Ford’s recent strategy of car first, new engine later continues with the Flex. Introduced for 2009 with the corporate 3.5-liter V-6, we placed the Flex fourth out of six in a recent crossover comparison, where its prodigious poundage was hard to hustle with only 262 hp and 248 lb-ft of torque on tap.

Technology comes to the rescue for 2010, via twin turbochargers and direct fuel injection. Ford’s long-awaited EcoBoost engine program finally bears fruit in the form of a revised version of its 3.5-liter that gets a big-time power boost—to the tune of 355 hp and 350 lb-ft of torque—with no change in combined fuel economy. Ford estimates 22 highway mpg for the EcoBoost Flex, which matches that of current all-wheel-drive models. The engine will be an option over the naturally aspirated V-6 on all-wheel-drive SEL and Limited models. To handle the higher torque output, some internals have been upgraded, as has the six-speed automatic transmission.

Third Time’s the Charm

Including the Freestyle/Taurus X’s jump from a 3.0-liter to the 3.5-liter V-6 for 2008, this marks the second time in recent years that Ford has added power to the engine bay of the Flex’s underlying platform. The new EcoBoost engine will hopefully be a winner; its output numbers certainly look favorable next to one of our favorite twin-turbo sixes, the 300-hp, 3.0-liter inline unit from BMW.

The EcoBoost-ed Flex is first being shown at the 2009 Detroit auto show. Expect this new engine to become available across many other Ford product lines in the future, including Lincoln’s MKS sedan and upcoming MKT crossover.

Do you like this article? Share It!