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2011 Ford F-150 to get 3 new engine choices

admin — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 14:00:47 +0000

Automotive News is reporting that Ford will be giving buyers of its F-150 pickup truck 3 new engine choices for the 2011 model year. Those new choices include a 3.7-liter V6, which replaces the current base V8, a 5.0-liter V8, and an EcoBoost 3.5-liter V6. If any of those choices sound familiar, you’re right. The first two engines are found in the V6 and V8 2011 Mustang, respectively. The third one, the EcoBoost V6, is available in several Ford and Lincoln models.

While the two Mustang-sourced engines have already been used in a rear wheel drive setup, this will be the first time Ford’s EcoBoost V6 will do rear-drive duty. This cross-vehicle engine sharing allows Ford to build a lot more of each engine, dividing the several million dollars spent on development of each one.

3.7-Liter V6

The inclusion of the 3.7-liter V6 is a no-brainer, as it helps keep Ford on track for new CAFE (Corporate Average Fuel Economy) requirements set to take effect in 2012 and 2016. It also helps the F-150 compete with the Chevrolet Silverado and RAM 1500, both of which offer V6 engines, while the F-150 has done without one since the close of the 2008 model year.

5.0-Liter V8

While all three engines should get superior fuel economy compared to the 2010 model, the EcoBoost V6 should be the most interesting. It is rumored that in the F-150, the EcoBoost will produce about 400 horsepower and 400 foot-pounds of torque, both of which are crucial for truck sales. At the same time, it’s expected to get better mileage than its V8 brethren. While this high-tech V6 has the power, traditional truck buyers have it ingrained in their minds that V8 power equals better hauling, so it’ll be interesting to see how that all shapes up.

by John Suit

Source: Automotive News

Jay Leno’s Garage: 2011 Ford Mustang GT

admin — Wed, 26 May 2010 17:51:09 +0000

Jay Leno may be known for The Tonight Show, but outside of that, he’s known for his web show, Jay Leno’s Garage. This week, Jay took out a 2011 Ford Mustang GT, and put it through a fairly thorough test drive, including freeways, corners, and even a burnout. He does a walk-around with the car, showing off some of its features, and he harps on the 412-horsepower 5.0-liter V8 engine a lot. Jay Leno has a 65 Mustang GT350, one of the faster variants from the 1960′s, and he apparently loves driving it. After driving the 2011 model, he agrees, and even goes as far as comparing it to pricier cars from BMW and Mercedes-Benz. Click past the jump to see the video.

Look for a review of the 2011 Ford Mustang here on Road Reality in a few weeks’ time, as the new Mustang is just now hitting dealerships. We’ll have reviews of both the V6 and GT models, so stay tuned!

by John Suit

Source: Jay Leno’s Garage

2011 Ford Mustang GT Gets EPA fuel rating, 17/26 Cty/Hwy

admin — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 17:18:52 +0000

Not only do you get 412 horsepower and 390 foot-pounds of torque with your brand spanking new Mustang GT, with the previously reported 5.0-liter V8, you get decent fuel mileage to go with it! Ford has announced that the Environmental Protection Agency rated its 2011 Mustang GT at 17 MPG City and 26 MPG Highway, when equipped with the manual transmission. Automatic transmission-equipped cars get 18/25, City/Highway.

Those are big numbers when you remember the aforementioned horsepower the new engine puts out. The outgoing GT only got 16/24 City/Highway for the manual, and 15/23 for the automatic, so the new engine gets way more power and much improved gas mileage.

When the announcement came that the 2011 Mustang GT was going to be outfitted with the 5.0-liter V8, nobody was worried about gas mileage, but now that it’s out, look for even more orders to be placed prior to the official launch. Already, the 2011 Mustang has received twice as many pre-orders as the 2010 model, which in itself was a fairly major refresh.

The Mustang’s most direct competitor, the Chevrolet Camaro, in SS guise, achieves 16/24 City/Highway with its manual transmission, while the automatic transmission-equipped model gets 16/25 City/Highway mileage, another win for the Mustang, at least on paper.

by John Suit

Source: Ford

Hot Car: 2011 Shelby GT500; Less weight + More power = More fun!

admin — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 17:00:25 +0000

We’ve had some talk about the 2011 Mustang, both in V6 and GT trims. Ford has finally released information and videos of its 2011 Shelby GT500, the most powerful factory Mustang ever built, in both Coupe and Convertible trim. Follow the jump for high-resolution images, videos, and my take on what this new model means to fans of the iconic pony car.

The big news is the aluminum engine. The use of aluminum instead of iron makes for a much lighter front end, which leads to better handling. With only 10 extra horsepower, you’d expect the performance numbers to stay close to what the 2010 GT500 was capable of, but not so. The new aluminum engine is 102 pounds lighter than its predecessor, which should make a big difference. It also uses a Ford first: a special coating on the inside of the engine that increases durability by lowering the amount of heat and friction.

Due to the decreased weight and more fuel-efficient engine design, the 2011 GT500 nets fuel economy numbers of 15/23 city/highway, compared to 2010′s 14/22 city/highway. While it’s not a great increase, it keeps the Shelby’s price down, since consumers won’t have to pay the gas guzzler tax that’s been tacked onto the MSRP for years.

The Shelby GT500 benefits from all the Noise, Vibration and Harshness (NVH) work that Ford’s engineers did for the regular Mustang for 2011, so the new car will let in far less road noise – 20% to be exact. Also, the electronic power steering system Ford has put into the new Mustang is also carried over, which is tuned in the GT500 to be variable, so slow-speed maneuvers are easier, while faster speed (read: track time) steering effort will be increased, which will make the new car easier to drive at speed.

