Posts Tagged ‘Ecoboost’
Engine problems "almost killed me," alleges one owner.
by Michael Strong on May.16, 2013
Ford's 3.5-liter EcoBoost engines undergo torture testing. The engine is now the subject of two lawsuits.
The lawsuits against Ford Motor Co.’s highly acclaimed EcoBoost are mounting as two disgruntled F-150 owners filed a class-action suit in the state of Louisiana. They make essentially the same claims as were found in a separate suit filed in Ohio last week.
In the Louisiana lawsuit, the plaintiffs claim the 3.5-liter V6 EcoBoost engine “can shudder, shake and then rapidly lose power while drivers are accelerating.” The suit claims the “aggregated claims…exceed the sum value of $5,000,000…”
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“My Ford EcoBoost almost killed us,” said one of the drivers in the filing. Both plaintiffs drive 2011-2012 Ford F-150 pickups.
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Tags: Ecoboost, F-150, Ford, Ford Ecoboost, Ford Motor Co., Ford class action lawsuit, Lincoln MKS, MKS, NHTSA, The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, TheDetroitBureau.com., class action lawsuit, flex, ford f-150, ford flex, ford taurus sho, michael strong, taurus sho, thedetroitbureau
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The new engine will phase out the 1.6-liter version for Fusion.
by Michael Strong on Apr.12, 2013
Ford continues to expand its EcoBoost engine lineup.
Ford continues to ride the EcoBoost wave of success with the introduction of a new 1.5-liter four-cylinder engine designed to eliminate the issues that plagued early iterations of the 1.6-liter version and provide tax breaks in China and some European countries.
The new engine, which will be produced alongside Ford’s 1.0-liter, three-cylinder model in Crajova, Romania, will debut in the Mondeo at the Shanghai Auto Show later this month. Ultimately, it will become the primary powerplant for the Fusion in the United States replacing the 1.6-liter model in 2014.
The 1.6-liter will still be offered on the Fusion, but only on vehicles with a manual transmission. The 2014 Fusion will have six powertrain options: a 1.5-, 1.6-, and 2.0-liter EcoBoost; a 2.5-liter four-cylinder; and a hybrid and plug-in hybrid powertrain.
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The 1.5-liter boasts improved fuel economy and power output compared with the 1.6-liter, said said Joe Bakaj, Ford’s vice president of powertrain engineering, at a Ford event on Thursday. An improved design where the exhaust manifold is integrated into the cylinder head allows the engine to reach is ideal operating temperatures more quickly making the engine more efficient. For those who live in cold-weather climates there is an additional benefit: the cabin warms up more quickly as well, Bakaj added.
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Tags: EcoBoost powertrain, Ecoboost, Fiesta, Ford, Ford Ecoboost, Ford Motor Co., Fusion, Mondeo, Mondeo China, Mondeo Europe, TheDetroitBureau.com., ford china, ford fusion, michael strong, shanghai auto show, thedetroitbureau
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Searching the LA Auto Show for the newest 40 mpg offerings.
by Michael Rose on Dec.03, 2012
The new Honda Accord PHEV will get 115 MPGe, says the EPA, the highest mileage rating in the industry.
For years we’ve been hearing about the surprising vim and vigor of people who hit age milestones like 40 that once meant the downhill slide had begun. Now 40 is being touted as the new 30. Might this milestone hold true for cars, as well?
Is 40 miles per gallon the new 30?
Could this be the de facto standard for a new crop of vigorous, green machines that promise to cart our gracefully aging selves around while taking baby sips of fuel — or electrons?
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To get a sense, we kicked the tires and listened in on the news conferences and Q&A sessions during the two press preview days at the 2012 Los Angeles Auto Show.
The second day started off with the Green Car of the Year award going to the promising new 2013 Ford Fusion that offers a hybrid version providing an average for city and highway driving of 47 mpg. Not bad.
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Tags: Dodge Aero, Ecoboost, Fiesta, Ford, Fusion, LA Auto Show, Prius, Spark EV, TDI, audi a3, auto news, car news, chevrolet, chrysler, direct injection, fisker karma, focus, general motors, green car of the year, michael rose, nissan leaf, thedetroit bureau, volt
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Big crossover conquers the only jungle that really matters.
by Bryan Laviolette on Nov.30, 2012
The Ford Explorer Sport is the perfect vehicle for conquering the concrete jungle.
It’s a jungle out there and you need a vehicle that can handle it. Pitted trails, obstacles to avoid, narrow spots to fit through.
