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]

Multitude of Pun Options: the SHO is back

Trust me, no matter how clever you think the phrase “Fo’ SHO” would be in the byline, it’s not worth my integrity to do it. So there, it’s just in the body, and you can send any hate mail to me through my secretary, Alan Mulally.

So you might know about the Ford Taurus on sale right now, but probably not. Frankly, I’ve only noticed one on the road, and that might be because of it’s DARPA-developed stealth capabilities: complete and utter blandness. Originally the Taurus was the bread-and-butter Ford sedan, outselling all others for a number of years in the 90s, until falling off because of underdevelopment. Instead of injecting some much-needed dollars into the nameplate, they killed it and introduced the Ford Five Hundred, which was a huge underpowered boat that nobody bought. After that proved to be a mistake, they had a brilliant idea: rename it the Ford Taurus again! I forgive you if you don’t remember that earth-shattering day.

The coolest aspect of the original Taurus was the SHO (Super High Output) variant of the original car. A manual transmission and a screaming beast of a V6 (which was designed by Yamaha, which has a history of making really good motors for cars, and helped develop the high-output engine in the Toyota Celica) made it a surprisingly fun, cheap ride. The car would invariably fall apart around the motor, but the motor was a real jewel. It was one of the best V6 motors ever made.

Ford is bringing the SHO back, and it’s a similar formula – big motor in a sedan. This time, it’s a twin-turbocharged Ecoboost V6 making a whopping 355 hp. It will also apparently get 25MPG and is all-wheel drive. The Taurus is now a much bigger car that it was originally, so this is going to be a little bit of a different proposition (more big Mercedes sedan than hot-rod Accord in functionality), but Ford is claiming it will outperform a BMW 550i and be considerably cheaper at about $37,000 MSRP.

My take? It’s still a big bland car, and for $37,000 I would much rather get a Hyundai Genesis or (if I needed AWD) a turbocharged Subaru Legacy. However, the original SHO had a whole heap of die-hard fans, and I’m sure they’ll be happy to forgive it any defects and hoon the living daylights out of it. Plus it’s a cool idea, and using turbocharged V6s instead of big, thirsty V8s is responsible of Ford.

[Source: Jalopnik, Freep.com]

Are you a plumber AND a Europhile? Have I got a car for you …

You might have seen Dodge Sprinters running around, especially if you’re a tradesperson making deliveries. The tall, narrow design has a ton of room and relatively economical features (read: diesel engine) and is great for tight urban areas. It is actually a Mercedes truck design, intended to fulfill the same niche in Euroland as panel vans (like those big Chevy and Dodge truck-based vans used by cable companies to park in the middle of your street and eat donuts) do in this country. I live near San Francisco and these things make a lot of sense in even big American cities.


Well, a smaller version of the same idea is being introduced by Ford. Called the Transit Connect (a name that makes NO sense to Americans, more on that in a second), it’s a small car-based vehicle, essentially a tiny minivan with a really high ceiling. It’s going to get a 2.0L Duratec motor and get fuel economy in the mid-20s. No diesel option is mentioned yet, but there’s an electric version coming out later this year with a 60-100 mile range, depending on options. OK, so that name. Ford Transit Connect. It sounds like a service where Ford picks you up at the airport and drops you off at your car or something. It’s really a cute way of referring to the Ford Transit, a larger van a lot like the Sprinter. But seriously, dudes, change the name. It’s stupid because we don’t get the big Transit.

This should be a pretty cool little vehicle. I was across the pond for a bit back in my wild college days, and I drove a very similar Renault vanlet around for a while. It was a VERY useful little car. And Ford is going to offer a passenger version, which should (as in Europe) attract a pretty significant number of folks looking for an inexpensive but very functional vehicle. Probably the most similar car in the US to the Transit Connect will be the Honda Element, which doesn’t offer as much interior space or a commercial version.

[Source: Jalopnik, Freep.com]

Good News!

OK, I’ve spent a lot of time in the last two days looking for some morsel from the auto world that is not completely depressing. It hasn’t been easy, but hey, I’m working for you, loyal readers, so I don’t mind the drudgery. So here’s what I came up with:

1. The impending failure of the Big 3 in Detroit means our society, our way of life, and all of our cars will be consigned to oblivion in the near future. Prepare to eat a diet of coarsely ground grain, fend off large mammalian predators, and drag a sledge behind you …

… um, er, haha, little joke. Moving right along …

1. (for real this time) if you live in Europe and have a hankering for really big luxury cars that get good economy (who doesn’t?), then you might like the new BMW 730Ld. Kidding aside, this car really points out why diesel engines, in my mind, play a really important niche. The 730Ld (which is a huge car, by the way, at 205” long and weighs close to 6,000 lbs) will get 32 MPG on the European combined cycle test. I don’t think it will break any speed records, but diesels are getting a lot better. And for folks that want their cake and don’t want to have to fill up the tank while they’re eating it, the idea of a huge luxury sedan that gets Toyota Yaris fuel economy might be just what the doctor ordered. [Source: BMW via Autoblog Green]

2. Plus, if you get a 730Ld, in the near future you might be able to fill it up with fuel derived from algae. Seriously. There are still a ton of economic obstacles to making this a really competitive fuel source, but the advantages are numerous: high productivity, noncompetition with human food sources, ability to grow in ponds on unutilized land, etc. As long as it doesn’t spur the rise of a super-advanced sentient algae species that we will have to fight in order to survive, it should work out well. [Source: Nevada News]

3. Finally, Ford, the healthiest of the Detroit 3 automakers, has announced that if you actually want to buy one of their 2010 Fusion hybrids, you’ll get the full $3,400 tax credit. It does get impressive economy, at 41 MPG in the city. The hitch? In April, the credit gets halved, and in October it gets halved again. Nevertheless, if you absolutely crave a midsize hybrid that gets the best fuel economy, the Fusion is the way to go. It’s significantly more efficient than any other hybrid in its class. [Source: Ford]