We may not be physics majors, but we know enough about torque to know that we love it. It lets us shred tires, break records, and do outlandish wheel stands day in and day out. Torque has many other uses in everyday life, of course, and pickup truck owners know this better than most. That is why Americans love pickups, and they have almost always gone for those throaty V8’s when there is a stump that needs pulling, or a race car that needs hauling. Ford is looking to change that though.
If you want to get behind the wheel of a 2011 F-150, sign up at www.drivef150.com
For 2011, the F-150 is getting a slew of new engines. These include the 305 horsepower V6, the 412 horsepower 5.0 V8, as well as a 6.7 liter diesel engine that makes 800 ft-lbs of torque. Yet the engine everybody is talking about is the 3.5 liter EcoBoost. It is being marketed as a fuel saver, that doesn’t cut corners when it comes to power or towing. Yet convincing generations of truck drivers who are used to big V8 engines to downsize is a bit of a challenge.
So Ford is taking its show on the road, visiting seven cities between now and November and giving eager drivers a chance to test the EcoBoost F-150 for themselves. Ford will give drivers a chance to drive two F-150’s back-to-back, one of them equipped with the EcoBoost engine. What F-150 they compare it to, they don’t say, but it will definitely be a V8 model. The event kicks off this weekend at the Texas State Fair in Dallas, before moving to Houston, Atlanta, Los Angeles, and several other locales.
Official Press Release
Ford will put some 20,000 people behind the wheel of the new 2011 Ford F-150 months before the vehicle arrives in dealer showrooms so they can see for themselves how its all-new powertrain lineup – including the much-anticipated 3.5-liter EcoBoost – performs and how F-150 stacks up against the competition.
The Ford EcoBoost engine will be available in 90 percent of the 2011 Ford F-150 lineup.
The Built Ford Tough Roundup, a comprehensive drive program for consumers, fleet customers, and dealership sales staff, will travel to seven cities throughout the country between now and November. Additionally, Ford will offer drives of its full car and truck lineup to fair-goers at the State Fair of Texas in Dallas next month.
“We know that once people get into the 2011 F-150 and experience the four new engines that they’re really going to be sold on them. Some of our dealers had a chance to drive it and one constant feedback was ‘Wow!’” said Mark Grueber, F-150 Marketing manager. “Customers tell us they’re really impressed with the specs of the new engines – including best-in-class horsepower, torque, trailer tow and fuel economy – but they want to get behind the wheel and compare it with the competition.”
Ford will put some 20,000 people behind the wheel of the new 2011 Ford F-150 months before the vehicle arrives in dealer showrooms so they can see for themselves how its all-new powertrain lineup – including the much-anticipated 3.5-liter EcoBoost – performs and how F-150 stacks up against the competition.
The Ford EcoBoost engine will be available in 90 percent of the 2011 Ford F-150 lineup.
The Built Ford Tough Roundup, a comprehensive drive program for consumers, fleet customers, and dealership sales staff, will travel to seven cities throughout the country between now and November. Additionally, Ford will offer drives of its full car and truck lineup to fair-goers at the State Fair of Texas in Dallas next month.
“We know that once people get into the 2011 F-150 and experience the four new engines that they’re really going to be sold on them. Some of our dealers had a chance to drive it and one constant feedback was ‘Wow!’” said Mark Grueber, F-150 Marketing manager. “Customers tell us they’re really impressed with the specs of the new engines – including best-in-class horsepower, torque, trailer tow and fuel economy – but they want to get behind the wheel and compare it with the competition.”