Ford L was released at Shanghai Auto Show in April, 2023. Its body length, width, height and wheelbase are 5000 mm, 1961 mm, 1773 mm and 2950mm, respectively, which makes it have obvious space advantages in medium-sized SUVs. The price range from low-priced fuel version to high-priced hybrid is 229,800 to 309,800 yuan, which can be said to cover the price range of mainstream compact, medium-sized and medium-sized SUVs, regardless of product strength.
However, from listing to the end of 2023, the total sales volume was 25,502 vehicles, with an average monthly sales volume of 2,125 vehicles, ranking 197th among the national passenger car sales. After combining the strength of its products, it is really a pity that such a flat sales performance has been achieved. You know, the average monthly sales volume of the same power split hybrid technology reached 6120 units.
Of course, the performance of sales volume is related to many factors, first of all, the product strength. Ford Sharp L adopts the latest design language of Ford family, and the spoke lattice air intake grille with dynamic LED headlights gives this SUV a strong visual impact, which is extremely aggressive compared with the old one.
The side of the car body is slender, and the uplift design of the C-pillar position adds a sense of movement. In terms of interior design, it is equipped with a 12.3-inch full LCD instrument panel and a 27-inch touch screen, which is reasonable in layout and convenient to operate. It not only provides rich information for passengers, but also enhances the sense of interactive experience. In terms of spatial layout, Ford Sharp L has realized the design of 2+2+3 with a wheelbase of 2950mm, and the maximum legroom in the second row is 1,190 mm. It is equipped with seat ventilation, heating, independent temperature zone control, wireless charging, etc. It can switch the near-zero gravity mode with one button, the backrest angle can be adjusted backward to 41 degrees, and the included angle between the backrest and the seat cushion can reach 105 degrees, making it comfortable to ride. The narrowest distance of the central passage is 200mm, and the armrest can easily enter and exit the third row after being folded, so that family users can experience comfort and convenience whether they travel daily or long distances.
However, the design is a matter of opinion, mainly in the actual experience, most users feedback that the hidden door handle can not be extended after unlocking, and it can be replaced or repaired through warranty. The display effect of the central control screen is average, and there will be problems such as crash, slow response, occasional blue screen, and unable to change the driving mode during use, which can be solved by restarting and upgrading the car. In the process of driving, the driver’s and passenger’s doors will produce abnormal noise when traveling in bumpy road conditions. The main reason is that the lock collides with the door lock, which can be solved by wrapping tape. There are also small problems such as abnormal sound of skylight and stuck ignition switch, which are within the scope of recall. In addition, the Ford Sharp L platform has been downgraded from the previous generation CD4 to the same C2 platform as Ford. Ford and Lincoln also use this platform. The material of the chassis suspension swing arm has been replaced by the seemingly cheap iron, which invisibly reduces the brand power and affects the choice of Ford potential users to a greater or lesser extent.
To sum up, even if Ford Sharp L’s product strength is excellent, there is still much room for improvement in terms of quality reliability and brand strength. At the same time, in the impression that American cars bring to consumers, oil consumption seems to be an indelible stain. The Ford Sharp L 2.0T EcoBoost E- hybrid will make you change your view of American cars.
Ford Sharp L 2.0T EcoBoost E- hybrid is equipped with a hybrid system with power split configuration. When it comes to this technology, most people will take the lead in thinking of Toyota’s THS hybrid system. Yes, the hybrid configuration of Ford and Toyota is completely the same. However, Ford did not copy or buy Toyota’s hybrid technology. Strictly speaking, it is more appropriate to call it technology sharing.
Power split configuration was not first put forward by Toyota or Ford, but a design concept put forward by TRW Company in 1960s. When the development of new energy technology was officially valued by the main engine factory, Toyota and Ford began to develop this hybrid configuration at almost the same time. Among them, Toyota has made breakthroughs in control system and energy management, while Ford has put more energy into hybrid configuration and machinery manufacturing. In 2004, Ford signed an authorization agreement with Toyota. The details are that Ford replaced 20 patents related to hybrid technology with diesel engine technology. This behavior was misunderstood by many people. It was considered that Ford’s hybrid technology originated from Toyota, which is actually a kind of patent cross-authorization, because in the configuration of power split hybrid system, neither Toyota nor Ford can avoid each other’s patents. After evading the legal issues, Ford began to make great efforts in the power split hybrid configuration, including control strategies and algorithms, and applied for more than 100 patents.
