Cyclone V6: in the eye of a Ford storm

18/07/07


A Duratec V6 engine is the likely contender for the Ford Falcon if the Geelong-made inline six is killed off, writes IAN PORTER.
Ford Motor Company's 3.5-litre V6 - known as the Duratec 35 and 'Cyclone' - is favourite to replace the Australian-built in-line six-cylinder engine by 2010.


The engine most likely to slip into the Falcon's engine bay in 2010 will be the Duratec 35 - also known as Cyclone - which went into production in the US late last year.

Of the several available engine options in the Ford world, the Duratec V6 is believed to best fit the Falcon's workload needs should the decision be made to kill off the inline six-cylinder engine that has been made at Ford's Geelong plant for more than 40 years.

Like GM Holden's High Feature V6, the Cyclone comes in a range of sizes and specifications and has, perhaps surprisingly, found its way onto a list of the top 10 engines in 2007.

It is already in use in Lincoln's medium-sized all-wheel-drive MKZ saloon and is set to be rolled out across Ford's US range.

Lovers of the local XR6 Turbo and the FPV Typhoon should not be concerned about the possible death of the Geelong-made inline six, which has made the six-cylinder performance Falcons V8-killers of the first order.

The Cyclone has already been developed in twin-turbo form, with direct injection as well, laying the groundwork for another respectable performance car.

The main attraction the Cyclone has over the current I6 motor is its aluminium engine block, which makes it easier to achieve the Euro IV emissions standards that will be introduced for locally made cars in July 2010. Imported cars will have to meet Euro IV standards from July next year.

While the current motor has all the necessary hardware in its cylinder heads - twin overhead cams, four valves a cylinder and variable valve timing - to be competitive, the cast-iron engine block takes that bit longer to reach operating temperature.

Any engine runs below its optimum while warming up and that extra time it takes for the Barra engine to warm up is believed to make the difference in emissions tests.

The aluminium block is also lighter and smaller, enhancing economy and emissions while offering the usual V6 packaging benefits of shorter length and the possibility of more space inside - or the same space in a smaller package.


Although Ford casts aluminium cylinder heads at Geelong, it seems the company is unwilling to extend that competence to cylinder blocks. Perhaps head office has ruled out the prospects of investing any money in an inline engine - even though the I6 layout appears to be making a comeback at Land Rover and Holden/Daewoo.

The Cyclone has 24 valves, four camshafts, variable intake timing, coil-on-plug ignition and multi-port fuel injection. In 3.5-litre form, it delivers economy of 8.7 L/100 km in the Lincoln MKZ , which weighs 1570 kilograms in front-wheel-drive form (a Falcon weighs 1690 kilograms).It produces 196 kW at 6250 rpm, compared with the inline six's 190 kW at 5250 rpm.

Where they differ is on peak torque. The Barra engine, renowned for its low-speed pulling power, produces 383 Nm from 2500 rpm, while the Cyclone produces 339 Nm at a much later 4500 rpm.

The Cyclone was listed by the US automotive research group Ward's among the 10 best engines available in the US in 2007. The list included the 2.0-litre FSI turbo from Audi, two straight-sixes from BMW as well as a perennial winner of awards, Nissan's 3.5-litre VQ series V6 unit.


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And this from Ford US,

The 360Hp Direct Injected Twin Turbo V6 based on the D35 was already approved for production.

Thats about 237 KW !! BIG DEAL!

And this is what the press in the US of A calls the V6 3.5.

Ford's latest Way Forward cost-cutting tactic, according to Automotive News is to starve the new Lincoln flagship of a V8 engine -- a feature many consider crucial to meet competitors in the luxury market. Instead, the upcoming MKS sedan will get only Ford's new, fits-in-everything 3.5-liter V6 (Duratec 35, or Cyclone), which produces in the neighborhood of 240 265 hp currently -- but Ford plans to "differentiate" the engine in the MKS, likely by maxing out its power potential (twin-turbo anyone?). AN says executives shelved a plan to use the Yamaha-sourced V8 from Volvo's XC90 for eight-pot goodness in several models. Ford's definitely lacking in small V8s for such applications; the question is, can they convince buyers not to care?


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More on Ford's New, Workhorse V6


Ford released a bunch of engine-geek info on the new 3.5-liter V6 that'll power a goodly portion of its new cars, particularly its crossovers like the Ford Edge and Lincoln Aviator set to appear at the Detroit Auto Show in January. Ford officials say the high-revving all-aluminum six, which will wring 250hp and 240 lb-ft of torque out of its dual-overhead cam valvetrain, will power one in five Ford vehicles by the end of the decade. Paired with a new six-speed automatic, it'll make its way into cars like the the Ford Five Hundred, Mercury Montego and new Lincoln sedans on the docket, and will play a pivotal role in future Ford hybrids.