Editor at Large: Ford Launches Four New Gas Powertrains for Commercial Contractors

The Texas Motor Speedway is a magnate for power, speed and driving enthusiasts. At the north end of Fort Worth, the 1.5-mile oval track is known for its high banks, big speeds and wealth of NASCAR winners (from Dale Earnhardt Jr. to Tony Stewart to Kurt Busch).

Last week, Ford Motor Co. decided to capitalize on the track’s victorious momentum, introducing four new powertrains to its F-150 lineup and using the Texas Motor Speedway as its backdrop. Two different waves of editors, writers and truck and trailer aficionados flew into Fort Worth to test drive the new trucks, engines and transmissions. What we found is four new Ford powertrains aimed at giving buyers bigger options when it comes to efficiency, power and commercial technologies.

“For the past 33 years, the Ford F-150 has stood alone as the truck people really rely on,” says Mark Fields, Ford president of the Americas. “The class-leading capability of the F-150, combined with the durability that defines ‘Built Ford Tough,’ has made it the No. 1 choice of full-size pickup buyers. Now for 2011, that class-leading towing and payload capability is enhanced even further with engines that deliver projected class-leading fuel economy, allowing our customers to be more productive by maximizing their workload and their fuel economy.”

In fact, it’s the most extensive powertrain overhaul in the 62-year history of the Ford F-Series. The engine lineup includes four new truck engines: a 3.7-liter V6, 5.0- and 6.2-liter V8s and a twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter EcoBoost (also a V6). Headlining that engine lineup is the uniquely named EcoBoost, which Ford says will deliver an unbeatable combination of best-in-class towing (11,300 lbs), payload (3,060 lbs) and torque (420 lb-ft), while giving customers the fuel economy of a V6.

“Truck customers should think of the EcoBoost truck engine as a gas-powered engine with diesel-type capability and characteristics,” says Jim Mazuchowski, V6 engines program manager. “The twin turbochargers and direct injection give it the broad, flat torque curve that makes towing with a diesel so effortless and hard acceleration so much fun.”

The key EcoBoost technologies are definitely turbocharging and direct fuel injection. The combination delivers a wealth of low-end torque and maintains it across a broad rpm range (1,700 to 5,000 rpm), which is key in hauling applications. The best-in-class towing of 11,300 lbs is more than enough to haul a fully loaded three-horse trailer or a Bobcat 630 skid steer with a couple of attachments. Along with that power, the EcoBoost’s twin independent variable camshaft timing (Ti-VCT) creates precise, variable timing control of both the intake and exhaust camshafts to optimize power, performance and fuel economy. Overall, the 3.5-liter EcoBoost will have up to 20 percent better fuel economy compared with the outgoing 2010 F-150, says Ford. That’s pretty impressive, to say the least.  

And the EcoBoost is only one of many cool new innovations from the forward thinkers at Ford. The company’s class-exclusive electric power-assisted steering (EPAS) will impress any truck driver with its ease of use and fuel efficiency. Ford is also the first and only automaker to offer its entire pickup line with fuel-saving, six-speed automatic transmissions as standard equipment. These innovations are probably the reason Ford is holding its biggest market share since 2001 —  39 percent (when combined with its total Super Duty lineup). We’ll dig deeper into all of these technologies this week as we continue our Ford powertrain launch at our expansive blog —  www.ceunbound.com.