Car and Driver: Ford F-150’s New 3.5-Liter EcoBoost V-6 Makes More Power and Torque than We Thought

It turns out that Ford was a bit conservative when it announced numbers for its new 3.5-liter twin-turbo V-6 that will be offered in the 2017 F-150 pickup. The previously announced numbers, 365 horsepower and 450 lb-ft of torque, already represented a 30 lb-ft advantage over the outgoing 3.5-liter EcoBoost, but the new, final numbers of 375 horsepower and 470 lb-ft are even more of a bump.

We have to wonder if Ford was just being a bit coy with those preliminary numbers, as the new torque number from the 3.5-liter V-6 now conveniently beats the 460 lb-ft of torque offered by the 6.2-liter V-8 that’s optional in the Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra trucks. That allows the Blue Oval boys to claim best-in-class torque numbers, silencing turbo doubters who think that there’s still no replacement for V-8 displacement.

Of course, the other big news with this powertrain upgrade is the addition of a 10-speed automatic transmission to mate with this boosted V-6. Co-developed by Ford and General Motors, this new gearbox should improve acceleration and fuel economy, although we don’t have any official EPA numbers at this point.

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As for the rest of the 2017 F-150 engine lineup, it’s unchanged, with the previously offered naturally aspirated 3.5-liter V-6, EcoBoost 2.7-liter V-6, and old-school 5.0-liter V-8 all returning; and none of those engines will get the 10-speed automatic, which is exclusive to the 3.5-liter EcoBoost. Now we’re just waiting to officially hear how much power and torque this 3.5-liter EcoBoost/10-speed automatic transmission makes in the new Ford Raptor off-road monster—450 horsepower is a definite possibility.

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