My new car already had aero mods..

[Xringer]

This might be a pretty good ICE..



"New 2.5-liter Inline-4 Engine

The 2009 Ford Escape comes powered by a new 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine with intake variable cam timing (i-VCT) for enhanced fuel economy and performance, producing 171 hp at 5,800 rpm and 171 lb-ft of torque at 4,500 rpm. The new engine offers an 11 percent increase in power output versus the 2.3-liter (153 hp), resulting in a 1.7-second improvement in 0-60 mph acceleration according to Ford.

The i-VCT technology optimizes the valve timing for performance and efficiency, creating a broader torque curve and delivering increased power and improved fuel efficiency at the same time. The powertrain also incorporates electronic throttle control (ETC). This technology replaces the manual linkage between accelerator and throttle with a control unit that calculates the optimal throttle position from a number of sensors. ETC is a form of the state-of-the-art, drive-by-wire technology. The Ford Escape Hybrid also features a version of this new engine using the fuel-efficient Atkinson Cycle for combustion."


I'm wondering if anyone is hypermiling this model or the 2010 Fusion that uses this ICE and AT??

It would be interesting to see what kind of results they are getting.

[MadisonMPG]

Originally Posted by Xringer

Someday when my wife gets a Prius, I'll buy racks for it..

I read this as "Someday I will buy my wife a rack".

And I chuckled.

[Frank Lee]

Originally Posted by Xringer

This might be a pretty good ICE..



"New 2.5-liter Inline-4 Engine

The 2009 Ford Escape comes powered by a new 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine with intake variable cam timing (i-VCT) for enhanced fuel economy and performance, producing 171 hp at 5,800 rpm and 171 lb-ft of torque at 4,500 rpm. The new engine offers an 11 percent increase in power output versus the 2.3-liter (153 hp), resulting in a 1.7-second improvement in 0-60 mph acceleration according to Ford.

The i-VCT technology optimizes the valve timing for performance and efficiency, creating a broader torque curve and delivering increased power and improved fuel efficiency at the same time. The powertrain also incorporates electronic throttle control (ETC). This technology replaces the manual linkage between accelerator and throttle with a control unit that calculates the optimal throttle position from a number of sensors. ETC is a form of the state-of-the-art, drive-by-wire technology. The Ford Escape Hybrid also features a version of this new engine using the fuel-efficient Atkinson Cycle for combustion."


I'm wondering if anyone is hypermiling this model or the 2010 Fusion that uses this ICE and AT??

It would be interesting to see what kind of results they are getting.

If a person needs to make use of that much power perhaps it is very nice. If a person just putt putts around like me in the low rpm range and never activates the cam timing then I'd guess it would be added complexity and wasted technology.

[Xringer]

"171 hp at 5,800 rpm"?? After my road trip the other day when I took those pics,
the pic showing the MAX RPM showed 2471 rpms..

So, I must be a "putts-putts around" driver too. But even at low rpms,
I think the "intake variable cam timing", the high-tech anti-knock system
and new aggressive fuel cut-off stuff is helping the FE.. At any speed..

Coupled with the low-loss tech of the new 6F35 AT,
I'm betting this rig can do about as well as the FEH on the highway,
where there is no electric motor assist.
And since it's hauling less hardware it might even do better..


That 'AFE' displayed on the SG2 is the Average MPG for the current trip.
If the FE turns out to be near what I'm seeing on my early SG2
calibration fill-ups, this might be a great car to drive on long vacation road trips.

From what I've seen so far, I think maybe 22 city and 35 highway
is going to be possible. Which isn't too bad for an Escape..

Edit:
I think the SG2 has a pretty good calibration with today's fill-up.

My guess is 22 city & 37.6 highway
EPA rated at 20 city & 28 highway
FEH rating is 34 city & 31 highway

[Xringer]

In case anyone is interested, the SG2 just might be able to read the tranny temperature!
I'm checking it out this afternoon..

See:
Code for 2009 Ford Escape transmission temperature - Page 2 - CleanMPG Forums

[backyard engineer]

nice, I'd be happy to see a million other suv's morphing into drivers just like you with that scan guage option and responsible eco friendly speeds.

[brucepick]

We rented an Escape with that engine for a trip from CT to Philadelphia and back.

Had two adults, a/c running, and intermittent rain. Got about 26 mpg as I recall. Not bad considering I had no ScanGauge, plus we had to drive as fast as the law would allow, etc. etc.

I found the engine would spin up to 5000 and even 6000 rpm easily and quickly if you step into it. Sounded quite impressive at those higher rpms too, if I can say so. Definitely had plenty power, by my expectations.

[winkosmosis]

Originally Posted by RobertSmalls

I'm definately with Piwoslaw here, especially in the fog lights, wheels, and grille. If it's 4WD, see what's involved in converting to 2WD. I'll bet you could bondo in the ridges on the side sills. And those mirrors look enormous.

You're not going to tell me that's an economical car, but I am glad to see that Ford engineers paid attention to aero details, even if the car as a whole is much taller, more square, and more capable than is needed.

According to certain people on this forum, the squareness of the front and the steep windshield don't matter. Aside from that, the horizontal roofline and square back are functional parts of the design. Ground clearance isn't much compared to real SUVs either. Seems like the perfect aerodynamic vehicle.

[winkosmosis]

Originally Posted by Frank Lee

If a person needs to make use of that much power perhaps it is very nice. If a person just putt putts around like me in the low rpm range and never activates the cam timing then I'd guess it would be added complexity and wasted technology.

These new engines coming out are much more efficient than even the last generation. I doubt it's wasted technology.

[Frank Lee]

Moon Unit has a boatload of fancy stuff for a controlled tuned intake and 4-valve heads. If they activate at, say, 4000 rpm and I almost never exceed 3000, I'd say I'm not benefitting in the least from the tech and would be as well off with the base engine that doesn't have all that hot rod stuff.