2011 Ford F-150Ford
I'll admit it. I was a skeptic. I thought Ford Motor was making a huge mistake by putting an EcoBoost V-6 engine in an F-150 pickup.
I was wrong. I was wrong to think that in a pickup a V-6 with direct fuel injection and turbocharging would be a laughable alternative to a good ol' V-8. I'm rethinking the idea that there is no replacement for displacement.
The EcoBoost-powered F-150 isn't cheap, mind you; my recent and well loaded tester was priced in the mid-$40,000s. Pricing aside, this truck had exceptional acceleration, no turbo lag, gobs of power and better fuel economy than the V-8 competition. With a small turbo for each cylinder bank, the turbo boost comes on smoothly and instantly.
Now to the numbers: The F-150 with the 3.5-litre EcoBoost V-6 is rated at 365 horsepower and a muscular 420 lb-ft of torque. The 5.3-litre V-8 in the Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra has 326 hp and 348 lb-ft of torque.
The Ford wins on fuel economy, too (litres/100 km): 13.0 city/9.0 highway versus 14.2/9.5. Max trailer tow? The F-EcoBoost 150 comes in at 11,300 pounds, General Motors trucks at 10,000 pounds even.
Ford says its research has found that 70 per cent of pickup buyers want better fuel economy. EcoBoost delivers better fuel economy, sure, but after a shortish test drive, I'd argue the F-150's performance with EcoBoost is superior to the rival V-8 offerings.
So what's the story behind EcoBoost? Ford has a product plan in place that assumes oil at $150 a barrel by the middle of the decade if not sooner. Ford in the U.S. has long said gasoline will jump to $4-$4.50 (U.S.) a gallon in 2013 or 2014, which would mean a litre in Canada north of $1.50. On the weekend, I paid $1.34 for a litre of regular. Ford's predicted future is almost here.
As it unfolds, Ford now boasts the most fuel-efficient lineup of pickup engines in the auto industry. The plan to get to this point was put in place several years ago, in fact, and locked in after the 2008 oil price surge.
"We're not doing anything differently today" in response to higher fuel prices, said George Pipas, Ford's chief sales analyst, in an interview with the New York Times. "That is because we started doing things a whole lot differently three years ago."
Thus, Ford is replacing the F-150's entire engine lineup for the 2011 model year. A V-6 will be standard. Also available are two V-8s and that EcoBoost V-6.
All together, Ford says the new lineup will be 20 percent more fuel efficient than the outgoing lineup of three V-8s. The outgoing standard engine was a 4.6-litre V-8.
Yes, Ford is gambling that a high-tech, six-cylinder engine will give its best-selling vehicle - the F-Series - an advantage in the cut-throat pickup marketplace. Remember, the F-series has been the best-selling model line in the U.S. for 28 years and more than 40 in Canada. It is the profit centre of Ford.
Still, just as Ford is in the throes of convincing buyers that is actually has a lineup of new cars to consider - the Fiesta subcompact and the 2012 Focus compact on the way shortly - along comes another re-education job for Ford's marketers and sales people: convince V-8-loving customers that EcoBoost is better than a comparable V-8. At the same time, Ford would like to pull in a new generation of buyers more open to the idea that technology can decouple power from size or displacement.
Well, I'm convinced.
And for the record, here's quick look at the F-150's new engine lineup, too:
- 3.7-litre V-6, standard (307 hp; 12. City/8.9 hwy litres/100 km)
- 3.5-litre EcoBoost V-6 (365 hp; 13.0 city/9.0 hwy)
- 5.0-litre V-8 (360 hp; 15.0 city/10.5 hwy)
- 6.2-litre V-8 (411 hp; 16.9 city/11.4 hwy)
Source: Ford Motor Co.
Correction: The Ford F-150 lineup includes a 5.0-litre V-8 vehicle that makes 360 hp. An earlier online version of this story contained incorrect information.