocharged engines have not been used in Mustangs since the 1984-86 SV0 variants of the mid-eighties. Later, a 2.0-liter four-cylinder EcoBoost delivering 275 horsepower and 280 lbs.-ft. of torque could be used in base Mustangs.

Once upon a time, the ubiquitous 302 cubic inch V-8 was available in some form in just about every vehicle that Dearborn built except the lowly Pinto. It looks like the next engine to achieve that status will be the new EcoBoost V-6.