Duratec Rollout

Ford Motor Co.'s upcoming 3.5L DOHC V-6, dubbed the Duratec 35, has room to grow to 4.0L or can drop down to 3.0L, says Greg Johnson, new program manager-Duratec 35.

The new mill, which will power the upcoming Lincoln MKZ sedan and Lincoln MKX, Ford Edge and Mazda CX-9 cross/utility vehicles, will be used in a variety of upcoming Ford, Lincoln and Mercury products, Johnson says.

“I can't comment on exact other future variants, but it's very much been designed for future upgrades,” Johnson says.

The power output for the Duratec 35 will vary slightly by application due to “exhaust backpressure” variations, with the Edge and MKX producing 265 hp and the MKZ version generating 263 hp.

The mill was designed for maximum fuel efficiency and reduced emissions, Johnson says. The 3.5L also is about the same size dimensionally as the 3.0L found in the Ford Fusion, Five Hundred and the current Lincoln Zephyr, he says.

Despite superior power output and size similarity to its current 3.0L, Ford won't be dropping the older, smaller mill anytime soon, Johnson reveals.

“We felt we needed something in our portfolio bigger than a 3.0L, because we've seen the competition gradually migrating from 10 years ago when 3.0L is where you saw most of the V-6s,” he says.

The new engine will be built at Ford's Lima, OH, plant, which underwent a $335 million overhaul in 2003 as part of the auto maker's flexible manufacturing scheme.