Ford EcoBoost four underway

Ford's much-hyped EcoBoost Falcon has taken its first steps in the real world. Ford Australia President Marin Burela confirmed in a media briefing this morning that Falcon test mules fitted with the 2.3-litre direct-injection turbocharged four-cylinder engine are up and running.

When Ford officially announced the decision to adopt the EcoBoost engine in July it was confident it would have a prototype four-cylinder Falcon running within two weeks. However at the August meeting Burela revealed that tests had not yet taken place in a Falcon, rather in a T6 test vehicle.

But that has now changed.

"We have test vehicles that have been testing," Burela confirmed. "We use different types of vehicles. We have mules that have Falcon configurations. All of the testing that we have done in terms of weight-ratio, vehicle performance, take-off, torque, everything that we have done has indicated to us that this will be very good."

Burela confirmed that despite the apparent delay the car was still on schedule to hit Blue Oval showrooms in the first half of 2011. And he remains confident that it will be a hit by giving Falcon better fuel economy and more scope for fleet and government sales.

"The update is, it's all good!" he smiled. "It's on time, it will launch in the early part of 2011.

"I think it is going to be a huge surprise and delight for the market because it will give people an incredible option. I mean the areas we've not been able to participate have been fleets [and] government sales with large cars with improved fuel economy and sustainability. The EcoBoost technology, being a direct-injection, turbocharged four-cylinder engine will give us the power, give us the fuel efficiency and the CO2 reductions."

Asked about the ongoing concerns in using a four-cylinder engine for such a large car, Burela was bullish that the buying public will be won over by the performance of the EcoBoost.

"Once upon a time we all used to drive big 5.8-litre V8s and we never understood how the hell you could get a six-cylinder turbo to go out there and perform like a big V8," he said. "It's the same argument we have today. People keep asking me 'Marin, are you going to continue with the V8?' I say, 'Of course we will, as long as the markets out there we'll continue with the V8.'

"One of the things we also see, by-and-large, is that a lot of the Australian buyers love the six-cylinder turbo. It gives them the power, the performance, [and] cost of ownership is lower... Technology has just moved on and on and on in terms of what you can deliver with smaller sized engines," stated Burela.

Although pricing and specification levels remain under wraps at Ford's Broadmeadows HQ, Burela addressed concerns that the EcoBoost model would be offered as a lightweight entry-level specification vehicle to keep costs down. Instead, he implied that the EcoBoost engine would most likely be offered in the G6 luxury line-up alongside the current inline six-cylinder unit.

"To us the EcoBoost will be an affordable technology for those people that choose to buy into that proposition," he said. "It will not be the stripped out Falcon with only a driver's seat to take the weight out because the four-cylinder won't be able to [cope]."

"The EcoBoost will be affordable technology targeted at the heart of the segment, giving people a choice. But it will give us the opportunity to participate in parts of the market that we have not been able to participate in [to date].

"Will it be incremental business? We believe it will. The I6 will continue to be strong. All the research that we've done says that engine at Euro IV level will be a very desirable engine, a very cost competitive engine, great performance, great fuel economy and good sustainability. We've now got the spectrum well covered," concluded Burela

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