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2010 Ford Flex EcoBoost - Click above for high-res image gallery

We were headed on a road trip, because that's what you do when the summer draws to a close and something as gigantic as the Ford Flex rolls into your driveway. Destination: Brooklyn. Five miles into the journey, the Sony audio system belts out the Beastie Boys' "No Sleep Till Brooklyn," and the two sub-five-year-olds in tow agree. But we had an ace up our sleeve: our Flex SEL tester was packing a six-shooter augmented by Ford's EcoBoost turbo system, good for another 100 horsepower over the standard model. If the trip was going to be hellish, at least it would be short.

There's newfound muscle to... flex.
There's a price premium to pay for the heavy breathing, but even at $40,000 as-tested, the kitted out Flex stickered for less than expected, and mitigating drawbacks seems to be a running theme with the EcoBoosted Flex. Its EPA estimated fuel economy in all-wheel drive trim of 17/24 16/22 mpg city/highway, is exactly the same as the unboosted Duratec 3.5-liter, but there's newfound muscle to... flex. A turbocharged engine immediately makes thoughts of premium fuel dance through your head, but nope, the direct-injected V6 is happy to perform tricks on regular, though Ford recommends you run higher octane for maximum performance.

In search of some kind of glaring downfall, we kept the Flex EcoBoost for a while, trying to suss out what penalties you might ultimately pay for the added brawn. Follow the jump to see how the big Ford fared.


Gallery: Review: 2010 Ford Flex EcoBoost


Photos copyright (C)2009 Dan Roth / Weblogs, Inc.

Continue reading Review: 2010 Ford Flex EcoBoost turns it up to 11

Review: 2010 Ford Flex EcoBoost turns it up to 11 originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 12 Oct 2009 11:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>2010 ford flex2010 ford flex ecoboost2010FordFlex2010FordFlexEcoboostecoboostecoboost flexEcoboostFlexfeaturedflexflex ecoboostFlexEcoboostfordford ecoboostford flexFordEcoboostFordFlexin the autoblog garageInTheAutoblogGaragereviewreviewedreviewsMon, 12 Oct 2009 11:56:00 EST http://www.autoblog.com/feed/19192260/article-comments.xml http://www.autoblog.com/feed/2009/10/12/2010-ford-flex-ecoboost-review/19192260/article-detail.xml 19192260 http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2009/10/flexecoboostreview_13_opt_thumbnail.jpg http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2009/10/flexecoboostreview_13_opt.jpg <![CDATA[Ford details how EcoBoost will be more powerful, eco-friendly than competition]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2009/04/03/ford-details-how-ecoboost-promises-to-be-more-powerful-eco-frie/http://www.autoblog.com/2009/04/03/ford-details-how-ecoboost-promises-to-be-more-powerful-eco-frie/http://www.autoblog.com/2009/04/03/ford-details-how-ecoboost-promises-to-be-more-powerful-eco-frie/#commentsFiled under: ,



Last year at the Detroit Auto Show, Ford announced its intention to introduce a lineup of EcoBoost engines as a cost-effective means of getting a significant improvement in fuel efficiency.

The first of those EcoBoost engines is a turbocharged and direct-injected version of the 3.5-liter V6 used in many of Ford's larger cars. Those engines will launch into production in just a few weeks and should start appearing in first in the Ford Flex and Lincoln MKS well before summer solstice arrives. Later this summer, the same engine will also provide power to the new Taurus SHO and Lincoln MKT. While we're not yet allowed discuss what it's like to drive cars and trucks, you can draw your conclusions from the Ford-provided torque graph (at right) that compares its output against the output of the 4.6-liter Cadillac V8 in the STS.

While 3.5-liter EcoBoost has impressive power production, it also substantially reduces the fuel consumption and CO2 emissions compared to competitive V8 engines. Relative to the 4.2-4.8 -liter V8 motors used in other luxury sedans, Ford's V6 is near the top of the segment in terms of power and torque, yet CO2 emissions are only 218 grams-per-kilometer. The V8s range from 227 g/km for the Lexus GS460 to 272 g/km for the Infiniti M45. Learn more about EcoBoost after the jump.

Note: The Ford provided table above erroneously lists the Lexus GS450 which should be the GS460 with a 4.6-liter V8.

Continue reading Ford details how EcoBoost will be more powerful, eco-friendly than competition

Ford details how EcoBoost will be more powerful, eco-friendly than competition originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 03 Apr 2009 13:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Click above for high-res image gallery of the 2010 Ford EcoBoost Flex

Ford will finally bring the first of its EcoBoost engines to market in 2009, and one of the first few vehicles to get it will be the Flex. The 2010 Ford Flex will be offered with a 3.5L EcoBoost V6 that employs twin turbochargers and direction injection to achieve 355 horsepower (@ 5,700 rpm) and 350 lb-ft of torque (@ 3,500 rpm). Not only is the EcoBoost V6 powerful, but it's also relatively fuel efficient with MPG ratings of 22 on the highway and 18 combined in the Flex. Take note, however, as AWD is a requirement when ordering the EcoBoost engine on either the SEL or Limited models. And Ford's crossover isn't the only vehicle that will offer the EcoBoost V6, as the Lincoln MKS and new MKT full-size, three-row crossover will also offer the motor in 2009.

Gallery: 2010 Ford EcoBoost Flex


[Source: Ford]

Continue reading Detroit 2009: Ford debuts 3.5L EcoBoost V6 in Flex

Detroit 2009: Ford debuts 3.5L EcoBoost V6 in Flex originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 11 Jan 2009 00:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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