FORD PULLS AHEAD OF COMPETITION
The F-150’s new, more powerful twin-turbo V6 engine makes a world of difference
Ford will introduce us to its refreshed F-150 late this year, but the most important change is already here: the new 3.5-litre EcoBoost V6 in the 2017 model.
Expecting only modest things from this engine because torque was increased just 50 pound-feet (to 470 from 420) and horsepower was boosted by only 10 to 375, we weren’t prepared for our first encounter with a full-throttle start. The snarling, head-bending, tiresmoking acceleration from the new engine immediately classifies as dumb the question of which engine to choose.
The new 3.5-litre EcoBoost V6 is the new boss.
For sure, a truck doesn’t need to be this quick. Acceleration, according to Car and Driver, is just a hair over six seconds to 100 km/h in something that weighs over 2,200 kilograms. Highway passing has never been easier. Straight-line acceleration is an addictive rush. The engine snarl mimics a V8 in salaciously rich tones, but the real benefit of the new V6 is improved towing and a strong, consistent pull; the torque curve yields all 470 lb-ft at 3,500 r.p.m., compared to the former EcoBoost that gave up 420 lb-ft at 2,500. That’s ideal for pulling big trailers up long hills.
We were not prepared to be so blown away by the difference the new EcoBoost makes in the F-150 when paired to the new 10-speed automatic transmission. While the old six-speed recorded few criticisms outside of some intermittent shift confusion, the new 10-speed, co-developed with GM and used in the F-150 Raptor, has a dual personality. In normal driving, it shifts casually from first to third to fifth and seventh and up as needed. Sometimes, first to third feels abrupt, but the engine is rarely hunting for the right gear.
Flip over to Sport or Tow mode, or stomp on the gas pedal, and the 10-speed sprouts its Hydra head. It uses every available cog to launch a ferocious attack on the asphalt, sequentially biting off each gear until the driver backs off the throttle. The instrumentation even allows gear changes to be monitored, with a vertical stack of numbers visible on the left side of the instrument cluster, showing which gear is in use. Sweet. And it can be used in a manual-like way, although it’s awkwardly thumbed by a button on the gear shift. Just give us those effective paddle-shifters found in the Raptor, please.
Almost completely new, the second-gen EcoBoost gets an aluminum block and aluminum heads. Direct- and port-injection have been added to keep carbon off the intake valves. The turbochargers and cooling system are new, which is why new EcoBoost F-150s wear front licence plates in the centre of the bumper instead of to the side as before, because the pathways have been changed, along with a bigger water pump. Start/stop is standard, but it can be shut off (it defaults to on after re-ignition) and will stay off in 4x4, Tow or Sport modes. Start/stop is definitely useful and will save a little fuel by shutting off the engine during needless idling periods, but it would be nice to have complete control over its functionality. Off should mean off.
Our fuel economy might have been skewed by the many bouts of testing, but our average was still a respectable 16.7 L/100 km of combined city and highway driving.
The long-term average, according to the truck’s on-board computer, was 16.1. Most of that would have been accumulated in the coldest months of January to March, since the truck entered service early in the year and had only 3,500 kilometres on it when it arrived. That’s worse consumption than we recorded in a recent comparison test of the three F-150 engines, in which the former 3.5-L EcoBoost V6 averaged 14.6 L/100 km. In 4x4 trim, the official rating on the new engine is an optimistic 12.1, combined; perhaps it was measured where gravity isn’t very strong.
We already know how capable the F-150 is for hauling and towing, with a good 4x4 system that’s adept at tackling winter driving conditions.
Our King Ranch, one of six trim levels available (not including Raptor), came with Ford’s full-time 4WD system. Its “4A” automatic mode usually sends most of the power to the rear wheels but automatically sends torque to the front wheels via a Borg Warner centre differential whenever slip is detected; it worked well along a muddy cottage road. Four-wheel drive only comes standard in King Ranch and up.
Having sold more than one million EcoBoost engines, Ford was wise to improve on its winning turbo strategy, even if it does cost buyers anywhere from $750 to $2,950 for the big V6, depending on configuration. The new 3.5-L EcoBoost, regardless of price, puts the 2017 Ford F-150 that much further ahead of every other half-ton on the market.