Ford F-150 pickup will get three replacement powertrains for 2011

The 2011 Ford F-150 pickup will get three replacement powertrains.

Ford Motor Co. will offer a 3.7-liter V6 and a 5.0-liter V8 in the 2011 F-150 pickup when it goes on sale early next year, sources say. Those engines are in the 2011 Ford Mustang.

Also, Ford has announced it will offer a 3.5-liter V6 engine with EcoBoost turbocharging and direct injection in the 2011 F-150.

All engines will offer 6-speed automatic transmissions, sources say.

The 3.7-liter V6 will be the standard base engine for the 2011 F-150, sources say. That engine will have improved horsepower and torque compared with the outgoing 4.6-liter 2-valve V8 engine that is standard on the 2010 F-150, they say.

Ford hasn't offered a V6 engine in the F-150 since the 2008 model year, when a 4.2-liter V6 was offered.

Ford spokesman Richard Truett declined to comment on the new engine offerings, other than to say: “We are always looking to broaden the appeal of our products to give consumers the vehicle that best suits their needs."

Ford also offers a 4.6-liter 3-valve V8 and a 5.4-liter 3-valve V8 in the 2010 F-150.

The F-150's 4.6-liter 2-valve engine produces 248 hp and 294 pounds-feet of torque at 4,000 rpm. It delivers 19 mpg on the highway.

By comparison, the aluminum 3.7-liter V6 engine generates 305 hp and 280 pounds-feet of torque at 4,250 rpm in the 2011 Mustang. It gets an estimated 31 mpg on the highway for the Mustang.

A marketing challenge

The EcoBoost will be a unique engine for the F-150 because it will be the first application of EcoBoost on a rear-wheel-drive truck for Ford.

But Ford faces a challenge in marketing the EcoBoost to typical pickup buyers who often prefer a V8 engine, says Mark Grueber, Ford's F-150 marketing manager.

“The EcoBoost is a V6 and smaller displacement so there is going to be some work that we need to do as marketers to get people into the EcoBoost,” Grueber says.

That work includes advertising the fact that the EcoBoost delivers the same durability and more capability than the current engine offerings. The EcoBoost will also deliver better fuel economy than a standard V6 and V8 engine, Grueber says.

“If you can give them both, which is what the EcoBoost will do for us, then I think we've got a real winner,” he says. “The key for us will be verifying the truck passes all of our ‘Built-Ford Tough' durability standards. Some of the capability and fuel economy numbers on the truck will give us credibility with the customer.”

Grueber declined to say how much of a price premium the EcoBoost would carry or what he expects the production mix will look like. He also would not say when Ford will begin advertising it, but Ford starts building the pickup late this year.

Ford will put a 6.2-liter V8 engine in the Raptor F-150. Ford also has put the 6.2-liter V8 in the 2011 Super Duty.

By Jamie LaReau- Automotive News