Torture Testing Of New Ecoboost Truck Engine For 2011 Ford F-150 Showcased In Web Documentaries

* A series of web-based documentaries will take viewers inside the extreme testing of Ford’s new EcoBoost™ truck engine coming to the 2011 F-150; go to fordvehicles.com/2011F150
to see firsthand how the new class-leading EcoBoost truck engine performs on the dynamometer and then in extreme real-world tests
* The EcoBoost truck engine is tested to the equivalent of more than 1.6 million total miles of harsh customer use in the lab, in test cells and on the road
* Upcoming web documentaries will show the new EcoBoost engine – chosen randomly
off the assembly line at Cleveland Engine Plant – pulling, towing and racing in extreme
real-world tough-truck tests to prove what it means to be Built Ford Tough
* The videos are narrated by Mike Rowe of the popular Dirty Jobs series
* Specially tuned for the 2011 F-150, the EcoBoost engine will deliver 365 horsepower and a best-in-class 11,300 pounds towing, 3,060 pounds payload and 420 lb.-ft. of torque combined with the fuel economy of a V6
* Also on fordvehicles.com/2011F150 are video animations depicting key technology features of the four all-new engines coming to the 2011 F-150: the 3.7-liter V6, 5.0-liter V8, 6.2-liter V8 and EcoBoost. This is the most extensive engine makeover in the history of Ford F-Series

DALLAS - To prove out the new EcoBoost truck engine, Ford Motor Company is putting one randomly selected engine through a series of extreme durability tests, both in the lab and in the field. The torture testing is being filmed for a web-based documentary series that offers viewers a behind-the-scenes look at the development of the new EcoBoost truck engine that joins the lineup of the 2011 Ford F-150 early next year.

The first video, now posted on the site, brings to life the dynamometer testing that new truck engines, including the new EcoBoost pulled randomly off the line at Cleveland Engine Plant, endure. In coming weeks, web videos, posted at www.fordvehicles.com/2011F150, will document the extreme challenges the 2011 F-150 EcoBoost faces in the real world.

After undergoing the equivalent of 150,000 miles on the dynamometer, the same EcoBoost engine is dropped in a 2011 F-150 at Ford’s Kansas City Assembly Plant before it faces a series of extreme real-world tough-truck tests to ensure it exceeds the demands of even the most demanding F-150 customer.

Once out of the lab, the ongoing web documentaries will take viewers on a nationwide journey as the 2011 F-150 EcoBoost’s durability, capability, fuel economy and power is proved out in the field. The challenges include:

Hauling timber

* The 2011 F-150 EcoBoost joins a lumber company in Oregon, working as a log skidder to show off its best-in-class hauling and 420 lb.-ft. of torque. This severe duty involves dragging logs weighing thousands of pounds up steep grades. The 2011 F-150 EcoBoost replaces larger, heavy-duty machinery to perform the task.

24 hours of NASCAR

* Following its work in the Pacific Northwest, the same 2011 F-150 EcoBoost heads to Homestead-Miami Speedway in Florida to demonstrate its best-in-class towing capability of 11,300 pounds. The truck will tow a pair of Sprint Cup Ford Fusions for 24 hours around the 1.5-mile oval. Befitting the track, site of the NASCAR Sprint Cup season finale, the fully stock 2011 F-150 EcoBoost will run at full throttle, reaching speeds in excess of 90 mph on the straights, stopping only for tires and more 87 octane fuel.

Baja 1000

* After towing on the oval at Homestead-Miami Speedway, the same EcoBoost engine will be dropped in an F-150 off-road race truck and challenge one of the harshest tests on Earth – the 2010 Tecate SCORE Baja 1000. Last year less than 60 percent of the entrants finished the grueling desert race. Built Ford Tough trucks have a proud legacy in the event, winning more Baja titles than any other four-wheel manufacturer.

Teardown

* After all the pulling, towing, desert racing and much more, viewers will get an inside look at the durability of the EcoBoost when Ford engineers tear it down to evaluate the extensive testing program.

Innovative technology
The first application of Ford’s award-winning EcoBoost technology – which combines direct fuel injection and turbocharging – in a rear-wheel-drive truck highlights an all-new class-leading powertrain lineup for the 2011 Ford F-150. Available at launch in late 2010 are a 3.7-liter V6, 5.0-liter V8 and 6.2-liter V8, followed by the new EcoBoost truck engine, available in early 2011. This marks the most extensive engine makeover in the 62-year history of Ford F-Series. Animations of key technical features of all four new engines will be available at the site as well.

The new EcoBoost truck engine’s turbocharging and direct fuel injection are particularly relevant to F-150 customers looking for the power to haul and tow heavy loads. This unique EcoBoost truck engine delivers impressive low-end torque and maintains it across a broad rpm range, which is key in towing applications. Approximately 90 percent of the EcoBoost truck engine’s peak torque of 420 lb.-ft. is available from 1,700 rpm to 5,500 rpm. EcoBoost’s 420 lb.-ft. of torque is more than any other competitive half-ton truck.

The F-150 EcoBoost also tows a best-in-class 11,300 pounds and delivers an impressive 365 horsepower. Combine that with the fuel economy of a V6, and it is a combination competitors can’t match. And it’s all done on regular fuel.

Built Ford Tough testing
Three avenues that test and validate all truck engines are computer analysis, laboratory work and in-vehicle exercises. All the tests together replicate more than 1.6 million miles of customer usage – the harshest-use customer. A customer profile reflecting extreme-use driving style, road types and vehicle usage, including maximum towing and payload situations, was developed to underpin the testing program.

For the 2011 F-150 EcoBoost, that includes analytical time, dynamometer testing at full boost, in-vehicle test time, thermal test cycles ranging from 20 degrees Fahrenheit to 235 degrees Fahrenheit, fatigue testing with engine running nonstop between peak horsepower and peak torque and road tests.

A recent proving drive, for example, included accumulating nearly 1,500 miles across Arizona, Nevada, Utah and California. The 2011 F-150 EcoBoost traveled up grades as high as 14 percent, with elevations ranging from a few hundred feet below sea level to more than 12,000 feet, in temperatures ranging from 28 degrees to 108 degrees.

Each web-based documentary is narrated by Mike Rowe of Dirty Jobs, seen on Discovery Channel. Rowe hosted a series of videos last year on the development of the all-new Ford-engineered, Ford-designed and Ford-manufactured 6.7-liter Power Stroke® V8 turbocharged diesel engine, which recently won the Ward’s Automotive Diesel Shootout.

“Mike Rowe is a tremendous part of helping us communicate the outstanding attributes of our new EcoBoost truck engine and its unbeatable combination of durability, power, capability and fuel economy,” said Doug Scott, Ford truck group marketing manager. “Mike resonates very well with our Ford F-Series customers because he is authentic and no stranger to tough work.”

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About Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company, a global automotive industry leader based in Dearborn, Mich., manufactures or distributes automobiles across six continents. With about 159,000 employees and about 70 plants worldwide, the company’s automotive brands include Ford, Lincoln and Mercury, production of which has been announced by the company to be ending in the fourth quarter of 2010. The company provides financial services through Ford Motor Credit Company. For more information regarding Ford’s products, please visit www.ford.com.