Not to be left out, the convertible model of the GT500 has also seen some more strengthening to its underpinnings, leading to a convertible that acts more like its sibling, the coupe.

So, what are we left with? For sure, a faster, better handling pony car. Finally, the power and performance figures should be closer to what Chevrolet Corvette owners are used to, although the Mustang probably won’t ever be quite that fast. The Corvette just has the weight issue already taken care of, and is a much lower-slung car. Instead of always being compared to the Camaro, the Corvette’s little brother, the Mustang now lies somewhere between the two Chevy muscle cars, and may give GM the extra push to release its Z28, which would be the most powerful Camaro in its lineup, above the already potent SS model.

Videos:

Coupe:

Convertible:

Gallery:

by John Suit

Source: Ford

Finally Official: 2011 Mustang GT to sport 5.0-liter V8

roadreality — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 21:40:13 +0000

Note: those of you averse to technical details about cars may want to just check out the photos of the 2011 Mustang GT and know that it will be awesome when it lands in dealership showrooms sometime next year. The rest of you should read on, as I have the official details from Ford.

Speaking of details, there have been lots of rumors, but Ford finally announced that the engine under the hood of the 2011 Mustang GT will be a 5.0-liter V8. Mustang enthusiasts all know that for many years, the Mustang GT sported a 5.0-liter V8 under its hood, and were very upset in 1996 when Ford switched to the 4.6-liter V8. In the past year, however, Ford has had the worst-kept secret engine development ever, the “Coyote” V8. Once again, Ford has an engine which displaces 302 cubic inches, matching the displacement of the previous 302 used in Mustang GTs. The Internet has been buzzing with speculation and rumors about how much power it puts out. Early this morning, Ford’s announcement came out, settling the discussion once and for all.

5 liters. 412 horsepower. 390 foot-pounds of torque. 25 MPG highway. Everyone who’s read the rumors expected the first number, and the 2nd and 3rd numbers are close to what everyone has expected. The last number? It bests the outgoing 4.6-liter V8, and also beats the Mustang’s main rivals, the Camaro and Challenger. Meanwhile, if you print out all the stats for the three cars and compare them side-by-side, you’ll come to the same conclusion I have: The 2011 Mustang GT is going to be one majorly fast pony car. Lighter than the Camaro and Challenger, with horsepower that’s close, but not quite as high as either competitor, the new Mustang GT could very well best its rivals in handling and speed, not just MPG.

My take on the 2011 Mustang GT is that it will be a solid performer. Look for it to run the quarter mile in about 12.9 seconds, which is a little more than half a second quicker than the 2010 Mustang GT. While this is only a tenth of a second quicker than the Camaro, it’s far faster than the Challenger. The handling will probably be similar to current Mustangs, but expect faster overall times on a race track, due to the massive increase in horsepower over the 2010 Mustang, which goes from its current 315 hp / 325 ft. lbs. torque to the aforementioned numbers of 412 hp / 390 ft. lbs. torque. Starting in the 2012 or 2013 model year, I would expect to see the 5.0-liter V8 in any of Ford’s rear-wheel drive vehicles, namely the F-Series pickups, as a replacement for their current 4.6-liter V8. A lot of the vehicles currently coming off of Ford production lines are front-wheel drive, which makes fitting them with the new V8 a challenge. Luckily, there is a rumored replacements for the aging Ford Crown Victoria, Mercury Grand Marquis and Lincoln Town Car, all of which could feature a version of this new engine. Beyond that, any rear-wheel drive SUV or crossover that Ford produces has the potential to see 5.0 badges on it, especially as part of a performance package.

Those of you with a keen eye will notice a few things about the new engine. First, the alternator has been moved from its location on the 4.6-liter, allowing for a bigger and better-flowing intake manifold. Secondly, based on the instrument cluster, the red line for the new engine has been bumped by about 500 RPMs, to a full 7,000, a far cry from where the 4.6-liter was in 1996. Also, the badging on the engine says “TiVCT”, which stands for Twin Independent Variable Camshaft Timing. TiVCT is a variable camshaft technology used on many engines throughout domestic and foreign makes, and improves performance and fuel efficiency, not that most Mustang owners will notice or care. There are of course a myriad of other differences between the old and new engines, but suffice it to say the new engine is one of very high content, with almost all of today’s engine technology in use. The only thing which is missing is Direct Injection (DI), and that’s probably because development of this engine began two years ago, before DI technology became mainstream. I would expect that in another couple of years, or just in time for the debut of the 2013 or 2014 Mustang (2014 being rumored as the when the next Mustang will be introduced), we will see DI on the Mustang, for another bump in power and efficiency.

It is definitely an exciting time to be a fan of the Ford Mustang. Last year we saw a refreshing, with better-looking sheet metal and a far better interior, and this year we get all new engines, including the V6. Ford definitely has the upper hand in the battle for best pony car, and with extra oomph behind it, the Mustang looks to stay there.

Shortly before posting this, videos surfaced on YouTube featuring the 2011 Mustang GT and its new engine, respectively, so enjoy!

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zlR8hbpkHkw&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&hl=en_US&feature=player_embedded&fs=1]

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IwvLEx10KgE&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&hl=en_US&feature=player_embedded&fs=1]

While the pictures and video above are good, check out the gallery below for more snapshots:

by John Suit

Source: Ford

The 2011 Mustang is now outfitted with better headers that are only a step down from Mustang long tube headers.