2013 Ford Taurus 2.0L EcoBoost Review

[AutoGuide.com]

A full-size 4-cylinder sedan with few, if any, compromises
By Huw Evans

Just a few years ago the very notion of a 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine in a full-size car that weighs around 4,000 lbs would have been absolutely absurd. In fact, it still is. And yet here we are, behind the wheel of just such a machine.

The 2013 Ford Taurus, equipped with a 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine, might appear to echo the slow-selling Five Hundred from 2005, a car that was not only virtually invisible in the marketplace, but which was powered by a 3.0-liter V6 that developed a meager 203 horsepower.

And yet in the new Taurus, when punching the throttle in order to merge with traffic on the Southfield Freeway in Dearborn, there’s definitely a decent amount of pep under that contoured hood.

According to Raj Nair, who’s succeeded Derrick Kuzak as Ford’s vice president of Engineering and Global Product Development, the 2.0 EcoBoost powered Taurus is aimed at people “who want fuel-efficient vehicles but don’t want to sacrifice power, cargo space or convenience preferences to get them.”

Besides Taurus, the 2.0-liter EcoBoost four-cylinder motor is offered in the Explorer, Escape and also the high performance Focus ST hot hatch.

LIGHT AND TORQUEY

For starters, using an aluminum block and cylinder head, it weighs around 55 lbs less than the regular Taurus’ 3.5-liter V6. Featuring a relatively high compression ratio (10.0:1) and high pressure fuel system with seven jets for each injector, plus a Honeywell turbocharger with a low inertia rotor that spins at speeds of up to 195,000 rpm, boost builds up rather quickly at low rpm, to the point that this engine is making its maximum 270 lb-ft of torque at 3000 revs.

Even a decade ago, the very notion of a high compression, turbocharged engine, especially one that can deliver that kind of V8 like thrust at low rpm, would have been barely conceivable, especially in a full-size, production sedan like this.

However, according to Taurus program engineer Robert Kay, forcing fuel at high pressure directly into the combustion chamber, combined with the small diameter turbocharger, essentially mitigates the chance of detonation while improving airflow and burning. As a result, higher compression ratios can be utilized in conjunction with relatively high boost levels (16 psi). To give you an idea, on Ford’s very first turbocharged engine, the 2.3-liter Lima four, which debuted for 1979 in the then new Mustang, boost was limited to just 6 psi to prevent knock. Perhaps even more impressively, the 2.0 in the Taurus has also been designed to run on regular grade fuel, just like every other EcoBoost engine.

In an effort to maximize efficiency and fuel economy, the 2.0-liter EcoBoost sports a one-way alternator clutch and a low-tension accessory drive, plus Ford’s Electric Power Assisted Steering (EPAS) to reduce parasitic loss on the engine.

Read the complete 2013 Ford Taurus 2.0L EcoBoost Review at AutoGuide.com

[00greenlx]

Excellent Review guys! I'm excited about this 2.0L ecoboost motor! I can't wait to actually be able to test drive a Focus ST!

Troy.

[04 SEL]

PLEASE PUT THIS ENGINE IN THE FUSION!!! As well as the tranny from the Sport across all trims.

[00greenlx]

^^ x2 if this was Ford posting this... but it's not

Troy.

[behlinla]

Originally Posted by 04 SEL

PLEASE PUT THIS ENGINE IN THE FUSION!!! As well as the tranny from the Sport across all trims.

Lucky for you Ben—they are putting the 2.0 EcoBoost engine is the 2013 Fusion. What it really needs is the 3.5L EcoBoost or the Mustang's 3.7L engine break the 300 HP/TQ mark IMHO. And agreed with the Japanse-bult Aisin transmission.

Just to be clear here are the 2013 Fusion engine choices (all 4-cyl):
2.5L conventional 170 HP / 170 lb·ft
1.6L EcoBoost w/ start/stop 179 HP / 179 lb·ft (required engine for MT)
2.0L EcoBoost (opt. AWD) 237 HP / 250 lb·ft

Note the new 2.0L engine is less powerful than the outgoing 3.5L in the '10-12 Sport (263 HP / 249 lb·ft).

And the 2013 Taurus engines:
3.5L Ti-VCT 288 HP / 254 lb·ft
2.0L EcoBoost 240 HP / 270 lb·ft
3.5L EcoBoost 365 HP / 350 lb·ft (SHO only)

Also note they were somehow able to get about 20 more lb·ft out of the 2.0 in the Taurus than the Fusion. So I guess that means the 2.0 in the Fusion ought to have some hidden tuning potential.

The Focus ST with the 2.0L EcoBoost should be a riot if and when it's finally is available here.

[Brian_05_SEL]

Originally Posted by behlinla

Also note they were somehow able to get about 20 more lb·ft out of the 2.0 in the Taurus than the Fusion. So I guess that means the 2.0 in the Fusion ought to have some hidden tuning potential.

The Focus ST with the 2.0L EcoBoost should be a riot if and when it's finally is available here.

Link to Autoblog

Not 'if', but 'when'. And 'when' is around September 2012. The Focus ST is already officially on track as a 2013 model- and we get the same performance specs Stateside as the Euro version. No detuned engine or softened handling for American buyers, and it'll offer a 6-speed manual only. I can't wait.

All of the EcoBoost powertrains come low-tuned from the factory for longevity and reliability reasons. Look at the 3.5L V6- tuners like Livernois are making that engine knock out close to 500hp with the right list of mods. I would be shocked if the 2.0L can't be pushed north of 300hp with an ECU reflash and some minor hardware upgrades...

[behlinla]

Sweet! But why can't we have the Focus ST wagon Ford! We can't have cars that are both fun and practical now can we?

[00greenlx]

Originally Posted by behlinla

Sweet! But why can't we have the Focus ST wagon Ford! We can't have cars that are both fun and practical now can we?

It's not coming....

Ford Focus ST wagon

Them Europeans get all the nice stuff.

Troy.

[TDH]

That is why Ford is not a American company anymore. Every other car company keeps it's best at home. Honda keeps it greatest Civic at home, so does Nissan, the GTR has been around for ever and we finally got a version, not the best version, but a version. Look at the Bens and BMW, where is there stuff?? Factory tuned AMG super cars, all at home.

What does Ford do, the best Focus goes to Europe, what we get is a fancy new stereo, The Falcon is in Aussie, what do we get, another washed over Mustang. Where is our USDM only factory tuned hot cars, all in Europe. Where there standards are just as tough as ours, and in some cases tougher than our standards.

So if we go by that argument, Ford is no longer a American company but a European car company

[00greenlx]

TDH - I used to think the way you do... untill I started noticing that the european vehicles in general (No matter the manufacturer) were held to a higher standard. For Ford to be #1 in europe they would have to change their build quality.

Troy.