RSS
Ford’s twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter “EcoBoost” V-6 has proven to be rather successful, so it’s not too surprising to hear that General Motors may be working on a competitive engine.
The EcoBoost competitor will likely be built off GM’s “high feature” V-6 — specifically, the 3.0-liter “LF1″ V-6 used in the likes of the Buick LaCrosse, Cadillac CTS and SRX, Chevrolet Equinox, and GMC Terrain. Sources close to the program tell us that early prototypes of the engine — code named LF3 — were producing close to 400 horsepower before any spark timing or calibration refinement was performed.
Although the engine is certainly under development, there’s still some speculation surrounding which vehicles could utilize the twin-turbo six. One possible application, according to GMInsideNews, is the 2012 XTS. The large Cadillac — which is reportedly greenlighted for production — was shown in concept form with a “high feature” V-6 mated to GM’s 2-Mode hybrid system.
Another possible home for the LF3 could be the engine bay of the Chevrolet Camaro. Chevy previously teased the idea of a twin-turbo Camaro at the 2009 SEMA show, stuffing a twin-turbocharged 3.6-liter V-6 under the hood of one concept. It’s certainly a possibility — and as our sources tell us, the LF3 would be a “nice fit,” as the turbochargers are packaged closely to the block.
Source: GMInsideNews.com
But will this OM twin turbo run on 87 octane fuel?