So today, 20 years later, we saw this latest hybrid system on Ford Sharp L. The 2.0T EcoBoost E- hybrid consists of the fifth generation 2.0T EcoBoost single-turbo twin-turbo supercharged dual-injection engine and the eCVT transmission with dual motors. The maximum power is 202kW/5500rpm and the maximum torque is 405Nm/3000~4000rpm. Compared with Toyota 2.5THS, the power performance is better, and compared with Toyota 2.4T hybrid system, the cost control is better.
In the hybrid system, the engine uses a 350-bar dual-injection fuel system, which can automatically select the intake manifold or in-cylinder direct injection fuel injection mode according to the working conditions, which can better balance the low fuel consumption at uniform speed and the power performance at high power demand. At the same time, it also adopts hydraulic control OCV, VCT, valve mechanism and EGR exhaust gas circulation system. The eCVT transmission, code-named HF55, adopts a set of Power-Split structure in which the engine and generator are coupled by planetary gear sets, and the motor, motor controller, vehicle controller and gearbox are highly integrated. It has the characteristics of compact structure, energy saving, high efficiency, smoothness and sensitivity, and the maximum output torque can reach 5000Nm. Among them, both generator and motor are developed by Ford, and flat wire winding technology is adopted. The slot full rate exceeds 60% and the efficiency reaches 96.2%. With the oil cooling technology of frequency conversion electronic oil pump, the motor speed can reach 17000rpm, the driving motor output power is 140kW, and the torque reaches 320Nm.
The new low-nickel NCM111 ternary lithium water-cooled battery pack comes from BYD. It adopts an integrated high-efficiency water-cooled system, which not only has excellent heat dissipation performance, low risk of thermal diffusion, but also has a long cycle life. It has passed many rigorous tests exceeding national standards such as overcharge, acupuncture, seawater immersion, salt spray, drop, high and low temperature impact and cycle life, and can maintain the normal and safe operation of the battery under extreme conditions. Even at low temperature in winter, the battery pack of the hybrid system can cooperate with the new generation of EcoBoost twin-vortex turbocharged engine to realize continuous and stable automatic charging and discharging.
During the driving process, the whole system can be freely switched between pure electric drive, hybrid drive and electric assist. When various modes are switched, the NVH of the whole vehicle will be very natural. Even when the engine is started or accelerated with a large throttle, the driver and passenger will not feel the sharp attack of noise and vibration after the engine is started, but can only vaguely hear the noise with coarse particles when the engine is running.
The dynamic performance of the whole vehicle takes into account responsiveness and smoothness. However, in the power connection at the moment when the engine is involved, there will be a rush feeling dragged by the power. Although it is small, the ride comfort needs to be improved compared with Toyota’s hybrid system.
It is worth mentioning that the vehicle control system accurately calculates the optimal efficiency of the engine and motor, and automatically matches the optimal driving mode according to the actual working conditions, so that the hybrid power system always runs in the optimal efficiency interval. Considering the total mileage of 800 kilometers in urban areas, highways and suburban mountain roads, the average fuel consumption reaches 8.4L/100km, of which 188.5km is for pure electric driving. For a hybrid SUV, this fuel consumption may not be the most fuel-efficient, but considering its power performance and 5 meters.
Except for the engine, the most obvious difference between Ford’s power splitting technology and Toyota THS is the four-wheel drive system. In Toyota THS, the E-Four four-wheel drive system is adopted, that is, the engine and the driving motor drive the front wheels, and the driving motor located at the rear axle drives the rear wheels. There is no transmission shaft between the front and rear axles, and the power distribution is automatically controlled by the electronic control system. In the Ford Sharp L 2.0T EcoBoost E- hybrid, there is a transmission shaft leading from the output end of the hybrid system to the rear axle, realizing a real four-wheel drive system, which not only can bear higher load and bring better four-wheel drive performance, but also takes into account fuel economy.
