The F-Series line of pickup trucks marked a major paradigm shift with the introduction of the 3.5-liter EcoBoost. Originally rated at 365 horsepower and 420 pound-feet (569 Nm) of torque from 2,500 rpm, the force-fed mill still is a very inspired choice in the current-generation Ford F-150.
D35 is the internal codename of the second-generation engine that Ford previewed at the 2015 Detroit Auto Show in the Raptor and GT performance vehicles. There are many differences between the Raptor- and GT-spec powerplants, but nevertheless, even the F-150’s engine can be spruced up with an E85, water/meth, bigger turbochargers, and so forth.
E85 stands for ethanol and gasoline. Not only does it burn cleaner than regular unleaded, but the ethanol-heavy blend has a higher octane than premium gasoline. The go-faster juice, therefore, offers more horsepower and pound-feet of torque while also improving the knock resistance and cooling properties of your engine. Methanol may have a lower energy content in comparison to gasoline, but water/meth injection cools the cylinders and feeds the powerplant with more oxygen than regular gasoline.
Bigger turbochargers obviously imply a beefier intercooler, and obviously enough, a modified engine also needs to be remapped. We don’t know exactly what’s hiding under the hood of the F-150 in the following clip, but given the quarter-mile times of 11.5 and 11.6 seconds, the 3.5-liter EcoBoost is clearly beefed up. Although it has lost against an 11.1-second Mustang on the first run, the half-ton workhorse has the edge over its second rival. The second Mustang couldn’t do better than 11.7 seconds, which still is an impressive result for a $40k pony car with a free-breathing V8.
The most affordable F-150 with the 3.5-liter EcoBoost also costs in the ballpark of $40,000 after destination charge, but the engine you want in the full-size pickup is the new PowerBoost. Essentially a full-hybrid version of the EcoBoost, this fellow pulls from the collective power of gas and electric energy for a combined 430 ponies and 570 pound-feet (773 Nm).
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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