Next up are the Ford Edge and Explorer, two crossover models that are the first vehicles in North America to be offered with Ford's new 2-liter EcoBoost turbocharged engine. They are arriving in showrooms now.
The Explorer is a full-sized crossover SUV, so it's about the last vehicle where one would expect to find a four-cylinder engine. But it might as well happen:
Ford is on its way to offering turbocharged engines in 90% of its lineup around the world by 2013.
Behind the move: better gas mileage. The two-row Edge with EcoBoost delivers an EPA-rated 21 miles per gallon in the city and 30 mpg on the highway. It depends not only on the smaller engine for those numbers, but for other tactics like other engine modifications and shutters that open and close behind the grille depending on speed and conditions for better gas mileage.
"An EcoBoost powertrain puts Edge and Explorer fuel efficiency over the top," said Ford President, The Americas, Mark Fields.
Turbochargers add cost to vehicles, but are far less expensive than hybrids. Plus, automakers have eliminated the dreaded "turbo lag" that dogged turbocharged engines from decades ago.
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