By Frank S. Washington
DENVER, MI — We came here to drive Ford’s short term fuel economy strategy, the Ford Flex with EcoBoost. The Flex has been on sale for a year or so. But the engine is new. It’s about power and fuel efficiency.
In a phrase, the EcoBoost delivers V8 power with V6 fuel efficiency. By the numbers, the EcoBoost makes 355 horsepower and 350 pounds-feet of torque. Mated to a six speed automatic transmission, the Ford Flex EcoBoost has direct fuel injection and can only be purchased in all-wheel-drive configuration.
It is rated at 16 mpg in the city and 22 mpg on the highway. According to Ford, that’s 20 percent better than its V8 competitors and it’s the same fuel efficiency as a normally aspirated Ford Flex. Oh, I forgot that power and the fuel efficiency come from dual turbochargers.
Ford intends to target full-size (read 3 rows of seats) V8 powered SUVs when the Flex goes on sale this summer. But a Ford official here told us that the Ford Flex with EcoBoost is more than an engine program. Still, Ford intends to have EcoBoost engines available on all of its cars by 2013.
This was the perfect place to display the Flex EcoBoost’s fuel efficiency, power and performance. We left Denver’s airport headed for Boulder and my driving partner averaged more than 25 mpg doing about 65 mph. I took over, failed to pick up where he left off but still managed to muster almost 20 mpg out of the Flex EcoBoost.
This is significant since the Ford Flex is a three row full-sized crossover vehicle that had the extra heft of an all-wheel-drive system. And Denver is around 5,280 feet of elevation; it’s not called the Mile High City for nothing. What’s more, we only went up as we left Boulder headed for Estes Park which is more than 8,000 feet in altitude
Turbochargers can be magical. The engine was not noticeable affected by the climb. The transmission didn’t hunt for the correct gear. Steering was spot on and the stiffened suspension and spring rates translated into not much yaw, roll or pitch in some of the sharp curves.
I was really impressed at one point by how the Flex EcoBoost held its track in a long sweeping curve that we powered through at a lot more than the posted speed limit. There wasn’t a hint of tire squeal or tire roll or of losing control of the rear end. You had to be there to really appreciate it.
In fact, the EcoBoost Ford Flex still has a trait that I discovered in the regular Flex, it drove small. It was easy to forget that we were driving a full size crossover vehicle. What’s more, visibility was outstanding because of relatively small A pillars
The EcoBoost Flex has been lowered 10 millimeters, the front and rear suspension systems have been stiffened, it is available with 20-inch cast aluminum wheels and dual tipped chrome exhausts. It even had Auto Park; turn it on and the Flex EcoBoost would park itself.
A special cooling system for the turbochargers makes towing possible. The Flex EcoBoost can pull up to 4,500 lbs. We towed a trailer with two jet skies with no discernible effort on the part of the EcoBoost Flex.
Customers will pay a $2,900 premium for a Ford Flex with an EcoBoost engine. The EcoBoost is available on two of the Flex’s three trim levels: the SEL and Limited. The Flex EcoBoost may be Ford’s short term fuel efficiency strategy but it is also long term fun for drivers.
Frank S. Washington is managing partner/editor of AboutThatCar.com and
AboutThatCarBlog.com.
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