Our Auto News Sunday feature story is Ford beating the drum for their all new 2015 F-150 EcoBoost which promises to be the most ground-breaking pickup to hit the market in decades.
This week they announced full specifications on the new 2.7-liter EcoBoost V6 engine which has gotten plenty of headlines being the smallest powerplant to find its way into a full-sized pickup in recent memory.
Cranking out 325 horsepower, 375 lb.-ft. of torque the engine is big on power however and offers up V8 towing numbers like 8,500 lbs and a payload capacity of 2,250 lbs.
The high-output 2.7-liter EcoBoost V6 has twin-turbochargers and direct-injection much like the larger 3.5 liter EcoBoost V6 which will remain a higher level option.
The engine comes with auto-start-stop to aid in fuel-efficiency which should be even better than the 3.5 liter EcoBoost engine which has been very popular.
Auto-start-stop shuts off the engine when the vehicle is at a stop. When the brake is released, the engine restarts quickly. For those of you who worry about that, the system is off when towing or in four-wheel-drive mode.
Ford says the new engine while small is extremely durable. It represents the first use of a compacted graphite iron cylinder block in a gas engine, the same material used in Ford’s 6.7-liter Power Stroke turbo diesel.
Ford has been testing the F-150 EcoBoost against the Ram 1500 V6 EcoDiesel and Chevrolet Silverado 1500 with a 5.3-liter V8 while towing up to Davis Dam in Arizona.
Ford points out this is the test loop for the SAE J2807 towing test standard, which the 2015 Ford F-150 will follow and be certified for.
