When I worked for a braking supplier (ABS/TC/ESP), they were installed in development vehicles to disable the controller for the systems so that the driver could always shut down and use the brake pedal. That system has the ability to isolate the driver from the brake pedal, not safe during development.

 

I never said the EB3.5 and Mustang 3.7 are the same. Displacement is key for reliable torque. Let's see who is laughing at 100000 miles after doing major towing.

 

Why would you say that? It may be I'm just missing something, but it doesn't appear to show any signs of the MyFord Touch system that I can see. But hopefully I'm just missing some clue, as that would be awesome.

Also, does that say Radio / HD? Perhaps they added HD Radio, I know they are adding it to some of their other vehicles.

EDIT:
From what I can see, the steering wheel only has the 4-way control on the left hand side, the right is the same as always. So the 4-way most liekly just controls the little screen in between the gauges, but does not have MyFord Touch. The MyFord Touch vehicles I've seen have the 4-ways on both sides of the steering wheel, and they have LCD screens on both sides of a single gauge in the center (spedometer).

Also, if you notice, the key in the ignition has all the buttons built into it (lock/unlock/panic/?), meaning no seperate key and fob.

2nd EDIT:
Finally! Mercury is no more! About time!

http://www.autoblog.com/2010/06/02/f...and-lincoln%2F

http://www.dailyfinance.com/story/au...cury/19500889/

 

Actually, it is not. Turbocharged engines have been running for hundreds of thousands of miles each. Note 3/4ton+ trucks, commercial vehicles, semis, old Volvos, etc.THe key to reliability of any engine is to design the internals (crank, rods, pistons, heads to handle the power, ensure oil gets to all moving parts, and coolant flows around it.

 

I was basing my guess on the screen which looked different than the normal nav screen (smaller, and more similar to the MYFord Touch screen), but I'm thinking you may be correct based on your steering wheel observations.

 

In about 5 years I guess we'll see APT.

 

Exactly! How many people tout the longevity of diesels? They are turbocharged...the turbos are not typically the weak spot.

The 3.5 was built from the ground up with turbocharging in mind...it'll do fine folks.

 

It won't take 5 years for people to hit 100k miles with an EB. I bet someone does it in 2, although maybe not have the time to post on here.

I'm willing to put my money on one in about 12-18mo, as long as payload is similar to the 2010 max tow package models.

 

An excerpt from an article detailing some of the testing done on the 3.5L EB.

The engine level testing included twenty dynamometer tests which were designed to verify the reliability of the engine system. Maximum engine speeds and loads, maximum coolant and oil temperatures, and real-world customer driving patterns were all used in the design of the test to make sure that the 3.5L EcoBoost engines were pushed to their limits.

An example of a dynamometer test that was included in the 3.5L EcoBoost V6 test suite is the Road Cycle Durability Test. The test is used to verify the performance of the engines in real-world customer driving and maintenance pattern conditions. To complete this test, the 3.5L test engines experienced 1,000 cold starts which were followed by sustained operation at peak torque and peak power. A range of coolant temperatures were used to test the engine in all operating conditions. Specifically, coolant temperatures during the Road Cycle Durability Test ranged from 12 degrees Celsius to 95 degrees Celsius. The Road Cycle Durability Test required Ford engineers to test the 3.5L under extreme engine operating conditions for 1,000 hours. This testing represented more than 60,000 miles of customer driving.

Before the complete engine can be tested, though, all of the individual engine components must be tested to ensure they are durable. For example, the V6’s twin turbochargers needed to be tested at very high temperatures – up to 950 degrees Celsius – to prove that they were up to the job. To test the turbochargers and their water-cooled bearing jackets, engineers ran them at their maximum operating temperatures for 10 minutes and than ran them at room temperature for 10 minutes. This cycle was repeated continuously for hundreds of hours.


Read more...

 

Another interesting article...

One Million Miles on EB Testing

"With the extensive dynamometer and vehicle-level durability testing we are subjecting this engine to, we are confident that the 3.5L EcoBoost engine is going to further strengthen Ford Motor Company's reputation for delivering reliable, high-quality engines," said Hinds.

 

They have been developing this motor for awhile now...I remember hearing the word ecoboost a few years back...I bet it will be just fine in reliability.

 

Everyone seems to want to throw out the longevity of a turbo gasser V6 while towing, but who actually uses an F150 for serious towing anyways? Most towing I've seen done is with diesels, turbo diesels to be exact. And any towing I see with an F150 around here is usually a small boat or jet skis.

At my work, my F150 is used for transporting me around and throwing a few things in the bed. The F350 is used for any kind of towing.

 

I'm not against the EB one way or another. But I have towed anywhere from a 4K lbs boat to a car hualer or utility trailer coming in around 6-7K lbs. Granted I don't probably tow a trailer that heavy more than a few times a year aside from the boat every other weekend in the summer. I still don't think the EB v6 would have an issue with it. However, if someone was buying a work truck to haul trailers even a couple days a month, I'd tell them to get an SD.

 

Visit any campground and note all the (overloaded) F-150s and other half tons used as tow vehicles. I just placed an order for a travel trailer that will probably be in the 6500-7000 pounds range ready to camp with my family.

 

"Overloaded" based on what the lawyers allowed them to put on the sticker. Not based on what they can handle.

If you look at GVW there are alot of F250's over loaded too.