Ford Embraces the Environment, 355hp at a Time | Some Lincoln Boost! (post 29)

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EcoBoost, or EcoBOOST?

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So, the Flex is the first car to get Ford's new direct injected, twin-turbo EcoBoost V6. It's debuting at the Detroit Auto Show in the 2010 Flex, and is rated at 355 horsepower (whether that was expected or not, it's a wallop) and 350 pound-feet of twist at a low and meaty 3,500 rpm (ditto). For a 4500 pound car shaped like a brick and only offered with AWD, the highway MPG rating of 22 really isn't all that bad. Besides, it's got 355 hp!

The engine is also going in the Lincoln MKS and the MKT, presumably. So now Lincoln has the engine--I just hope they can deliver the cars, because I don't think the MKS quite pulls it off.

Also, if Ford wanted to please their hardcore Mustang drag racing fans, they'd offer the EcoBOOST in the Stang. It's got more power, and more importantly much more torque at a much lower RPM. Hopefully it turns out to be a tough engine that can handle big power boosts, too. That'd be fantastic!
 
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This is the engine that demonstrates that at least some of the American companies "get it." The output, for the most part, is right on par with what we expected. I believe the MKR concept debuted with a 400-ish BHP engine, and they were kicking around the idea of 350-360 BHP to start on the V6.

The big news is that Ford announced that EcoBoost will be available in 90% of their cars by 2011, a turbocharged four-pot being the starting point on a lot of models. Either way, if they're going to be able to deliver fuel economy and power like this... Lets see GM and Chrysler play catch-up now.
 
Too bad it looks like a hearse. EcoBoost ftmfw though.
 
Wow! That's fanastic Ford! An Ecoboosted Mustang V6 would be interesting, but I want to see an Ecobooted Focus! :dopey:
 
I think they could've picked a better car to debut the engine on. I think the engine would better match the Edge or a bigger SUV. Although with Ford's better cars not coming for a little while, they didn't exactly have anything really good to debut it in.
 
The Edge is a piece of crap, and the only bigger SUVs are body on frame ones that no one would buy without a V8 of some sort anyways. Because of low power ratings on Fords big V8, slapping this in something like the Expedition would just confuse people. This, however, is something that needed more power but couldn't really get away with lower mileage.
 
All I keep thinking about is seeing a F150 equipped with a EcoBoost I4. Too awesome, and strange, at the same time.
 
Toronado
Nah. Ranger SVO.
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Win. They'd have to go to an 8.8" diff though, I wouldn't trust the 7.5 with much in a truck.

A Super-Duty with a 4.6L or possibly 5.0L mod motor-turned-EcoBoost would also be rather nice. It wouldn't be exactly economical in terms of fuel consumption just because it's a decently large engine, but it would make an excellent replacement for the current V10, as it would outpower and out-twist that giant lump.

SweetshopUnion
But 22mpg is rubbish. Not very Eco at all.
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22mpg is indeed rubbish. Now consider the Flex is quite heavy, big, and seats 7. With decent room. Suddenly it looks extremely efficient as a people mover.

EDIT: Tree'd.
 
SweetshopUnion
Am I missing something here because I fail to see what is "Eco" about this?
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More power, better fuel economy... Absolutely no complaints from me.

Even better?

Ford has an EcoBoost 2.0L I4 coming as well, good for somewhere around 260-300 BHP, which would be able to supplant a lot of Ford's current V6 program.

We actually had a thread on it back when it was more of a "concept," but now that its here, I think its safe to say we're all pretty excited. There should be a video in there of a previous generation Taurus equipped with the EcoBoost V6 and AWD absolutely obliterating a BMW 5-series and a Cadillac STS V8.*

(*I think it was an STS, I haven't watched the video in months)
 
In this day and age of demanding political pressure I wouldn't call 22mpg for highway and 16mpg city good for any personal transportation, no matter what its size or power.
 
SweetshopUnion
In this day and age of demanding political pressure I wouldn't call 22mpg for highway and 16mpg city good for any personal transportation, no matter what its size or power.
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Yeah, 'cept the Flex is meant to haul around people. Multiple people. At once. As in up to 6 passengers.
 
