Ford spreading the EcoBoost love to the Mustang
Once upon a time the old 302cu.in. V-8 was almost ubiquitous within Ford being available in some form in just about every vehicle that Dearborn built except the lowly Pinto. It looks like the next engine to achieve that status will be the new 3.5L EcoBoost V-6. The turbocharged direct injected V-6 has already been announced for the Flex, Explorer, F-150, MKS, MKT and will likely appear elsewhere including the 2010 Mustang. Turbocharged engines have not appeared in the Mustangs since the SVO model of the mid-eighties. When the old Fox-bodied Mustangs debuted in 1979 just in time for the second oil embargo they featured a 2.3L turbo four-cylinder with 132hp as the most powerful engine. Thanks to modern engine electronics and direct fuel injection, modern turbo engines are far more robust than those earlier units that had a nasty tendency toward premature death by cooked bearings. The V-6 will likely be rated at a minimum of 340hp to start and be lighter in weight than the current 4.6L V-8 leading to better handling and considerably better fuel economy. At some point the 2.0L four-cylinder EcoBoost will probably become the standard engine in the base Mustang as well.[Source: MotorTrend via Autoblog]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
mike 11:51AM (1/26/2008)
At some point these companies are going to have to realize that this march to higher horsepower is INSANE. Far better to top out at 200 HP and buy a Go KART and get some Saturday Track Time for your thrills.
Because there's nothing stupider then building a transportation infrastructure using 340 hp cars to pick up milk at the grocery, drive to work, church or even long trips on vacation. None of which is well suited to a 340 hp car.
And then there's the safety factor, using 340 hp on the streets is for the profoundly stupid and will get plenty of innocent people killed.
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mike 11:53AM (1/26/2008)
This Insane levels of horsepower again makes me question auto industry compensation. The oil industry is the only benefactor in this horsepower race.
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Throwback 8:24PM (1/26/2008)
Bad drivers and drunks get people killed. A drunk in a Yaris can kill as many people as someone in a Hemi charger.
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terrence_bethea 4:35PM (1/27/2008)
Ford and GM will go all the way to bankruptcy court and back before they would even ponder the basic fact that they've wasted DECADES of technology on making vehicles FASTER rather than more fuel efficient.
On the otherhand, the US consumer is the most profligate, arrogant and ignorant on the planet. Cars aren't mere modes of transportation, they are status symbols and recreation. Many Americans also cannot drive a stick. Accordingly, the fuel efficiency and fun factor that one could get from smaller displacement (2-3L) forced induction (or naturally aspirated) engines just doesn't translate well into English on this side of the Atlantic.
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T2 3:51PM (1/27/2008)
Notwithstanding, Throwback, but someone who has selected a Hemi Charger for transportation is more than likely to demonstrate similar profligacy in the consumption of alcohol.
T2
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JohnZ 5:35PM (1/27/2008)
For those not paying attention, Ecoboost is not about increasing HP in existing motors. It is about giving people what they need and want in the way of grunt but from fewer cylinders. If Mustang and F150 owners will buy into an Ecoboost V6 instead of a V8, then Ford will also likely get more people to buy into an I4 instead of a V6.
Ecoboost is not about raising HP. It's part of Ford's strategy (along with other technologies) to get to 35MPG by 2020. That's why the name is Ecoboost and not TwinForce.
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psarhjinian 10:30AM (1/28/2008)
Ecoboost--any FI technology, really--is a form of variable displacement. Instead of doing VDM like Honda, Chrysler or GM, which requires you lug around three or four extra cylinders, FI just rams more air in to increase virtual displacement without the weight of a bigger engine. Ford's take on this adds some ability to wring more power from the same mass of fuel.
The important thing to remember, though, is to keep off the boost and you get good mileage.
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MikeW 1:43PM (1/28/2008)
Ford will need a 350hp V6 if hyundai is promising a 3.8 V6 Genesis coupe with over 300hp. and if the next Rx-8 has 300hp.
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kruisin66 1:16AM (1/29/2008)
are these eco boost motors gonna need premium fuel?
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Sam Abuelsamid 6:36AM (1/29/2008)
No. They are designed to run on regular.
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T2 1:50PM (1/29/2008)
Ford will need a 350hp V6 if hyundai is promising... more cars for older drivers.
In my opinion Ford needs some disruptive technology to get the younger buyers into its showrooms. A two cylinder turbo boosted engine, similar to the 900cc that's going to be in Fiat's Panda Aria is needed for a Yaris fighter. You could justifiably market this as "Its not your fathers car"
As psarhjinian wrote the important thing to remember, though, is to keep off the boost and you get good mileage. Ah yes, that's what I call true dual-mode. You can either drive it for mileage or depending on road conditions you can drive it like you stole it ! T2
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Speedzzter 1:10PM (3/25/2008)
What the Greens simply cannot understand is that some of us ENJOY (and know how to safely and responsibly use) powerful motorcars.
Common sense would suggest supporting improvements in efficiency within each class, rather than mandating a one-size-fits all "lawn-mower-car" "solution" that will force performance enthusiasts to hold on to older, less efficient vehicles or explore other, less sensitive avenues of circumvention.
