Filed under: Detroit Auto Show, Green, Tech, Ford
Detroit Auto Show: Ford officially debuts TwinForce TT-V6
Touted as a means to give V8-like horsepower with V6 fuel economy, the TwinForce V6 at this year's Detroit Auto Show stands as one of Ford's biggest announcements so far. Started with the Duratec 35 as a foundation, the engine's combination of turbocharging and direct injection yields a claimed 415 HP and 400 ft-lb of torque - more than enough to smoke any naturally-aspirated V8 currently offered by the Blue Oval here in the United States. The engine also offers flex-fuel capabilities, with operation possible on either premium gasoline or E85. Ford also claims 15% better fuel economy than a 6.0L V8 of similar performance, so the tire-smoking can commence with reduced guilt. There's no word yet as to whether the new motor can take advantage of the superior knock resistance of ethanol to provide a horsepower bump, but this seems like an ideal platform on which to roll out such a feature. The horsepower junkies among us might also want to consider that an injector sized to flow enough E85 for 400+ HP will probably support at least 600 HP on gasoline, so the aftermarket should have a field day with turning up the wick on the TwinForce.
What do you say - should Ford put this thing into a Mustang, stuff a bulletproof drivetrain behind it, and continue in the V8-terrorizing tradition of the Buick GN and Toyota Supra? Just the thought of such a monster sends chills up our spine.
Click past the jump for the full press release and a general overview of the plumbing; meanwhile, we'll try to snap some live shots of the motor on the show floor.
Check out all the debuts and galleries from the Detroit Auto Show here.
The Lincoln MKR concept introduces a new engine technology that delivers V-8 power and performance with V-6 fuel economy.
The new technology, named TwinForce™, will appear on future Lincoln and Ford vehicles.
TwinForce uses direct injection technology and turbocharging. These technologies are common in diesel engines, but have only recently been combined for use in gasoline engines.
"Everything we do is driven by our customers," said Derrick Kuzak, group vice president, Global Product Development. "Our TwinForce engine technology is a key element of how we're going after fuel economy gains without asking anyone to give up performance."
TwinForce's direct-injection fuel system is different than conventional port fuel-injected gasoline engines. Instead of squirting gasoline into the engine cylinder head, it directly injects gasoline into the engine's cylinders at high pressures.
Direct-injection fuel systems can more precisely control when and how much fuel is injected into the engine cylinders, allowing for more efficient burn and improved combustion control that delivers optimal performance and fuel economy.
Ford's new Duratec 35 all-aluminum V-6, named a 10 Best Engine by Ward's, is the foundation for the TwinForce technology found in the Lincoln MKR concept.
The Lincoln MKR's engine is flex-fuel capable, providing the driver with the flexibility to switch back and forth between gasoline and E-85 ethanol. At Ford, flexible fuel is an important step toward development of more efficient, renewable biofuels that can provide energy security as well as environmental benefits.
Combining the high octane found in E-85 or premium gasoline with TwinForce technology allows the Lincoln MKR's V-6 to deliver 415 horsepower and 400 pound-feet of torque – an impressive 118 horsepower per liter.
To achieve this type of performance from a V-8 would require an engine displacement of 6.0-liters or larger. As a result of the smaller V-6, the Lincoln MKR concept delivers 15 percent better fuel economy than a V-8 with similar performance.
In North America, the market is growing for the new TwinForce technology. Ford Motor Company already has several direct-injection equipped 4-cylinder engines in production, including a 1.8-liter launched in the 2003 Ford Mondeo and the 2.3-liter turbocharged engine developed by Mazda for the 2006 MazdaSpeed6. The TwinForce technology used in the Lincoln MKR represents Ford's first application of direct injection on a V-6 engine. Its development was led by Ford Powertrain Research and Advanced Engineering, the same group leading the production design and development of this technology in a pilot program intended to speed the time to market with the new engine.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
American Cars suck 12:02PM (1/07/2007)
Even I will stand up and say that is one sweet engine. I hope the can build as exciting cars around this exciting engine (even though I am against E85 cuz it's just another government subsidized scam waiting to happen)
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ruggels 12:04PM (1/07/2007)
Hmmm looks like ford's been reading all of our bitching, a twin turbo v6 with FSI like injection... should ford build it? HELL YES! Build it! Put it in all the cars across the line up, call them "GT" or "SVT" or whatever the hell you like, just build it and put it in anything the size of the fusion or larger. Do it now.
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Adam 12:09PM (1/07/2007)
I'll echo Ruggels...
HELL F@#$IN' YES!
Now then, if Ford brought out something that was RWD, with a decent body, 2 doors, and decent handling, with this motor, I'd be all over it in a heartbeat. This is the answer for the horsepower wars, not the big ol' v8's.
Do it. Do it now. Hell...do it bloody well YESTERDAY already. I want my 'merican Supra!
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Jeff 12:17PM (1/07/2007)
Tell me this thing'll fit under the hoods of the 500 and fusion, SVT needs some new blood!
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Travis Ayres 12:39PM (1/07/2007)
A Ford 500 with this sweet motor and properly tuned AWD would be a pretty killer ride, very Audi-esque.