SweetshopUnion
In this day and age of demanding political pressure I wouldn't call 22mpg for highway and 16mpg city good for any personal transportation, no matter what its size or power.
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You must be living in a cave or be completely out of touch with the American car market. A year ago more than half the drivers in this country were roaming around in something 4WD or AWD that weighed at least 4500 pounds that probably managed under 20mpg. There's still plenty of them out there, but the number of people moving to smaller cars simply because of high gas prices was astonishing.

This Flex is totally anti-aerodynamic, weighs 4600 pounds, and is pretty much the typical American car from a year ago. But now with noticeably better fuel economy and much, much more power.

Personally I think they didn't even need to make it that powerful. I think they should have focused more on economy, but I guess those engineers have a reason for it.
 
Rotary Junkie
Yeah, 'cept the Flex is meant to haul around people. Multiple people. At once. As in up to 6 passengers.
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So is a Bus. I highly doubt it will have the maximum number of passengers in all the time.

Keef
You must be living in a cave or be completely out of touch with the American car market.
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Well I am out of touch with the American market as I'm from the UK, but Europe and Japan can manage better much better MPG (nearly double) for a similar sized car.
 
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SweetshopUnion
So is a Bus. I highly doubt it will have the maximum number of passengers in all the time.
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Nobody actually buys them to carry people, that's just their justification. They really buy them to feel safe and to try and impress people with their big shiny thing.

Well I am out of touch with the American market as I'm from the UK, but Europe and Japan can manage better much better MPG (nearly double) for a similar sized car.
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This is America, the land of the muscle car. We refuse to drive anything with less than 100hp more than it actually needs. Basically, Mercedes makes cars that are the definition of the American market, minus all your Euro diesels and whatnot.
 
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SweetshopUnion
...I wouldn't call 22mpg for highway and 16mpg city good for any personal transportation, no matter what its size or power.
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This Flex is about the size of an XC90, but tows around an extra 200 lbs of weight. Guess what? The Volvo manages a terrible 14/20 MPG rating. Even as the Ford is getting more power, the fuel economy remains otherwise the same. I'm not complaining. But with a light foot, I'm willing to bet that you can easily beat those numbers.

PLUS...

They'll likely add the EcoBoost 2.0L engine next year. In FWD form, I'm willing to bet they'll crank the numbers up to at least 19/26... Which is oddly the same fuel economy I'm supposed to get in my decades old Celica.

Not bad.
 
Rotary Junkie
Yeah, and?
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Well you said it was designed to carry multiple passengers, I was mearly stating that a bus was also, they get decent fuel economy aswell.

EDIT: I'm resting my case now, just seems that I see Eco in a different way to the American Market.
 
SweetshopUnion
EDIT: I'm resting my case now, just seems that I see Eco in a different way to the American Market.
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I guess I don't understand what you're on about then. They're giving us more power, power that the Flex desperately needed, without any knock at all to the fuel economy of the vehicle. I'd call that "Eco" enough.

Keep in mind our fuel economy numbers are different than yours too. That 22 MPG highway rating is actually about 27 MPG across the pond.

Still not bad for a 4600lb AWD wagon that can easily tow the family and the boat out to Spring Lake for an afternoon of no-hassles fun.
 
Score! EcoBoost is here ladies and gents. It is indeed a reality. This in a Mustang might just make a ton of sense. If Ford doesn't do it Saleen, Roush or someone else will. I am highly antisipating the turbo I4 myself just as much as the TT V6.
 
SweetshopUnion
but Europe and Japan can manage better much better MPG (nearly double) for a similar sized car.
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Any what, pray tell, do they have on sale to show this? No German cars on the market pull it off. They don't even come close.
None of the Japanese minivans manage it either (in fact, the best fuel mileage in that category is from a Dodge).
 
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Yes plz.

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Alright, I happen to think this Lincoln MKS looks pretty badass. I also happen to think that it is badass, because it's got the same 355hp EcoBoost V6 as the Flex, only this time it has to motivate over 500 fewer pounds. And it gets 25 highway miles per gallon, whereas the Lexus GS460 (342hp) gets 24, and the Infiniti M45 gets a paltry 21 mpg with its 325hp 4.5L V8. So, the MKS is more fuel efficient and more powerful. I can't wait to find out if it's faster.

Now how about offering a stick and putting a sticker on the back that says "Yeah, I'm a badass"? Eh? Eh?
 
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