Yep, the parking lot can be a real test for any vehicle … Oh, you thought this was about the REAL jungle? As in vines, mud holes and “roads” that are more like deer trails? Ha, while SUVs may purport to go there, virtually everyone knows that the only time the large majority of these beasts ever leave the road is to enter the parking lot at the mall.
So it is with that in mind that we put Ford’s new Explorer Sport to the test. In fact, we subjected Ford’s biggest crossover – sorry, Ford may want you to view this as a sport utility vehicle, but it’s based on the same platform as a Ford Taurus – to the most grueling test possible: Black Friday shopping.
Back from the Jungle!
The test actually began with what became a reconnaissance mission on Thanksgiving Eve Wednesday night – go ahead, call us geeks – to Carson’s where we were able to scout locations for bounty which would become critical Thursday night/Friday morning.
As is typical these days, Black Friday actually begins Thursday night as families are wrapping up their Thanksgiving Day celebrations. So having a sure-footed CUV with a commanding driving position becomes important in the battle to avoid other motorists in their tryptophan-induced stupors.
There were presents to buy, deals to be had and mobs of people to be crushed by. Our Black Friday escapade was on.
Tags: Concrete Jungle, Ecoboost, Explorer EcoBoost review, Explorer Sport review, Ford Explorer Sport, Ford Explorer Sport review, TheDetroitBureau.com., auto news, auto review, bryan laviolette, car news, car review, explorer ecoboost, explorer review, ford explorer review, turbo Explorer, twin-turbo Explorer
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Judges swayed by mix of powertrain options.
by Paul A. Eisenstein on Nov.29, 2012
Ford plans to play up its Green Car award in spots coming soon to a TV near you.
Despite the popular media’s fixation on battery power, automotive insiders are quick to caution that there is no “silver bullet” solution, no single technology that will likely meet all the needs for tomorrow’s clean and efficient automobiles.
That message was hammered home by the choice of the 2013 Ford Fusion as the Green Car of the Year, an award designed to focus the spotlight on the latest clean-tech automobiles.
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A key to the decision was the fact that the new midsize sedan offers a broad range of powertrain alternatives, from conventional gasoline power up to an all-new plug-in hybrid.
“That’s an example of automotive democracy,” said Ron Cogan, publisher of Green Car Journal, the organizer of the annual award.
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Tags: 2013 ford fusion, Ecoboost, LA Auto Show, alternative power, ford fusion green car, fusion car of the year, green car journal, green car of the year, hybrid vehicles, paul a. eisenstein, paul eisenstein, prius c, thedetroitbureau
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NRDC notes surge in high-mileage models already on the road.
by Paul A. Eisenstein on Apr.20, 2012
With its high-mileage EcoBoost engine, a new study says the 2012 Ford Explorer is already savings owners $1000s on gas.
The recently-enacted 54.5 mile per gallon fuel economy standards will save American motorists an estimated $69 billion annually, according to a new report that suggests the Obama Administration’s push for improved fuel economy is already saving many drivers thousands of dollars.
With a big jump in fuel economy scheduled for 2016 and another by 2025, the Natural Resources Defense Council, or NRDC, stressed that the auto industry is already rolling out a substantial number of new, higher-mileage products that are not only saving consumers money but reducing dependence upon foreign oil.
The report, titled, “Relieving Pain at the Pump: Thanks to Stronger Standards, Consumers Have More Fuel-Efficient Choices”, noted that the number of subcompact cars sold in the U.S. market getting at least 30 mpg has tripled since 2009, to 15.
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The number of midsize models rated 25 mpg jumped from just six in 2009 to 10 during the 2012 model-year. Meanwhile, the count of crossovers getting at least 20 mpg, meanwhile, has doubled, to 32. And the report stresses that fuel economy is rising rapidly across the automotive market.
“Drivers today have twice the fuel-efficient car options than just three years ago,” said Luke Tonachel, senior vehicles analyst at the Natural Resources Defense Council. “The technology — and fuel savings — are only going to improve thanks to even stronger efficiency standards.”
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Tags: CAFE, Corporate Average Fuel Economy, Ecoboost, auto news, car news, ford explorer, fuel economy, fuel savings, gas mileage, obama cafe, obama mileage, paul a. eisenstein, paul eisenstein, thedetroitbureau
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Does trend signal economic upturn?
by Paul A. Eisenstein on Jan.05, 2012
The majority of Ford F-150s are now being ordered with 6-cylinder engines.
Fuel prices may be nudging back up again but Americans are once again racing to plunk their money down on pickups, vans and SUVs again, light trucks collectively accounting for 54.8% of the U.S. market last month – with the Ford F-Series wrapping up 2011 as the best-selling vehicle in the country for the 30th year in a row.
