Responding to exploding customer demand for four-cylinder engines, Ford has boosted its clever EcoBoost range with the addition of a new 1.5-litre unit.
This is the fifth of Ford’s EcoBoost engines and particularly targets countries and states in North America, Europe and Asia which offer consumers tax incentives to purchase vehicles fitted with engine of 1.5-litres or less.
Like all Ford EcoBoost engines, the new 1.5-litre unit runs turbocharging, direct injection and variable valve timing. A new innovation is a computer-controlled clutch on the water pump’s belt-drive which reduces warm-up times – a further contributor to overall reductions in fuel consumption.
Ford’s plant in Craiova, Romania will be the first to produce the new 1.5-litre engine which makes its global debut next week at Auto Shanghai in China, fitted to the all-new Ford Mondeo which is making its global debut.
Ford says technology improvements mean the new 1.5-luitre EcoBoost engine will deliver performance not dissimilar to the current 1.6-litre.
Full details will emerge next week in Shanghai.