Speedzzter has been blogging for an EcoBoost version of Ford DOHC V8: A twin-turbo (or "twincharged") GDI four-valve V8 (with electric accessory drives, a "6 x 2" overdrive transmission, a mild hybrid "engine stop" system, cylinder deactivation, "on-boost" auxillary alcohol fueling (perhaps combined with the MIT water injection system), variable valve lift and timing, variable geometry "ram tuned" intake manifold," two-stage intercooling (i.e. the Coletti "SuperCooler" system), and a multi-program ECU with a big "power volume" knob).
Such a V8 could achieve dramatically better off-peak fuel economy than the current Mustang GT/Bullitt/Shelby GT/Shelby GT500, while still satisfying a large majority of performance vehicle buyers. Such a V8 would make the "green" pill a tad easier to swallow. Moreover, off peak fuel economy represents about 95-98% of performance vehicle driving on the street, thus such improvements would be significant.
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Rick 9:06PM (4/18/2008)
A low tech way to get performance up, and efficiency, is to lose the weight. Take a Mustang V6, I think it weighs around 3400 pounds. Take away some creature comforts, and sound deadening..they are nice-but do you need them?
My options would be a heater fan, wipers, and thats it. Get rid of all the electric motors, smaller alternator=less engine drag. Get rid of all the pumps-power steering, A/C. Lower the rolling inertia. 15-16 inch wheels. It would be like an economy BOSS Mustang. Cars need to stay affordable. Vipers and GT500's are cute. But I have NEVER seen one on the street driving. I'm 24.
When I see my mother and 60 year old Grandmother math teacher driving a Mustang, it takes away from the "cool image". And don't kid yourself, that helps sell cars. Call it the Mustang Deputy, or something. You can't call a V6 a BOSS, its just a common sense thing.
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MGT 1:04PM (2/03/2009)
Not every company and not every model is being “marched to higher horsepower”. Certain cars, like the Mustang and Charger, have built their reputations on horsepower, speed and torque. They were built to appeal to a group of people, not everyone. To say “hell with it, let’s drop the horsepower to be green” in a Mustang and let the Maximas and Camrys have more horsepower, is to sign the death warrant of such a car. There are cars built for speed, there are cars built for economy, there are cars built for large families, etc. It’s called HAVING OPTIONS. We don’t need to turn into Nazi Germany where everyone has to drive the same car.
The next problem is that the generation that fell in love with the muscle car is getting older and having families, so then entered the sport sedan, and now it's the back and forth game of ‘one-upping’ to increase horsepower. They want the same thrill of a fast car, with four doors to drive the kids to soccer games. If you want economy and you think high horsepower is “insane”, then there are options for you too! Lots of them! There are lots of economical, fuel-efficient, low horsepower cars. Which, one could argue, is a bigger “safety factor”. Any car on the road can reach speeds of 55/60 on the streets. Then a low-horsepower car pulls out in front and is unable to accelerate to get out of the way. My point is that any car can be considered a safety hazard because of the way people drive them.
But for some people, cars are not tools to move around in. They are not bought with the grocery store in mind. They are a passion, a love affair if you will. The vast majority of people who buy Mustang, Camaro, or Charger for the ability to actually use the horsepower, love the car so much that they would never jeopardize it. The owners of Chargers and Mustangs are in fact less likely to consume alcohol and drive around like mad people, and more apt to wash the car frequently, park it in the garage, and call it nicknames like “my baby”.
What kind of car you drive has nothing to do with “profligacy in the consumption of alcohol”. Anyone can drink, anyone can do drugs. There is no connection between to two, and as far as I’ve ever heard, there’s never been any such study to prove your point. If there had been, the general consensus would be to quit making that car so that people would quit drinking. It’s the same faulty logic in censorship. If they quit showing violence people won’t be violent. Sure…
All that is going on here is that the auto manufacturers are trying to create something more eco-friendly and less gas-guzzling while still appealing to the market of people who want muscle/sports cars. It’s about appealing to a demographic while appeasing another. It’s an attempt to make everyone happy, and to keep their sales figures up. If they quit making new muscle/sports cars, people would just buy the old ones and fix them up. And if they can make everyone happy, what’s your problem with it?
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C3 3:59PM (8/18/2008)
I keep seeing people talk about everythying except the extreme MASS of the Air Pump driven machines we called " Automobiles."
The unfortunate part of life is that the reason we get horrid and wretched fuel economy is because we are struggling day after day to keep up with the size and bulk of the next vehicle.
Not one single person has admitted, that in order to improve safety, we first eliminate mass, weight and the overall vehcile size dynamic, THEN we concentrate on Fuel Economy. At 6'4 I should be able to fit nicely into every vehicle made, including the peanut-shaped Yard-ass (Yaris). THe problem is, I CAN'T yet, the car is bigger than a 1979 Datsun B-210...in which I CAN FIT. See a problem here?
Have you seen the size of a Mustang lately? Its a BOAT. I know, I own one! Park one next to an old fox-body or an older Grand Marquis and realize that your " Mustang" is the size of a 1970 Gran Torino!
STOP THE Automotive Madness, its like Biggie Sizing your lunch, only this time, its your car / truck thats eating it...
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