While Americans might have been racing to buy small cars and hybrids early in the year, demand clearly slipped as 2011 came to a close, Honda selling just 690 of its Insight hybrids last month, or less than one per dealer.
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Pickups, it turned out, dominated the sales charts, the Chevrolet Silverado slipping into the number two sales slot behind Ford’s F-150, and a range of other trucks – from the newly redesigned Ford Explorer to Chrysler’s relaunched Jeep Grand Cherokee – reporting December gains well into the double-digits.
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Tags: Chevrolet Silverado, Chevy Silverado, Ecoboost, Ford Ecoboost, auto news, car news, chevrolet news, december 2011 f-series sales, december car sales, december truck sales, f-series, ford f-150, ford f-series, ford news, paul a. eisenstein, paul eisenstein, pickup truck sales, pickup trucks, pickups and housing, thedetroitbureau, truck sales
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Maker also moving hybrid driveline production in-house as sales rise.
by Paul A. Eisenstein on Jun.02, 2011
Though Ford isn't revealing details, sources suggest the 1.0-liter I3 engine may first show up on the Fiesta.
Ford will introduce another version of its high-mileage EcoBoost engine line-up, at 1.0-liter expected to be not just the smallest but the most fuel-efficient offering in its U.S. powertrain family.
Separately, the maker plans to match its competitors in the escalating “gear war,” with a new 8-speed automatic transmission now under development. Ford also plans to stop purchasing its hybrid drive system from outside supplier Aisin, bringing in-house the production of the advanced technology used in such models as the Ford Escape Hybrid and Lincoln MKZ Hybrid.
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“We’re doing everything we can to improve fuel economy,” Derrick Kuzak, Ford’s global product development czar, told TheDetroitBureau.com prior to a Thursday news conference.
The new moves are “a significant development” for a company that had long been faulted for lagging behind on powertrain development, noted John McElroy, an industry analyst and host of the TV and webcast AutoLine: Detroit.
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Tags: 1.0 liter ecoboost, Ecoboost, Ford Ecoboost, Ford Hybrid, Fusion Hybrid, auto news, car news, escape hybrid, fiesta ecoboost, ford 1.0-liter ecoboost, ford 8-speed, ford news, ford transmissions, mkz hybrid, paul a. eisenstein, paul eisenstein, thedetroitbureau
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Saving gas isn’t everything - especially if you don't get the vehicle you need.
by Paul A. Eisenstein on Mar.10, 2011
How small is too small? The Mini Rocketman concept.
With fuel prices spiking — and some markets are now reporting figures of more than $4 a gallon — plenty of folks are rethinking how small they should go.
Even before the latest crisis in Libya sent global petroleum markets into turmoil, American motorists were starting to downsize. February sales numbers showed a significant spike in demand for compacts and subcompacts.
But last month also saw a surge in sales of big pickups and SUVs, as well. Old habits die hard, especially in a market where bigger is generally seen as better.
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But the figures also suggest that for many American motorists, downsizing is downright difficult. Trading in that big SUV for a compact sedan just might not work for many buyers, especially those with large families, or for those who might need to tow or carry lots of “stuff” for business or pleasure.
Is downsizing right for you? The question isn’t as easy as it might seem. For one thing, there are both practical and emotional factors to consider.
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Tags: Ecoboost, Toyota Prius, auto news, car news, downsizing, fuel prices, hybrid vehicles, hybrids, paul a. eisenstein, paul eisenstein, saving fuel, small cars, thedetroitbureau
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Experts debate merits of competing ways to boost fuel economy
by Bryan Laviolette on Aug.03, 2010
Ford is touting its EcoBoost engines as the best way to boost fuel economy.
Call it the automotive equivalent of the Hatfields and McCoys.
It would seem that proponents of diesel technology for small cars in the U.S. will always be at war with those who don’t see a future for downsized “oil burners” in a market reluctant to pay the premium, despite the technologies fuel-efficient advantages.
The battle over how to improve fuel economy – hybrids, extended-range electric, diesel, fuel cells – continues to rage, but three panelists at the Management Briefing Seminars, an annual industry confab in Traverse City, Michigan, all agreed on one key point: the internal combustion engine will continue be a big part of the automotive landscape for the foreseeable future.
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But will the majority of them run on gasoline or will diesel make a bigger dent in the U.S. market?
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Tags: Ecoboost, alternative fuel, auto news, bryan laviolette, car news, diesel news, diesels, electric vehicles, fuel economy, green cars, green machines, thedetroitbureau
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