Ford F-150 to Get Turbo-4?

Justin Berkowitz
by Justin Berkowitz

PickupTrucks.com reports that Ford's veep for product development, Derrick Kuzak is considering (what's the hurry?) "right-sizing" the F-150's power plant. Ford may stick an EcoBoost four-banger into the base the F-150 pickup truck. And why not? The current V6 F-150 is dead for 2009; the base V8 offers better performance and fuel economy. So FoMoCo needs something smaller and more fuel-efficient underhood to elevate sales from apocalyptic to merely catastrophic. At the same time, FoMoCo needs to satisfy upcoming CAFE regs: 28.6 for light trucks by 2015. Headline: a V6 with the performance of a V8 and the fuel economy of a V6! In the F-150, the 2.5-liter turbocharged direct injection straight four would be good for 260 horses, 300 lb ft of torque and around 28 highway mpgs. This is all just potential product planning (for 2013, no less). With the smaller F100 being planned (and not ten years too soon), the four-banger F-150 would have a kid brother to share engines. Upon hearing this news am I the only person thinking "260 hp EcoBoost Mustang, please" or at least "Mmmm, Compact pickup."

Justin Berkowitz
Justin Berkowitz

Immensely bored law student. I've also got 3 dogs.

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  • Blastman Blastman on Jul 14, 2008

    I agree, a turbo 4 might not do that great for gas mileage in a 2.5 ton truck if it was working hard. I think a smaller displacement ~ 3.0L V6 -- 24v with 220hp would do quite well with a 6-spd auto in an F-150. Wouldn't have the tow capability of the V8's, but who uses the full tow capability of their V8 equipped F-150 anyway?

  • Johnster Johnster on Jul 14, 2008

    So, as I understand it, Ford will soon have four different pickup trucks. There's the big Super-Duty F-250, F-350 and F-450. There's the soon-to-be-released new full-sized F-150. There's the upcoming new mid-sized F-100 which had been planned as a replacement for the current Range, but which will be sold along side it. And there's the current Ford Ranger, which had been planned to be discontinued at the end of the year, but which has been given a stay of execution for another couple of years until Ford can get a new Ranger ready. The new Ranger due in 2 or 3 years is supposedly a version of Ford's world Ranger truck.

  • 86er 86er on Jul 15, 2008

    Johnster, they also have the F-550-750. The plans as I understand them are for the Ranger and F-100 to co-exist, the Ranger staying compact and the F-100 being a "mid-size" for lack of a better term.

  • Cornbread Cornbread on Sep 25, 2008

    Dont sit around wating for Ford.. a few folks already dropping in 3 and 4 cylinder diesels right off the shelf and approaching 50mpg. Fun to ride in and a sound that will make you proud . check out neighbor Gary Brown http://www.shadetreeconversions.com/

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