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w w w . o a kv ill eb ea ve r.c o m O A KV IL LE B EA V ER W e dn es da y, Se pt em be r 2 9, 2 01 0 1 8 Ford gets an EcoBoost to its F-150 lineup for 2011 Story and photos by Jim Robinson Metroland Newspapers Carguide Magazine FORT WORTH, Texas: A light duty V6 pick- up that can get up to 30 mpg is not that unusu- al. But when that same pickup has 365 hp and 420 lb/ft of torque and can haul up to 5126 kg or 11,300 pounds (enough to tow a fully loaded three-horse trailer or 30-foot boat) and on reg- ular gas, thats a breakthrough. And thats just what Ford has accomplished with the EcoBoost-engined version in its 2011 F-150 model lineup. Its fast too. At a recent full-line review in Fort Worth, Texas, the 3.5-litre Ecoboost F-150 was (under controlled conditions) out-drag- ging the same truck with a monster, 6.2-litre V8. EcoBoost is a family of direct fuel-injected, turbocharged four- and six-cylinder gasoline engines that are designed to produce horse- power and torque equivalent to six- and eight- cylinder engines respectively. At the same time, they achieve about 20 per cent fuel savings and reduce greenhouse gases by about 15 per cent. The 3.5-litre EcoBoost is one of four engines available for the 2011 F-150, the others being a base 3.7-litre DOHC V6, a 5.0-litre DOHC V8 as also found in the Mustang and a 6.2-litre OHV V8. The idea of a turbo in a pickup truck is not new, but until now, rare. The pickup truck is nowhere more popular than in North America. Because our American friends tend to buy domestic, many were put off turbos after experiencing the first genera- tion of them in the 1980s where the advantages in power were outweighed by high fuel con- sumption and equipment failures. With 2,575,000 km (1.6 million miles) of the harshest-use customer testing behind it, Ford thinks all the turbo concerns of the past have been overcome. Up to 90 per cent of the EcoBoost truck engines peak torque is available from 1,700 rpm to 5,500 rpm. A typical comparable V8 competitor reaches peak torque at higher engine speeds and holds it for a much smaller range. To prove the point, Ford put us out on the road with F-150s in various trim levels but all with the EcoBoost engine. Part of this was a 20-mile stretch of rolling Texas ranch roads. The object was to try and get the best mileage possible, but not by resorting to tricks like driv- ing along the shoulder at 10 mp/h or shutting off the motor and coasting down inclines. Holding at the posted limit of 45 mp/h but lifting off the gas going downhill, my driving partner was able to manage (US) 27 mpg with a 3.15 rear axle. One of our group hit (US) 34.4 mpg with the best Canadian, Huw Evans, doing (US) 31.1 mpg. In the group driving the F-150s with the 3.73 rear axle, Canadian Sylvain Raymond was tops with (US) 28.9 mpg. Either way, that is well over 30 Imperial mpg, which is like a compact car. Ford has made a six-speed automatic trans- mission standard across the model range. There is no manual available. During a very brief encounter with the entire 2011 F-150 fleet, I spent most of my time in an Ecoboost-engined Lariat SuperCrew 4X2. There are a myriad of trim levels and pas- senger/cargo box configurations with the Lariat being pretty close the to top. Only The King Ranch and SVT Raptor cost more. As near as I could figure out with the five-foot box the starting price was $45,300 but it did have seri- al options. These included at 3:15 limited slip rear end, PowerFold heated outside mirrors, a Sony nav- igation system, leather front captains chairs that were heated and cooled and really big P265/60R 18-inch tires. Price as equipped was (US)$43,840 includ- ing shipping fee. Please do not go by this, as everything will be different in Canada. Best bet is to access www.ford.ca. The SuperCrew is the most commodious of the three cabin configurations with 43.5 inch- es of legroom and 65.5 inches of shoulder room in the back. I could truly stretch my legs out. On the road, we happened to be teamed with the engineer in charge of noise, vibration and harshness (NVH) who was really proud of the work his team had done. For a huge truck like the F-150 with those big tires, the amount of outside noise coming it was well quelled, this despite the big box style rearview mirrors jutting out in the airflow. Ford decided to go to electric instead of hydraulic power steering. Along with improved fuel economy, another key benefit of the elec- tric system is that the steering gear can be more precisely tuned for optimum feel for on- road and parking efforts. The tuning is software-based, so the steer- ing can be programmed and essentially cus- tomized to each model based on wheelbase, powertrain and other factors. Suspension is coil over shock reacting to long-spindle double wishbones at the front. At the rear, Ford decided to stay with a solid rear axle instead of going to an independent setup. Ford still believes a live axle and leaf springs is the way to go. Later we did a towing test with a 30-foot trailer with 6,900 lb inside. If this had been the 3.5-litre without EcoBoost, frankly, wed still be sitting there. Optional available is the SelectShift version of the automatic. It allows customers to select any desired gear manually. The transmission also features progressive range select, which allows the customer to lock out the available gears while in Drive. Also enabled is tow/haul mode, which pro- vides better control when hauling a heavy load or towing a trailer, especially when descending grades. The improved system uses an array of sophisticated electronic sensors to better pre- dict the drivers need for a downshift to provide engine braking and enhanced control. Fitted to the trucks in the towing test, the EcoBoost drove and felt like a V8. While the 2011 F-150 is on sale now, the EcoBoost versions will not be available until early in 2011. Cost for the EcoBoost in place of the standard 3.7-litre V6 is $2,000 and $1,000 in place of the 5.0-litre V8. With this new engine technology, Ford is hoping to truly boost its sales and number one sales spot in the light duty pickup truck seg- ment. Ford F-150 Lariat 4x2Supercrew Pickup 2011At A Glance: BODY STYLE:Light duty pickup.DRIVE METHOD:front-engine, rear- /all-wheel-drive.ENGINE:EcoBoost 3.5-litre DOHC, direct engine turbo V6 (365 hp, 420 lb/ft).FUEL ECONOMY:NA. TOE RATING: Payload capacity, 1,700 lb; GVWR, 7,100PRICE:Base, $45,399; as tested (US)$43,840 including shipping fee.WEB:www.ford.ca For 2011, Ford is offering four engines for the F-150 pickup lineup. Ford is claiming best in class performance and fuel economy. The big news is the avail- ability of the 3.5-litre EcoBoost engine across the board (King Range version shown) featuring V8-like power and towing. 345 Speers Rd. (at Dorval), Oakville 905-842-9299 Valid at all GTA locations. Expiry: Oct. 24, 2010 Code: 5691 any oil change package $8OFF