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Ford is out and about testing the 2009.5 Ford F-150 Diesel, this time with sheetmetal more suiting to the 2009 model year. As proof that this is the new diesel-powered F-150, the photographers from KGP managed to snap pictures of the "DIESEL FUEL ONLY" strip over the gauge cluster, the telltale slotted/sideways exhaust tips and, most importantly, the first shots of the tank access for the urea. We'd also point out the seven-lug wheels, indicative of the heavy duty payload package. Performance targets for the 4.4-liter diesel V8 and the full spy report below the jump.
According to KGP, the new engine should be capable of a 9% increase in power and a 15% increase in torque relative to the 5.4-liter gas V8. According to this leaked report, the gas V8 should be capable of 320 HP and 390 lb-ft of torque.
Jalopnik Snap Judgment: Doing the math, this would put the diesel V8 at approximately 350 HP and 450 lb-ft of torque, while still achieving 20% fuel economy. Let's hope sources and calculators don't lie.
2010.5 Ford F-150 Diesel Spy Report Ford's F-150 diesel has moved beyond the mule stage, and is now running as a fully trimmed prototype, wearing the latest F-150 sheetmetal. We caught this prototype taking a break from hot-weather testing, and we can now reveal some details confirming its diesel status.
A look inside the cockpit reveals a large "Diesel Fuel Only" warning sticker placed under the F-150's gage-faces. We also peeked inside the fuel door to see the the Urea Fill Port next to the diesel input port. The Urea port will allow the occasional addition of a Aqueous Urea, which acts as a Selective Catalytic Reducer to cut NOx emissions—allowing the F-150 to meet emissions requirements. The Urea tank is sized to be filled at the F-150's oil change intervals.
The F-150's diesel is a 4.4-liter V8, which will see a 9% increase in power and a 15% increase in torque, while delivering a 20% increase in fuel-economy—when compared to Ford's current 5.4-liter V8 gasoline engine. Ford expects to launch the 4.4-liter diesel on the 2010-1/2 F-150.
There has been plenty of support for Ford to bring its rest-of-the-world products to the North American market, and with the truck market doing a Roscoe P. Coltrane E-brake turn away from profitability, the Blue Oval's global efforts are becoming increasingly important for its survival. The plan going forward is to utilize small and medium sized vehicles from Ford's European arsenal globally. In North America, the cars will be spiffy, though Ford will be robbing Peter to pay Paul on that count -- spreading the costs of America's premium cars over the breadth of the entire program's worldwide scope.
According to Automotive News, we're getting a big list of Euro-Ford based cars in the near future. The Fiesta will slot in under the Focus, and will share a new platform with Mazda. Also on the Fiesta's underpinnings could be a small crossover or minivan. The Euro Focus will finally get here in 2011, when the next generation drops. 2012 will bring the C-Max, a Mazda 5-ish people mover. The Fusion moves to the EUCD platform, though we hope it doesn't grow too much, lose its joyous demeanor, or come up short on fuel economy. It looks like Ford's going to try to stack the B, C, and D segments with sedans and MPV-type offerings, as well as seriously tweaking all of its offerings to match the new and looming reality.
I managed to drive nearly one thousand miles across Texas in a 2008 Ford Mustang Bullitt without running over a cow, getting in a gunfight or playing a single hand of high stakes poker. How? If you've never been, the Texas in your head is a rugged place with sun-drenched highways stretching across a flat endless plain as seen in movies actually shot in Southern California. We've got three of the ten largest cities in the United States. We've got dusty hills and verdant valleys. Modern skyscrapers and sandy beaches. Twists and turns. Tangy BBQ and spicy Pho. For both Texas and the Bullitt, the myth serves a purpose but the reality is that much more magical.
My journey started in Dallas, a place where, a poet said, they took a billion steers and made them into buildings made of mirrors. A major metropolitan area, Dallas relishes its wealthy, conservative status. It's home to billionaires, 15 at last count, not bulls. You shouldn't underestimate the city as an urban place, like I did. I was scheduled to fly in and pick up the Bullitt just before 5:00 pm, meaning that I got to share in the universal big-city experience of traffic. Though the clutch isn't particularly heavy, the repetitive motion of engaging and disengaging first resulted in some embarrassing soreness.
The next morning I set out early for Austin, anxious to experience the wide open expanse that is Interstate 35 between the two cities. The sun rising over my left shoulder shined against the hand-turned aluminum covering the dash as I marveled at the joy highway driving could bring after two years crisscrossing Chicago. Driving the Bullitt at speed I'm equally amazed at how solid it feels, how smoothly it drives. The construction and attention to detail are so great that I wonder if it doesn't embarrass the engineers to have to go back to working on other Mustangs.
I check my speed as I cross into Waco, which marks the southern border of the Great Plains and the start of the Texas Hill Country. As the road crests, the braking starts, and my eyes scan the border for the black-and-white-and-browns of the Texas Department of Public Safety patrol cars. How unfortunate it would have been to get busted by the Dr. Pepper Squad, as they're pejoratively known, in the town that invented Dr. Pepper. The Bullitt is so stealth and low-key, especially compared to the wildly-striped special editions, I slipped past all law enforcement with ease.
After thirty minutes of sitting around my friend's North Austin apartment, he politely asks what I want to do. We could grab a Shiner Bock at one of the bars situated along the University of Texas' main drag, but my visit to Austin was about more than gawking at leggy coeds. The city sits at the edge of the Balcones... [Read More]
While the official unveiling of the 2009 Ford Fiesta is still a couple weeks away, that hasn't stopped Ford from tossing sneak peeks of a sportier Fiesta Zetec S out to the hot-hatch followers. Nowhere near as aggressive as the Focus RS, the Zetec S is differentiated by its body kit with new front splitter and side skirts. The European Fiesta will be offered with five different engines, but the Zetec S will feature only the Duratec 1.6-liter rated at 118 hp. Tuned for efficiency, yet designed to be fun-to-drive, the new hatch will scoot to 62 mph in less 9.9 seconds and squeeze an impressive 50 miles out of a single gallon of gas.
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