Ford Motor Company's EcoBoost V-6 engine, 3.5-liters
We wrote yesterday about Ford's new EcoBoost engine, which uses twin turbos and direct injection to get V8 power out of a smaller V6. It's coming this summer in the Lincoln MKS luxury sedan, where it promises "at least" 17 miles per gallon city / 24 mpg highway.
Now our colleague Rex Roy has had a chance to drive an EcoBoosted 2010 Lincoln MKS Sport.
And he likes it, he really likes it.
Rex got into the car asking, So what does driving EcoBoosted vehicles feel like? Is there any turbo lag? Do the turbos hiss and pop and fart?
After several laps of the Ford test track, he had his answer: Nope. There's nothing but power ... smoothly delivered and completely linear power.
Not only does the EcoBoost 3.5-liter take the two-ton MKS from 0 to 60 mph in around 6.5 seconds (headed for a top speed capped at 135 mph), but it returned 24.4 miles per gallon at a steady 70 mph on Ford's test track.
Rex also got to have some fun: We did one fuel-economy lap of the five-mile oval at 100 mph. Showing how critical aerodynamic drag is to economy, the MKS achieved only 9.8 mpg. But don't try this at home, kids.
The 2010 Lincoln MKS is the second car to be announced with the 3.5-liter EcoBoost engine. In February, we wrote that Ford would fit the EcoBoost to the limited production 2010 Ford Taurus SHO, its hot-rod sedan (where the engine puts out 10 horsepower more than in the MKS).
The EcoBoost engine is one of many examples of the global trend toward bigger power from smaller engines. It uses gasoline direct-injection and twin turbochargers to wring out 355 horsepower, as much as the company's traditional 4.6-liter V8, from a mere 3.5-liter V6. It also runs on standard 87-octane unleaded fuel.
The 2010 Lincoln MKS with EcoBoost will arrive at dealers within several weeks.
Ford has sped up its schedule for rolling out EcoBoost engines across its lineup. At the Detroit Auto Show in January 2008, the company said it would have EcoBoost available in more than half its lines by 2015.
Now, it says that by 2013--just three model years hence--more than 90 percent of its North American nameplates will offer EcoBoost as an option.
2010 Lincoln MKS with EcoBoost
2010 Lincoln MKS with EcoBoost