Too bad that won't happen.
It doesn't make me a 'Toyota lover' for saying the domestics release great concept cars - then they stay concepts while the blandness at the dealerships continues on. Oh well. Its a nice thought at least.
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pat 12:56PM (1/07/2007)
Forget about the Hemi, give me TwinForce!
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MarkWeb 1:08PM (1/07/2007)
They'd better get the engineering right, after their diesel fiasco.
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Charlie 1:46PM (1/07/2007)
An Eaton Supercharger helped Ford win Car Of The Year the for the Thunderbird 10 or so years ago. A weaker turbo and cheap plastic interior is not an inmprovement.
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Todd 2:23PM (1/07/2007)
What ford needs is a sporty car for Mercury and Europe, use the mustang platform, put in an IRS, and make some sort of modern Capri, for Ford Europe, and Mercury over here, those were sweet little cars.
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jgp 2:52PM (1/07/2007)
Oh wow, this sounds nice. Looks like Toyota has learned from the Supra Mk.4 and BMW 335i.
Putting it into an AWD Fusion would be one of the best thing Ford could do.
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mk 3:21PM (1/07/2007)
They need something more than rear-wheel-assist Haldex to handle that sort of horsepower, and the Fusion and 500 are not setup for longitudinal engines, that I know of.
I agree 987 million, 875 thousand, 987.6777repeating PERCENT with Todd. Rear or Longitudinal AWD coupe based on the Mustang platform, with IRS, sold as a mercury in the US, and other names abroad. un-mothball and re-fresh the styling on the MC4 concept, and bring it to production.
3.5 V6, 4.6 3V V8, TwinForceTurbo V6, and Supercharged 5.4 V8... 250-500 horsepower across the lineup.
Platform shared with the Mustang pony-muscle cars, said Mercury Grand Touring coupe, Ford Interceptor big sedan, MKR sport-luxury sedan... and a Four-seat, Five-door sport sedan for Mercury with hints and allogations of the C-XF concept, since the Jag XF is going to be toned down, and sized up.
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Steve2 4:03PM (1/07/2007)
15% fuel economy than a 6.0L engine of similar HP?
Whose 6.0L V8 of similar HP? Ford's or GM's? Because GM's big V8s get great fuel economy. Perhaps Ford should just investigate how to save fuel by modifying their V8s.
I have a twin turbo V6 (Audi A6 2.7T) and the fuel economy is not impressive. It's the same as the 300HP 4.2L V8 of the same year and with the same performance too.
It's amazing to hear the talk of 400HP and mpg in the same sentence, even by commenters. Maybe I'm crazy, but perhaps the best way to save fuel is to make fewer 400HP cars.
In the time since I bought my car, 250HP went from a performance car to less than the 265HP the Ford Five Hundred needed to "solve its lack of HP concerns". Meanwhile, the mpg on the performance-oriented Audi S4 went from 17/24 to 15/21.
Folks, you don't need 400HP to drive to work. It's time for a little sanity.
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steve 4:28PM (1/07/2007)
If there is a biz case for an awd 400 horse car they should go for it. I for one would gladly get rid of my eurotrash audi if an american company made a nice sub 3500 pound 4x4 coupe for 45 or 50 k.
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C. A. Martin 4:47PM (1/07/2007)
This motor is supposedly going to find homes in Lincolns first...the MKS is the strongest rumor...but what a Five Hundred or a Fusion this motor would make....
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Chet 5:27PM (1/07/2007)
If they didn't announce which production cars would get this engine, then you know we're not going to see it in any existing model for a couple of years. I bet we see this in the Five-Hundred-based Lincoln sedan, with a hefty price tag and disappointing driving dynamics.
This is a complicated stopgap to divert attention from the fact that Ford won't have anything exciting except the Mustang for another three or four years. No V8, no rear-drive, not even any muscular front-drivers.
But maybe we'll get a new Mustang SVO out of this.
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Cody Peterson 7:01PM (1/07/2007)
I'm sorry, but the LS2 / LS7 engines from GM still kick ass compared to this... I mean look at the 400hp LS2.... its gets what, 27 or 28 mpg highway in the corvette, with the LS7 not too far behind it.
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KT 7:25PM (1/07/2007)
This motor is coming and it won't be 4-5 years. More like a 1-2 years away. They didn't engineer the 3.5 to be direct injection and turbo ready for nothing.
It's just a matter of time...but not a long time.
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W 9:14PM (1/07/2007)
Why? Next summer gasoline is gonna be 3 dollars a gallon again...or more. 15% percent better mileage over a gas suckin' V8 is not a milestone event. 400 HP? 400 lb pounds? Great, but I'm betting there's not 10 percent of the posters on this blog that could afford the fuel appetite of this engine.
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MikeW 9:27PM (1/07/2007)
Ford needs something. The Ford 3.5 has the smallest bore around 92.5mm.
Didn't Ford say they can push the displacement to 4 liters.
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pb 10:11PM (1/07/2007)
Someone cram this into a Focus.
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