3.5L EcoBoost leading Ford F-150 sales; highest volume EcoBoost vehicle
09 August 2011
The 365 hp (272 kW) 3.5-liter twin-turbocharged V6 Ford F-150 EcoBoost (earlier post) is outselling all other competitive six-cylinder trucks combined, according to Ford. In addition, the F-150 EcoBoost is now the highest volume vehicle in Ford’s growing global lineup of cars, trucks and SUVs available with the technology.
The new EcoBoost V6 is one of four new more fuel-efficient engines Ford introduced in the F-150 for 2011. Another of those—a 3.7-liter, 302 hp (225 kW) V6—also outsells all other competitive V6 engines in full-sized trucks from Chevrolet, GMC, Dodge and Toyota. According to sales data from J.D. Power and Associates, both new Ford truck V6 engines accounted for 79.5% market share of V6 full-sized trucks sold in July.
The Chevrolet Silverado takes second place with 12.1% market share, followed by the GMC Sierra with 4.0%, the Dodge Ram with 3.5% and the Toyota Tundra with 0.9%. Nissan does not offer a V6 in its Titan pickup.
In July, Ford sold 49,104 F-Series trucks. The EcoBoost V6 accounted for 40% of the mix, while the 3.7-liter took 16% of sales. This is the third consecutive month that V6s have outsold V8s in the F-Series. The last time the V6 outsold the V8 in the series was 1985. Year to date, the F-Series has sold 313,183 units, 8% higher than a year ago.
Both of our new V6 powerplants are changing the way customers think about truck engines. The 3.7-liter has more horsepower than two of the three V8 engines we offered in last year’s F-150. The 3.5-liter EcoBoost V6 engine, at 365 horsepower and 420 lb.-ft. torque, is in a class of its own – no one has anything even remotely close to this engine, which can tow as much as 11,300 pounds and deliver 22 mpg.
—Doug Scott, Ford’s truck group marketing manager
The 3.7-liter F-150 carries an EPA rating of 17 mpg (13.8 L/100km)) city and 23 mpg (10.2 L/100km) highway, while the F-150 EcoBoost is EPA certified at 16 mpg (14.7 L/100km) city and 22 mpg (10.7 L/100km) highway, making it the most fuel-efficient truck with more than 350 horsepower on the market.
The next two models scheduled to receive EcoBoost engines are two of the company’s top-selling utility vehicles, the Edge crossover and the Explorer SUV. Both will offer a 2.0-liter EcoBoost four-cylinder engine and deliver fuel efficiency of 30 mpg (7.8 L/100km) and 28 mpg (8.4 L/100km) highway, respectively. Edge and Explorer EcoBoost go on sale this fall.
Overseas, Ford EcoBoost engines are also a hit, with the 1.6-liter EcoBoost four-cylinder optional in the European C-MAX multi-activity vehicle virtually sold out. Sales volume is nearly 50% higher than projections.
It is difficult to understand why so many unjustified huge gas guzzlers are selling so well in USA. It would deserve an in depth study to find out what is pushing so many to react so foolishly.
Posted by: HarveyD | 09 August 2011 at 06:24 AM
HarveyD, you may have a point. We are already conditioned to accept near $4/gal gas - nearly twice the price of two years ago - and the price will double again, perhaps even more quickly.
Anyone can see 80+% of these pickups near/empty on the road. If the open pickup bed is the attraction, wouldn't a small, high mpg, empty one suffice?
These low mpg vehicles drive up demand and gasoline prices for all consumers.
Posted by: kelly | 09 August 2011 at 06:54 AM
I meant 4, not 2 years ago gas prices.
Posted by: kelly | 09 August 2011 at 06:55 AM
Could this misconception be corrected with an appropriate re-education program, from kinder garden up? Sounds foreign but may be required to de-program a long term acquired misbehavior.
Posted by: HarveyD | 09 August 2011 at 08:09 AM
Harvey
As for you, this consumer behavior is a complete mystery to me. I don't see anything appealing in a pick up, the very last thing I wish to own on planet earth, but I might be an extra terrestrial after all to be unable to understand other members of my own specie
Posted by: Treehugger | 09 August 2011 at 09:24 AM
Could this odd behavior have something to do with horse back riding cowboy days or is it a Hollywood creature?
Posted by: HarveyD | 09 August 2011 at 11:19 AM
This need for speed and power is innate. My 2 1/2 year old grandson, who never watches TV and I'm sure has not learned this from his parents, is enthralled with the idea of flying or driving really fast.
