Under Pressure: Ford’s Ecoboost, and it’s future

Ford has been talking up their Ecoboost system (really just their name for the new generation of turbocharged engines), which are intended to give the power of a larger engine (like a V8) at the fuel economy of a smaller one (like a V6). For example, Ford already offers a V8 and a V6 version of the Mustang, but with an Ecoboost V6 you could get similar power to a V8 (which would remain the halo motor) and economy closer to the V6, if not better.

What’s the trade-off? As Autofiends.com points out, torque could be the issue. Torque is the twisting, stump-pulling power of a motor. A tractor doesn’t go very fast, but it has a lot of pulling power. Likewise, a Honda S2000 is pretty fast, but it couldn’t pull out a stump. That’s the difference between torque (tractor) and horsepower (S2000). Torque pushes you into your seat when you hit the gas, and lots of Americans like that kind of power delivery. That’s why you can get a Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8, which is basically a 6.1L V8 engine that flings the shoebox it’s stuffed in to 60 MPH in 4.6 seconds, aerodynamics and basic notions of time and space be damned. Who cares if the SRT8 doesn’t actually make any sense when driving it is like being on a rollercoaster wherever you go?

But hey, the advantage is fuel economy, and weight savings. Especially with the addition of a turbo 4-cylinder engine to the Ecoboost line, it could provide for a lot of interesting applications. For example, a 4-cylinder Ecoboost in an SUV like the Explorer (yes, they still make them) could net fuel economy numbers substantially greater than a V8 version, with a tradeoff in towing capacity mostly.

The bottom line is it’s a good idea. There are drawbacks, and turbocharged cars are not for every application. If you tow a boat, get the larger engine. If you simply need to cruise down to the Denny’s while flooring the gas the whole time in order to stimulate your appetite, then an Ecoboost might be in your future.

[Source: autofiends.com]