WASHINGTON, D.C. — The 2009 Ford Escape and Mercury Mariner will get a new 2.5-liter inline-4 engine with slightly better fuel economy and 170 horsepower, a 17-hp improvement over the outgoing 2.3-liter engine, the automaker said on Tuesday at the 2008 Washington Auto Show.
The new engine is also the basis for the Ford Escape Hybrid and the Mercury Mariner Hybrid. Escape and Mariner also get a new six-speed automatic transmission. Ford says the powertrain is expected to boost fuel economy by 1 mile per gallon.
The Dearborn automaker said Escape and Mariner will also get an optional 230-hp 3.0-liter V6, a 30-hp increase over last year. The engine is mated to a six-speed transmission.
Ford also said it will add three vehicles to its flexible-fuel lineup for '09: the Ford Expedition, the Lincoln Navigator and the Ford E-Series Econoline vans.
At the same time, Ford President and CEO Alan Mulally told the Automotive News World Congress in Detroit that the company will reach "benchmark levels of new or significantly freshened products." In a statement, the automaker said it will deliver "a showroom with 70 percent new or freshened vehicles by the end of 2008 and 100 percent by 2010." It did not spell out its future product plans, however.
What this means to you: Ford upgrades engines and transmissions in two of its bread-and-butter models while promising better things to come. — Anita Lienert, Correspondent
The new engine is also the basis for the Ford Escape Hybrid and the Mercury Mariner Hybrid. Escape and Mariner also get a new six-speed automatic transmission. Ford says the powertrain is expected to boost fuel economy by 1 mile per gallon.
The Dearborn automaker said Escape and Mariner will also get an optional 230-hp 3.0-liter V6, a 30-hp increase over last year. The engine is mated to a six-speed transmission.
Ford also said it will add three vehicles to its flexible-fuel lineup for '09: the Ford Expedition, the Lincoln Navigator and the Ford E-Series Econoline vans.
At the same time, Ford President and CEO Alan Mulally told the Automotive News World Congress in Detroit that the company will reach "benchmark levels of new or significantly freshened products." In a statement, the automaker said it will deliver "a showroom with 70 percent new or freshened vehicles by the end of 2008 and 100 percent by 2010." It did not spell out its future product plans, however.
What this means to you: Ford upgrades engines and transmissions in two of its bread-and-butter models while promising better things to come. — Anita Lienert, Correspondent
Add A Comment »