Posted by: citizen | 09 August 2011 at 02:23 PM
I am sick and tired of all the socialists on these sites wanting to indoctrinate the entire world with what they believe is right. I am sure there are many things in your behavior that I would find confusing Harvey (or whoever). Why don't you worry about the politics and citizens of Canada instead of forcing your beliefs down other countries throats. Better yet, worry about yourself. No one gave a crap about what people drove until a few years ago when the global warming claims came about. There was also global cooling in the 70's that they said was inevitable. Forgive us dirty greedy Americans that aren't buying electric cars because Al Gore says so. Freakin nut jobs want the entire world to do a 180 after 100 years of building up this culture of an oil based economy. Wake up. Trucks have been part of America since the early 1900's- this isn't something new. The next time you quacks want to tell me how to live, come on down to Colorado so I can show you my boot.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Global_cooling
Posted by: KGC | 09 August 2011 at 03:20 PM
KGC, there are limits to freedom if the actions of some lead to negative consequences for others. Absent the AGW issue you still have larger cars producing more local emissions than necessary (air pollution) and necessitating the importation of more foreign oil than is necessary, with all the attendant problems on balance of payments and keeping the Fifth Fleet on duty.
I admire a lot about America but the ridiculous obsession with massive, overpowered, ugly and crap handling pickups is not one of them. Here in Australia utes aka utility vehicles (pickups in Oz speak) are popular but based off our best-selling passenger cars like the Commodore and Falcon, so they have basically the same fuel consumption. But they're nowhere near the top-selling rank. And then there's Europe, where high petrol prices and strict emissions laws don't appear to have taken the fun or practicality out of cars and driving.
No one's going to force you at gunpoint into a Prius but do you really think the world will end if more people got out of V8 or V10 powered land barges for something a little more appropriate? Roll on stricter CAFE standards.
Posted by: Biff | 09 August 2011 at 06:53 PM
I live in a working mans neighborhood. Lots of pickup trucks. Normally the beds of the trucks are empty, until the weekend. Thats when they get used.
I have a Ford Ranger and it gets used on weekend for furniture moving , yard materials , etc. I have the only pickup in the family so it gets shared allot.
During the week it still gets 28 MPG on the highway.
By the way I live in Colorado, not in New York city.
Posted by: Big Al | 09 August 2011 at 07:20 PM
Well said Biff.
KGC has not convinced me why so many people (in America and Western Canada) are still buying 5000 + lbs pick-ups and drive them around, day in and day out, often without a single passenger or cargo. When I see small ladies driving around and trying to park those monsters, I wonder.....
Went crude oil was produced locally at $1.50/barrel and gas was as cheap as $0.30/gallon, nobody really cared and many drove boats on wheels.
Things have changed. USA can hardly produce 33% of the oil it consumes and has to import the other 66% at very high price, thereby creating a huge trade deficit, expensive oil wars and rising unmanageable national debt. Sooner or latter, others will be reluctant to loan USA more $$$B to keep your 100 million unjustified large vehicles rolling. However, I understand that acquired behavior is not easy to modify or change but the time has arrived to start thinking about it, even in Colorado and Alberta.
.
Posted by: HarveyD | 09 August 2011 at 08:14 PM
I really wish Ford would make a "Raptor" version of the Ranger pickup with the 2.0liter ecoboost engine. That would be perfect for me....
Posted by: GreenPlease | 10 August 2011 at 06:48 AM
Big Al...We used to rent-a-truck to haul large things around till I hurt my back. Lately we use movers whenever required. The last time I bought a boat on wheels was a large Chrysler Sedan 440 CC V-8 lemon monster in 1975. It fell apart in 3 years. Wife and I have been driving excellent Toyota (s) for the last 25+ years and will buy same again.
Posted by: HarveyD | 10 August 2011 at 09:03 AM
Why do people wear jewlery? It requires mining and smelting and all kinds of really nasty stuff. SIGNALING!!! It is the same with trucks in the culture of parts of the US. Why people pay more for shirts with logos on them when a plain shirt is cheaper and requires less energy to produce?
Posted by: jayson | 11 August 2011 at 05:04 PM
The I-use-my-truck-on-weekends argument is sort of lame, IMHO. When I was 20, I drove a '65 GMC 3/4 ton pickup as my daily driver. It got 11mpg around town, 14mpg highway. Other than using it to move things once in a while, I mainly drove it empty and solo. It was a prop, decoration, manly jewelry. I got rid of it and bought a new '82 VW diesel pickup that got 46mpg. That had plenty of room for my cargo 98% of the time. Some of my friends thought I had lost my mind. One guy told me that getting that kind of fuel economy was un-American. I merely decided it was really stupid to spend so much money on fuel, especially with the kinds of miscreants and sociopaths who profit by selling the stuff.
Today I drive a Golf TDI (only 43mpg because I'm lead footed) and when I need to haul something large, I hook up my trailer. If I need more room, I rent a truck. I feel no need to waste fuel just because I can, and I see no point in making it more expensive for farmers and truck drivers who are barely scraping by. Anybody who buys a guzzler and then complains about fuel economy is willfully ignorant.
Posted by: wesmontage | 11 August 2011 at 08:39 PM