truth about domestics

Ford Motor Company has been making huge strides the last few years to improve everything from quality and safety, to technology and fuel economy.  On the last front, Ford has been pushing its EcoBoost technology.  EcoBoost is the combination of direct gas injection and turbocharging.  I know what you’re thinking, doesn’t turbocharging increase power and performance, thus decreasing fuel economy?  Well the direct injection allows a cooler charge, allowing for higher compression ratios, which helps enable more power and reduced emissions.  On top of that, the extra power generated will allow downsizing of the engine.  Once you take weight out of the engine, you can take weight out of the car, and the cycle repeats itself.

The first applications of EcoBoost are on the Ford Flex and Taurus SHO, and Lincoln MKS and MKT.  They feature a 3.5L V6 that produces the power of a V8 but the fuel economy of a V6.  Soon Ford will be installing the 3.5L into the F-150 and a new 2.0L inline-four cylinder EcoBoost into the 2011 Edge and upcoming Explorer.

Why am I telling you all this mostly well-known information?  Simple.  To give you background into an independent survey of EcoBoost owners.  You see, the RDA Group of Bloomfield Hills, Michigan has conducted a survey of the 10,000 or so EcoBoost owners and the results are nothing short of amazing.  Ford scored nearly 100% customer satisfaction on EcoBoost equipped vehicles.  Those vehicles are also exceeding market projections.  Having driven all of the EcoBoost vehicles myself I can tell you that this is no fluke.  These powertrains are the real deal; they deliver improved performance and fuel economy.  For more details, head on over to Autoblog.

(Image source: Ford)

Ford’s EcoBoost has already been making strides in bringing over conquest buyers to the brand.  EcoBoost is Ford’s way of categorizing its engines that feature direct gas injection and turbocharging.  The concept is not exactly new, but instead of using the application for performance gains only (as in the Mazdaspeed3 or the Chevrolet Cobalt SS) FoMoCo has decided to use it to increase fuel economy as well.  The added power of the turbo chargers means the engine can be downsized, taking weight out of the vehicle.  The direct injection means the engine car run higher compression ratios and also run a slightly leaner mixture, allowing a reduction in emissions.  This adds up to a more fun to drive vehicle that is easier on the environment too.

This week at the 2010 Society of Automotive Engineers World Congress in Detroit, Michigan, Ford will announce that the 3.5L V6 EcoBoost will make its way into the 2011 F-150.  This will be the first rear wheel drive application for this engine and should really show what this engine is capable of.  The peak torque available at 1,500 rpm should appeal to truck buyers too, especially those who regularly tow or haul a large load around.  The other announcement was that the 2.0L EcoBoost I4 will be going into the 2011 Ford Edge sometime this year.  Ford also upped its sales predictions for EcoBoost to 1.5 million units by 2013 – way up from their original estimate of 750,000.  Stay tuned for more details, until then, head on over to Autoblog.

(Image source: Ford)

Ford Motor Company currently has no plans to introduce an EcoBoost equipped version of the Mustang and frankly, why would they?  Sure the immediate surge in torque provided by the direct-injected and twin-turbocharged 3.5L V6 is exciting but is it really what a Mustang customer wants?  The recently introduced 3.7L V6 and 5.0L V8 engines for the 2011 Mustang make impressive amounts of power while still returning very respectable fuel economy figures.  So for now, you will just have to enjoy “only” 305 V6 horses or 412* V8 horsepower.  For more, head on over to Autoblog.

(Image source: Ford)

Ford’s EcoBoost 3.5L V6 combines direct-injection with twin-turbo charging to produce V8 power from a V6 package yet give you better fuel economy.  They also plan to roll out smaller versions, 4-cylinders that produce the power of a V6 yet return 4-cylinder-like fuel economy.  According to a new report, it appears that GM is preparing a twin-turbo version of it’s 3.0L V6.  The next few years will be pretty exciting on the performance front and it looks like that performance won’t come at the cost of fuel efficiency.  For more details, head on over to Autoblog.

(Image source: Ford)

Ford has announced that 2.0L and 1.6L four-cylinder EcoBoost engines will be available for the first time in Europe this summer.  The engines will produce power ranging from 200 horses down to 148.  These engines will debut in the updated S-Max and Galaxy MPVs and also the C-Max and Grand C-Max.  This 2.0L will also show up in the revised 2011 Edge sometime later this year, as well as potentially making an appearance in the next generation Explorer (as previewed by the Explorer America concept.)  For more details, head on over to Autoblog.

(Image source: Ford)

Hennessey has turned its attention to the Lincoln MKS with EcoBoost and really turned the power up on this luxo-sedan.  The stock EcoBoost 3.5L V6 from Ford produces 355 horsepower and 350 pound-feet of torque.  The mods added by the Hennessey crew push output to 435 horsepower and 405 pound-feet of torque.  Check out the video above to see what the car is made of!

I recently came across a site that offers an interesting view point on automobiles.  That is the viewpoint of a mom.  A mother.  Mommy.  That site is Motherproof.com.  The reviewer, Lori Hindman, has 2 kids and was recently given a Ford Flex with Ecoboost to try out and she loved it.  She mentioned the extra power you get with Ecoboost and the fact that it doesn’t cost you more when you fill up at the pump.  Active Park Assist was also mentioned.  It’s the system that parallel parks your so equipped Flex for you, all you do is control the brake and throttle.  Well Lori here said the system worked like magic, and it’s true, I have seen Active Park Assist in action and it is really impressive.  For the full review, head on over to Motherproof.com!

(Image source: Ford)

Ford keeps the hits coming.  First the proof came with the Fusion update for 2010.  The car received a new front and rear end, interior package and upgraded powertrains and technologies.  Next came the Mustang refresh, which gave fans of the iconic sports car a new exterior, upgraded interior and in 2011 new powertrains that offer more power and greater fuel efficiency.  The newest offering from Ford is the 2011 Edge and Edge Sport.  The Edge and Edge sport feature a new front end, revised rear end, vastly improved interior, and three new or upgraded powertrains.  The Edge is also the debut vehicle for Ford’s latest EcoBoost engine, the 2.0L.  The Edge now offers the highest V6 horsepower in its class, and the most fuel efficiency too!

For more pictures of the Edge and Edge Sport, head on over to our gallery page!

The article on Autoblog starts off with dissing the looks of the 2010 Lincoln MKT.  They have a few gripes about the sometimes awkward styling.  I have to disagree here.  While the look of a vehicle is a personal matter of taste, I am glad the designers of the MKT didn’t give it traditional “SUV” like styling like other CUV’s.  The MKT is not an SUV, neither are its competition, so why make it look like an SUV?  The rest of the vehicle really impressed them though, from the Active Park Assist that parallel parks the car for you, to the EcoBoost V6 that returned anywhere from 19-22 mpg, meaning its 16-22 mpg EPA rating is fairly accurate.  They are also really shocked at how well the MKT handles, putting it above the Audi Q7!  For the rest of the really great review, head on over to Autoblog.

(Image source: Ford)