ecoboost

If you're not ready for the notion of a V-6 engine in a full-size pickup truck, you're probably even less prepared for the thought of a twin-turbo V-6 challenging some of the best V-8s in the business for truck performance.

That's the case with this year's 2012 F-150, which gets four new powertrains this year, including a base V-6 and a pair of newly developed V-8 engines. The fourth option: Fords 3.5-liter, twin-turbo EcoBoost V-6, an unlikely but completely common-sense alternative to V-8 thirst and thin V-6 torque.

It's a careful step into the future of truck performance by Ford. Coming fuel economy rules mean that all vehicles have to get better and wiser about using fuel. Since the F-150 has traditionally been a mostly V-8-powered affair, the EcoBoost had to be as good--or better--than the V-8 options on the table. The new EcoBoost engine, in this application, breathes out 365 horsepower and 420 pound-feet of torque. That's much stronger than 2010's top engine, a 5.4-liter V-8 with only 310 horsepower. Twinned with the new standard six-speed automatic, the EcoBoost's power is essentially V-8-like down low, where it counts. There's some low-frequency booming that doesn't sound at all like a V-8, but in reality, the basic V-6 block and heads share some family with Ford's new 5.0-liter and 6.2-liter V-8. If you need more proof of its streetability, check out the YouTube video below of a classic V-8-ish smoky burnout, courtesy of the EcoBoosted F-150.