2011 Ford Explorer's secret: puny yet powerful engine

Here's a bold claim: The newly Ford Explorer with the Eco boost turbocharged 2-liter engine will have fuel efficiency on par with a Toyota Camry V-6.

Although Ford hasn't disclosed yet its predicted fuel mileage figures for the 2011 Explorer, a V-6 Camry gets 20 miles a gallon in the city, twenty-nine on the main road, the Environmental Protection Agency says.

That's quite a claim considering what a chunk of metal that the Explorer has all of the time been -- and will continue to be. Ford is counting on this wonder engine to power a lot of its bigger next-generation engines around the world. Just last Friday, Ford CEO Alan Mulally, appearing on Fox News Business, discounted the idea that the automaker would turn to hybrid engines to power its F-150 pickup trucks:

We're betting he said that because of the automaker's overwhelming belief in turbocharging as a smarter, cheaper alternative. It expects to put its advance turbochargers in 1.3 million vehicles from 2013.

Even though its a four-cylinder, the Eco boost 2-liter would be one powerful engine. It is designed to produce 237 horsepower with a 30% increase in fuel mileage over the current V-6 engine in an Explorer.

To get the most out of every ounce of fuel, the engine breathes better and has a relatively high compression ratio. It is designed to last 10 years or 150,000 miles, which sounds a little low side to us in terms how how tough a hand truck engine should be. The recommended oil change interval is 10,000 miles.