Ford Power Stroke Leading the Clean Diesel Revolution

Dearborn MI February 4, 2007; The cornerstone engine in the new 2008 Ford F-Series Super Duty lineup is receiving very positive feedback from media members who have tested it. In the cases of Richard Truett and John Stewart, reaction has been nothing short of glowing.

The pair was among journalists throughout North America who had the opportunity to get behind the wheel of the new F-Series Super Duty and its new 6.4-liter Power StrokeŽ diesel earlier this month in Texas.

Media witnessed firsthand how Ford’s new clean diesel technology improves performance, emissions and NVH at the same time. This formula, combined with a diesel’s typical 25-30 percent better fuel economy than gas engines, could trigger a diesel revolution in North America much like has already happened in Europe.

A successful launch of the new Power Stroke is critical, since about 75 percent of Super Duty customers choose a diesel engine. Truett, engineering reporter for Automotive News, says the new engine exceeded his expectations.

"We were going 60 to 65 miles an hour (while towing) and I floored it. The thing just took off like a rocket ship," he said. "I have never felt that performance out of a diesel before. No turbo lag whatsoever. It was fantastic. I can't find anything to dislike about it."

Stewart, editorial director of Diesel World Magazine, was similarly impressed, even though he already expected the Power Stroke to be "great."

"It's a tremendously quiet engine. It has torque everywhere you look. The technology that they have brought to bear is the latest in the field," he said. "When you drive it you think, 'This thing is a great cruiser. We need to go on a trip with this.'"

Ford says its new 6.4-liter Power StrokeŽ diesel is the company's cleanest, quietest pickup diesel ever, with particulate (soot) emissions equivalent to a gasoline engine. The powerplant delivers 350 horsepower and a whopping 650 lb.-ft. of torque, with excellent low-end torque – including peak torque at only 2,000 rpm – thanks to two-stage turbochargers. It's the first pickup engine in North America to use a high-precision, common-rail fuel injection system featuring piezo-electric injectors.

The Power Stroke diesel Manager Enio Gomes says the development team tapped the knowledge of the company's European diesel experts to help integrate state-of-the-art technologies into the new engine – particularly the fuel injection system and the diesel particulate filter. Some of the engineers spent as much as a week at a time in the U.S.

"They were always very helpful. Whenever we needed their help, they were very gracious and willing to pass on their expertise. They even trained some of our North American engineers," said Gomes.

Shipments of the new 2008 F-Series Super Duty from the Kentucky Truck Plant began last week. Dan Davidson, Ford powertrain engineering supervisor, says everything is proceeding on schedule and that he is confident in the performance and quality of the new Power StrokeŽ diesel engine.

Truett thinks the quality and durability of the new engine "will be fine," noting that the equivalent of 10 million test miles performed by Ford likely ensured very robust engineering.

Aside from Super Duty, Ford's European diesel connections may serve the company well, according to Stewart. He cites predictions that diesel penetration in North America will climb from 2% to 15% in the next two decades.

"There are diesels that Ford knows about, has a hand in, or is currently marketing in Europe that could resolve a lot of (fuel economy) issues or other issues," Stewart said. "They do have to get cleaned up (for North America), and there is some expense there, but there is expense in all of the solutions that are on the table to deal with the problems of dependence on foreign oil and global warming."

Ford plans to continue leading the diesel revolution. The company already has announced plans to offer a diesel in the next-generation F-150, a first for its light-duty pickup lineup.