2012 Ford Explorer gets 28 mpg with EcoBoost power

The 2012 Ford Explorer--the first vehicle in North America to get the company's four-cylinder EcoBoost engine--is rated at 20 mpg in the city and 28 mpg on the highway, it was announced on Thursday morning.

The 2.0-liter turbocharged EcoBoost Explorer engine pushes out 240 hp at 5,500 rpm and 270 lb-ft at 3,000 rpm. The four-cylinder is a significant part of the Explorer's dramatic makeover, which has seen the family-hauler transition from a body-on-frame SUV to unibody underpinnings.

Sales of the new Explorer have been brisk, Ford says, with more than 65,000 units recorded through the first half of the year--beating the 2010 model's tally for its final full year.

Still, the fuel economy numbers for the Explorer EcoBoost mill are only marginally better than Ford's naturally aspirated V6 engine, which gets 17 mpg in the city and 25 mpg on the highway in the Explorer. That 3.5-liter unit is rated at 290 hp and 255 lb-ft. A six-speed automatic transmission is standard across the Explorer lineup.

The Ford Explorer is assembled in Chicago.

COMPARISON

2012 Explorer with EcoBoost four-cylinder

Type: Turbocharged, 2.0 liters

Power: 240 hp

Torque: 270 lb-ft

Fuel Economy: 20/28 mpg (city/highway)

2012 Explorer with V6

Type: Naturally aspirated, 3.5 liters

Power: 290 hp

Torque: 255 lb-ft

Fuel Economy: 17/25 mpg (city/highway)

By Greg Migliore