dferkler

End of the V-8? Ford bets on direct injection and turbos

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[/align][/align]The first automaker to put V-8s in popularly priced cars may be the first to take them away. Ford Motor Company is investing--big--into gas turbocharged direct-injection engines, says Derrick Kuzak, group vice president for global product development (Ford's Bob Lutz). Ford plans to build a half million vehicles per year with the engine technology in five years.[/align]Why GTDI, as Ford calls it? The technology was also formerly known as TwinForce, but Ford has renamed it EcoBoost. Beside better performance and fuel economy, "combined with downsizing engines, direct injection allows less turbo lag and higher compression for more boost," Kuzak explains. It produces better torque curves than diesels.[/align]And it's a substitute for cubic inches. A 2.0-liter GTDI can perform comparably with a 3.0-liter V-6 (which can generate as much as 275 horsepower and 280 lb-ft of torque, according to Ford) and add five mpg, per Kuzak. A 3.5-liter GTDI V-6 has a two-mpg advantage over a 4.6-liter V-8 and can see power numbers of 340 horsepower and over 340 lb-ft of torque. And the higher cost of GTDI pays off in better fuel economy (20-30 percent gains, according to Ford) much more quickly than with a hybrid or diesel.[/align]So is the V-8 dead? "I'm not sure," Kuzak replies. Ford will have to educate buyers that a GTDI V-6 can be torquier than a 4.6-liter V-8. One thing is certain: With the Energy Bill's higher CAFE standards, the V-8 will become more of a niche engine, more likely found only on low-volume sports cars, luxury sedans, and trucks.[/align]

suoperdave84

If the V8 is not an option for the Mustang, the Mustang will die.

With all this environmentalist garbage mucking up such things, I will be buying classic cars in the future and not new ones.

RedGTyl

I love how a small minority of eviromentalist wackos can control an entire country.[:@] There is something wrong with this world. Too bad Ford has to sell out it's good old american buyer to conform to this green fad. I know there are new laws coming into effect thanks to that *** bag Bush who claims to be an Republican. A real Conservative would have vetoed that energy bill. I still think Ford, Chevy, and Dodge should fight this energy bill in court. Not just lay down like a bunch of pansies. Thats how the eviromentalists get what they want. They just keeping suing untill they get their way.

Unfortunately for enthusiasts like us, most people are uninformed and ignorant so they are believing all this green propaganda. Someone needs to step up or our beloved muscle cars will be a thing or the past. God help us.


PS- suoperdave84, your car looks sick!

Black05StangGT

I'm not completely sold on direct injection because I don't believe its actually been perfected enough yet...The mazdaspeed 6 I used to have was DI and it had serious tuning problems even from the factory...the car ran rich ALL the time and I saw really crappy fuel economy...

Cubs17

Damn treehuggers

imyy4u

what does this mean? the v-8 will die out in all of ford's lineup except the f-series trucks and the mustang. they will use this engine to replace it in other cars though, i.e. crown vic and other fleet cars, and also other cars that have needed a v-8 due to their weight but where buyers don't really care about the engine as long as it lets the car accelerate at a respectable rate. ford will not kill off their v-8 mustang for at least another 30 years...i'd bet anything on it. this engine will replace all the other v-8s wherever the consumers don't care about performance and just want a decent accelerating car (i.e. suv, ford explorer, crown vic, etc.).

i am fairly sure the mustang will be one of the last v-8 american cars on the planet...

SuperSonic05

If a 3.5-liter V6 can make 340hp and torque, what could a 4.0-liter V8 do?380hp&tq? I would drive that, hell I would drive that V6.

With this new bill, big N/a V-8 are a dieing breed. Smaller F/I V-8 will survive for people like us that want V-8s and, mostly likely, have more power then our current engines. I bet the old push rod guys said that Modular engine would end the mustang too. (The engine did suck at first) lol

Reminisce

Mkay, if the V8 is a niche engine, as they say, let it stay in the Mustang GT and the F-series trucks and let that be your niche. Throw the Ecoboost in the Fusion/Milan, the Focus, put one in a roadster to compete with the Miata, the Solstice/Sky, revitalize the Lincoln lineup sedans and put it in those so they can better compete with Cadillac, Lexus, Infiniti, etc.. Just dont take the V8 out the Mustang and the F150

dferkler

I think the V6 Mustang is going to pay the price. The CAFE numbers will force out the 4.0 V6 and possibly the 3.5 from most of Fords lineup. I Would expect to see is a gas guzzler tax on all V8 cars that do not meet a set MPG rating.

joshetc

The reason I bought a mustang GT is its immense room to grow. A turbo charged low displacement engine that is already pushing the limitations of the stock motor doesn't have that room. I imagine there are plenty of people in the same position as me that would refuse to buy such a car. If I want a super fast stock car I'll buy a z06. I bought my Mustang so I could make it much faster at a great value withoutswapping the engine or running 30lbs of boost.