Ford F-150 with V-6 EcoBoost Completes Baja1000

A Ford F-150 with a 3.5-liter V-6 EcoBoost has conquered the desert by completing the 2010 Tecate Score Baja 1000 in 38 hours. According to Ford, this was no specially prepped engine brought out just for the Baja 1000. This V-6 had seen duty as a log skidder in Oregon, towing a 11,300-pound trailer at a high-speed NASCAR track and beat the competition in a steep-grade towing contest at Davis Dam on the Colorado River.

F-150 EcoBoost V-6 a Tested Performer

Until now, V-6 engines in pickups were mostly for folks who did a weekly dump run or were wannabe cowboys that didn't want to get the low fuel economy of a V-8. Well, the Ford F-150 EcoBoost V-6 has changed all that, especially after completing the Baja 1000. It's a V-6 worthy of America's best-selling pickup.

Here are some of the highlights of the F-150 V-6 EcoBoost in the Baja:

• The truck endured hard accelerations – often at full throttle – and stiff decelerations across the mountains at temperatures that swung between freezing and 100 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Earlier this fall, the engine was randomly selected to be put through a series of rugged exercises to test its long-term durability. It was installed in a 2011 F-150 and traveled to Oregon where it worked as a log skidder. Next, the truck towed 11,300 pounds at high speeds around a NASCAR track in Florida before towing up steep grades in Arizona against competitive trucks.
• In last year’s race, less than half of the competitors – many with modified engines – finished this race.
• This engine has the equivalent of 10 years of rugged use.

We'll allow the Ford folks to brag a little. “The Baja 1000 is always a tough race, and many of our customers and enthusiasts saw this event as the ultimate challenge,” said Eric Kuehn, chief engineer of the 2011 Ford F-150. “It was an outstanding opportunity to showcase the 3.5-liter EcoBoost truck engine’s durability. We took an engine that’s stock and essentially 10 years old, and raced on the same course with highly modified competition with up to 800 horsepower.”

The EcoBoost truck engine produces a best-in-class 420 lb.-ft. of torque at 2,500 rpm and 365 horsepower at 5,000 rpm. Up to 90 percent of its peak torque is available from 1,700 rpm to 5,000 rpm, which helps drivers stay in the power.

By the way, you can follow along the various experiences this F-150 V-6 EcoBoost has gone through at The F-150 Experience. Viewers can view each of the episodes as they are posted.