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Squeezing V8 Performance Out of V6: An Inside Look at Ford's EcoBoost

It's no secret that Ford is excited about EcoBoost. With the release of the 2010 Lincoln MKS/MKT, the 2010 Taurus SHO, and the 2010 Ford Flex, consumers are getting their first taste of EcoBoost. And with Ford planning to have 90 percent of its domestic nameplates (80 percent internationally) offered with EcoBoost engines by 2014, along with production of 750,000 EcoBoost units a year (Ford sells over 5 million cars and light commercial vehicles yearly), it's also clear that it's confident that consumers will be too.

We caught up with Ford and were among an exclusive group of journalists who got a tour of the company's research and design center and a briefing on EcoBoost. Two things quickly became apparent -- first, that Ford appears committed to departing from natural aspiration, and second that Ford believes that none of its competitors have as advanced testing and control systems as it does when it comes to direct injection and turbocharging.

Looking at the first point -- the departure from natural aspiration -- it's important first to explain what natural aspiration is. Every engine needs air to fuel its combustion. In naturally aspirated engines, this air isn't forced into the engine by compressors, rather the intake simply relies on atmospheric pressure.

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