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What Do Ford EcoBoost Engines Actually Entail?

When turbocharging meets direct fuel injection

Ford’s EcoBoost engines have been making quite the stir across the automotive industry. Not only are they in hot demand, selling extremely well for an engine range, but they’re also delighting their owners with ample power and impressive fuel economy. But besides a cool name, what does EcoBoost actually entail?

In short, EcoBoost is all about turbocharging and direct fuel injection.

This potent combination delivers a wealth of low-end torque and maintains it across a broad RPM range, which is key for most vehicles, especially in towing applications.

For instance, Ford’s lauded 3.5-liter V6 EcoBoost engine delivers 420 lb.-ft. of torque and 365 horsepower in the 2014 F-150, enabling towing of up to 11,300 pounds. That is more than enough to tow a fully loaded, three-horse trailer or a large boat. Plus, this engine does it all on regular fuel and with outstanding fuel economy.

On the car side, the EcoBoost range scales from 1.0-liters to 3.5-liters in displacement:

  • The diminutive, capable, and highly-acclaimed (International Engine of the Year two years in a row) 1.0-liter three-cylinder EcoBoost (that’s right, a three-cylinder) makes 123 horses and 125 lb.-ft. of torque.
  • The 1.6-liter I4 EcoBoost found in the Fiesta ST, where it makes 197-horsepower and 202 lb.-ft. of torque; the 1.6 also has a smaller twin in the 1.5-liter I4 EcoBoost
  • The 2.0-liter I4 EcoBoost; found in the Taurus, Explorer, Edge, Fusion, and high-performance Focus ST. In the Focus, the mill delivers 252 horsepower and 270 lb.-ft. of torque.
  • The new 2.3-liter I4 EcoBoost engine that will be available in the Mustang EcoBoostand make over 300 horsepower and 300 lb.-ft. of torque.
  • The 2.7-liter V6 EcoBoost that will become available in the 2015 F-150, where it is rumored to make 320 horsepower and 375 lb.-ft. of torque.
  • Meanwhile, the flagship of the EcoBoost range — the same 3.5-liter V6 EcoBoost as found in the F-150 — is available in the Taurus SHO and Explorer Sport.

Notably, the torque figures for all of these boosted four-bangers is available at a low RPM range and holds steady, nearly to the top of the power band.

Ford has produced over 2 million EcoBoost engines, 500,000 of which were sold in the F-150.

Production of EcoBoost is supported, in part, by Ford’s green partnership with the U.S. Department of Energy. The Blue Oval has 11 facilities in the U.S., including retooling of Cleveland Engine Plant where EcoBoost is made, participating in the Advanced Technology Vehicles Manufacturing Loan Program, which helped to develop advanced technologies and strengthen American manufacturing across the country.

In other words, EcoBoost is much more than a fancy name that allows Ford to replace larger-displacement naturally-aspirated engines with smaller, high-tech turbocharged units that deliver comparable, yet more responsive power, as well as better fuel economy, compared to their larger, naturally-breathing counterparts.

News editor focusing on business, financial, and sales coverage who loves anything on wheels, especially if it's fast.

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