The 2.7L V-6 EcoBoost engine arriving in Ford's 2015 aluminum F-150 is a high-output, lightweight powerplant that's designed for the vehicle and provides V-8-level performance with greater efficiency, according to Ford.

The F-150 engine is a more efficient version of the 3.5L V-6 from the 2014 vehicle with "new technologies that make this more efficient engine perform like a larger mid-range V-8," said Raj Nair, Ford group vice president of global development.

One of those technologies touted by Ford include auto stop-start that's been tailored to truck customers. The technology shuts off the engine when the vehicle is stopped to reduce idling, except when towing or in four-wheel drive mode.

This EcoBoost also features the first use of a compacted graphite iron (CGI) cylinder block in a gasoline engine. Ford uses the material in its 6.7L Power Stroke turbo-diesel V-8 engine. The composite block also incorporates aluminum to save weight.

"No one's ever built a six-cylinder engine like this," said Nair. "It combines a host of advanced technologies found throughout the industry to create one of the most technically advanced and efficient engines ever designed."

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PHOTOS: 2015 Ford F-150