The final engine-downsizing complaint—that a V6, no matter how powerful, can’t sound like a V8—is dead, thanks to Ford. We recently learned that the EcoBoost engine’s aural deficiencies are being addressed in the Mustang, and now we know the same is true for the 2015 Ford F-150 pickup.

READ MORE: How Ford snuck a 2015 F-150 into the Baja 1000

Under hard acceleration, the speakers play a V8 soundtrack over what little you hear of the turbocharged 2.7- and 3.5-liter EcoBoost sixes. Added sound deadening means you hear less turbo whoosh than before, too.

Ford engineers call it “order content,” we call it “fake engine sound.” The jargontastic name derives from the fact that different engines have different sounds as a result of layout and firing order. A V6 has more third-order noise, a V8 has more fourth-order sound, etc. The tech in the new F-150 adds more of the fourth-order ruckus.

READ MORE: 2015 Ford Mustang GT first impressions

The system won’t come in all EcoBoosted trucks, just the more expensive ones—from well-spec’d Lariats on up.

So ultimately, there is a replacement for V8 displacement: turbos, direct injection, and speaker cones.

Source:  Road and Track Magazine

http://www.roadandtrack.com/go/news/the-2015-ford-f-150-pumps-v8-engine-noise-into-v6-trucks