Ford’s EcoBoost engine torture test gets TV broadcast, Web chat

Towing logs in Oregon and race cars in Florida, then running the Baja 1000 race. Ford did all that with one EcoBoost V6 built for truck duty. How did the engine fare? You can find out Saturday afternoon on NBC.

Ford has taken a series of Web videos, along with video of the engine being torn down during the Detroit auto show in January, to create a 30-minute show that NBC will broadcast at 4:30 p.m. Eastern on Saturday. The show is narrated by Ford commercial spokesman Mike Rowe.

At the same time, Ford will host an hour-long Web chat with Jim Mazuchowsi, manager of V6 engines for the automaker, at www.thefordstory.com from 4:30-5:30 p.m. Eastern.

Source:  Autoweek

Ford Vertrek Concept @ 2011 Detroit Auto Show

Edmund’s Insideline does a little video on Ford’s Vertrek Concept.

[Source Insideline, Youtube]

What the Inside of a Tortured Ford EcoBoost V-6 Looks Like

Photos and Words by Jim McCraw; above photo courtesy of Ford

Ford Motor Co. made some history over the weekend when it did a complete engine tear-down and inspection of a “torture tested” 3.5-liter EcoBoost twin-turbo V-6 used in the latest F-150 at the 2011 North American International Auto Show in Detroit.

Auto shows, like NAIAS, typically showcase the latest metal in fancy displays bathed in brilliant lights and staffed with beautiful spokesmodels. They’re about as far as you can get from the garages that all cars and trucks will eventually require a visit to for service and maintenance. But for an hour Saturday, Ford turned part of its spotless blue and white display space inside Detroit’s Cobo Hall into a service bay for the last chapter of the F-150 EcoBoost torture test.

Detroit 2011: Ford Vertrek Concept previews future global small crossover

It may look like the strange lovechild of the 2012 Ford Focus and the European-spec Kuga crossover, but the Blue Oval’s new Vertrek crossover concept is indeed a visual upgrade compared to current small CUV offerings. The Vertrek, which makes its world debut here at the Detroit Auto Show, previews what’s in store for Ford’s new global small crossover, set to replace both the Escape here in North America as well as the Kuga abroad.

Powering the Vertrek is Ford’s new 1.6-liter EcoBoost inline four-cylinder engine, and the addition of Auto Start-Stop technology means it will be even more efficient. Ford has said that Auto Start-Stop will quickly spread across the brand’s product portfolio, and since 90 percent of Blue Oval-badged vehicles will have an EcoBoost option by 2013, fuel efficiency is expected to rise quite dramatically across the automaker’s entire lineup. What’s more, Ford will be incorporating regenerative braking into its gasoline-powered vehicles, and this system works with the Vertrek’s turbocharged engine and start-stop system to boost fuel economy even higher.

The Vertrek also builds upon Ford’s Kinetic design language, first seen on the Fiesta hatchback and then carried over to the new Focus sedan and five-door. Sure, the large wheels, small headlamps and futuristic mirrors are purely conceptual design, but Photoshop on some bits from the Focus (with which the Vertrek shares its platform) and a possible production car is indeed in sight. The interior, too, is wholly forward thinking, and while we’d love to see this sort of design on a road-ready crossover, we fully expect a much more toned-down approach.

Live Photos copyright ©2011 Drew Phillips / AOL

[Source Autoblog]

Detroit 2011: 2012 Ford C-Max struts its mini-minivan stuff

Small MPVs are all the rage in Europe, but here in North America – the land of “bigger is better” – these moderately-sized people-haulers have never quite sold in droves. Ford firmly believes that it’s time to bring the small MPV segment back to North America, and the 2012 C-Max is its first foray into offering this sort of pint-sized family-hauling package here in America.

We’ve already driven (and enjoyed) the European-spec Grand C-Max, and the good news is that not much will change mechanically before the car arrives here in the States. A 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine will be the base powertrain with an all-new 1.6-liter EcoBoost inline-four being the up-level mill. The C-Max offers seating for seven (or “five plus two,” as Ford says), and the latest crop of Blue Oval tech will be found inside.

The C-Max will go on sale later this year shortly after production begins at Ford’s Michigan Assembly Plant. Visit the forum for the link to more photos.

[Source Autoblog]

Live photos copyright ©2011 Steven J. Ewing / AOL

Video: Ford yanks F-150 EcoBoost ‘hero’ engine out of Baja racer ahead of NAIAS teardown

Ford has finally pulled the Ecoboost V6 engine from its Baja racer in preparation for the mill’s tear down at the Detroit Auto Show. This particular lump has seen several lifetimes worth of abuse, from skidding logs to endurance towing around a NASCAR track and even competing in the legendary Baja 1000.

Even more surprising, all of that came after severe endurance tests at the factory. The engineers say that this V6 has racked up enough hours to drive the equivalent of six laps around the planet. How did it hold up? According to Ford, the Ecoboost engine still managed to turn out the same power figures on the dyno that it left the factory with.

Ford plans to strip the workhorse Ecoboost V6 down to its bare bones in front of a live audience at this year’s Detroit Auto Show. The action gets going on January 15 at 11 a.m., so if you’re in the greater Detroit area, swing on by for a glimpse at the engine’s innards.

[Source: AutoBlog, YouTube]

Ford showcasing live teardown of F-150 EcoBoost engine during Detroit Auto Show

After surviving some of the most heinous abuse that the engineers at Ford cold dream up, the same 3.5-liter Ecoboost V6 engine that pulled logs, raced in Baja and towed 11,300 pounds for 24 hours straight will be dissected in front of the crowds at this year’s Detroit Auto Show. The stunt gets started on January 15 at 11 a.m., and Ford is hoping to be able to show off exactly how well its new V6 workhorse held up against the equivalent of 160,000 miles of torture.

Detroit Preview: Ford will tear down EcoBoost engine (while building up the brand)

From China to Cleveland, Ford’s EcoBoost technology is good news. Ford will be showing off just how well the F-150‘s “hero” 3.5-liter EcoBoost truck engine has been performing with a public teardown at the 2011 Detroit Auto Show next month. The engine that will undergo the procedure has been tested for the equivalent of 160,000 miles and 10 years of “rugged use.” Jim Mazuchowski, V6 engines programs manager, said in a statement that the engine “received no special treatment, and now we’re going to see how it did.”