Ford's Second-Generation 3.5-Liter EcoBoost is More Powerful Than We Thought
Ford clearly low-balled its power figures when it issued a sneak peek of the second-generation 3.5-liter EcoBoost V6 back in May.
The newly massaged engine, which will get its debut in the 2017 F-150, was thought to gain 30 pounds-feet of torque. Now, Ford claims the mill will gain 10 horsepower and 50 lb-ft, for a total of 375 hp and 470 lb-ft — a torque figure that beats the F-150’s V8-powered competition.
Ford will mate the twin-turbocharged mill to its new 10-speed automatic transmission, which was the result of a joint project with General Motors.
Engine tweaks include a dual-direct and port fuel-injection system that delivers fuel to both the intake port and cylinder, and turbochargers with lighter turbine wheels and electrically activated wastegates. The EPA hasn’t weighed in with fuel economy estimates, but Ford says buyers can expect improved acceleration and overall performance.
The new EcoBoost’s twist easily tops that of its domestic competitors. A Ram 1500 with a 5.7-liter V8 makes 395 hp and 410 lb-ft, while the 5.3-liter V8 in the Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra makes 355 hp and 383 lb-ft. A move up to GM’s 6.2-liter V8 still isn’t enough beat the EcoBoost’s torque — that mill only boasts 460 lb-ft. The 6.4-liter V8 in the Ram 2500 makes 429 lb-ft.
Sales of the Ford F-Series could clothe and feed the families of a modest-sized country. The automaker has no trouble achieving massive sales figures, so an even brawnier EcoBoost will only help broaden the lineup’s appeal. However, the new mill does make the F-150’s available 5.0-liter V8 seem somewhat disposable. Come this fall, that engine will offer just 10 hp and 17 lb-ft more than its six-cylinder brother.
[Image: Ford Motor Company]
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- Tassos Under incompetent, affirmative action hire Mary Barra, GM has been shooting itself in the foot on a daily basis.Whether the Malibu cancellation has been one of these shootings is NOT obvious at all.GM should be run as a PROFITABLE BUSINESS and NOT as an outfit that satisfies everybody and his mother in law's pet preferences.IF the Malibu was UNPROFITABLE, it SHOULD be canceled.More generally, if its SEGMENT is Unprofitable, and HALF the makers cancel their midsize sedans, not only will it lead to the SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST ones, but the survivors will obviously be more profitable if the LOSERS were kept being produced and the SMALL PIE of midsize sedans would yield slim pickings for every participant.SO NO, I APPROVE of the demise of the unprofitable Malibu, and hope Nissan does the same to the Altima, Hyundai with the SOnata, Mazda with the Mazda 6, and as many others as it takes to make the REMAINING players, like the Excellent, sporty Accord and the Bulletproof Reliable, cheap to maintain CAMRY, more profitable and affordable.
- GregLocock Car companies can only really sell cars that people who are new car buyers will pay a profitable price for. As it turns out fewer and fewer new car buyers want sedans. Large sedans can be nice to drive, certainly, but the number of new car buyers (the only ones that matter in this discussion) are prepared to sacrifice steering and handling for more obvious things like passenger and cargo space, or even some attempt at off roading. We know US new car buyers don't really care about handling because they fell for FWD in large cars.
- Slavuta Why is everybody sweating? Like sedans? - go buy one. Better - 2. Let CRV/RAV rust on the dealer lot. I have 3 sedans on the driveway. My neighbor - 2. Neighbors on each of our other side - 8 SUVs.
- Theflyersfan With sedans, especially, I wonder how many of those sales are to rental fleets. With the exception of the Civic and Accord, there are still rows of sedans mixed in with the RAV4s at every airport rental lot. I doubt the breakdown in sales is publicly published, so who knows... GM isn't out of the sedan business - Cadillac exists and I can't believe I'm typing this but they are actually decent - and I think they are making a huge mistake, especially if there's an extended oil price hike (cough...Iran...cough) and people want smaller and hybrids. But if one is only tied to the quarterly shareholder reports and not trends and the big picture, bad decisions like this get made.
- Wjtinfwb Not proud of what Stellantis is rolling out?
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Long live the v8. The v8 is dead.
A Rolex is a pretty piece of jewelry with a mediocre timepiece built into it. I love mechanical watches but for accuracy you can't beat quartz. Cincinnati had the old Gruen watch company in town, and when they closed up in the 1950s, I'm told that many of their watchmakers who built their movements in Switzerland went to work for Rolex. I also read somewhere that Rolex bought Gruen's office space in Switzerland. That's your useless non-automotive trivia for today. On the subject of DI gas engines, the technology makes me nervous. There's something to be said for Toyota's habit of sticking with older technology...