Ford D3 Platform

D3 is the name of a Ford Motor Company vehicle architecture designed to underpin full-size cars such as the Ford Taurus and Lincoln MKS.

The D3 platform replaces the Ford Panther platform and has been replaced by the CD4 platform, itself expected to be replaced by the new T6 platform.

Overview

The D3 platform is derived from the Volvo P2 architecture, which developed from the time when Ford owned Volvo Cars. D3 differs in various ways from P2 in various cost cutting measures. For instance, Ford Motor Company replaced the P2’s aluminum suspension arms with steel units, and implemented similar cost-saving measures in other parts of the D3 architecture.

The Ford D3 platform also differs from the Volvo P2 platform by:

• Having a 112.9 inch-long wheelbase, which is three inches longer than on P2
• Using inline four and “V” six-cylinder engines in place of Volvo’s inline-5 and inline-6 cylinder engines

In D3, the engine is positioned transversely (east-west) under the hood. Front-wheel-drive is standard, while all-wheel-drive based on a Haldex system (shared with the Volvo S80 and XC90) is available as an option.

Notably, the D3 platform is the first full-size Ford vehicle architecture fro Ford Motor Company to feature a fully-independent suspension system: a multi-link axle at the rear and MacPherson struts in the front. All models based on the D3 platform feature four-wheel disc brakes.

The D3 platform derived the Ford D4 platform – a variant for crossover utility vehicles (CUVs).

Specifications

Engines

The D3 platform supports various four- and six-cylinder Ford Motor Company engines, including:

• 2.0L Turbo EcoBoost I4
• 2.3L Turbo EcoBoost I4
• 3.5L Duratec-Cyclone V6
• 3.7L Duratec-Cyclone V6
• 3.5L Twin-Turbo EcoBoost V6

All engines are mated to the Ford 6F six-speed automatic transmission.

Vehicle Applications