Ford Motor Co. officially added two new V6 gasoline engine options to its 2015 F-150 pickup truck line this week: an optional 2.7-liter EcoBoost V6 offering 325 hp, 375 lb.-ft. of torque, and an “Auto Start-Stop” feature as standard technology to save on fuel, along with a 3.5-liter V6 cranking out 283 hp. and 255 lb.-ft. of torque, which will be the standard engine for the 2015 F-150.
[To view photos of the new 2015 F-150 pickup, click here.]
The OEM said the twin-turbo 2.7-liter EcoBoost V6 features an entirely new design that improves the power-to-weight ratio of the 2015 F-150 model by 15% over the 2014 5.0-liter V8-equipped F-150 with similar torque output largely thanks to what Ford calls “light-weighting” strategies – mainly the wider use of aluminum – that helped cut some 700 lbs. of weight from the F-150 platform.
The 2.7-liter EcoBoost in a 4x2 configuration provides a maximum payload rating of 2,250 lbs., maximum tow rating of 8,500 lbs., and comes standard with “Auto Start-Stop” technology that shuts off the engine when the vehicle is stopped that quickly starts when the brake is released. Ford noted that “Auto Star-Stop” technology is deactivated when the vehicle is either tow- or four-wheel-drive mode.
The OEM added that its 2.7-liter EcoBoost engine also features Ford’s first use of a compacted graphite iron cylinder block in a gasoline engine – the same material used in Ford’s 6.7-liter Power Stroke turbo diesel V8 for its Super Duty truck line – to help further reduce overall vehicle weight.
Ford also pointed out that the new standard 3.5-liter V6 engine for the 2015 F-150 offers a 5% improvement in power-to-weight ratio over the larger 3.7-liter V6 used in the 2014 F-150. The new 3.5-liter V6 provides the 2015 F-150 with a maximum payload rating of 1,910 lbs. and a maximum tow rating of 7,600 lbs.
In addition to the new V6 engines, Ford added that the 2015 F-150 will offer two other gasoline engine options: a 3.5-liter EcoBoost V6 and a 5.0-liter V8.
