Lincoln could have packaged a V-8 engine in its MKS flagship. Remember, the car is (loosely) based on Volvo's S60/S80 platform, and the S80 has been offered with a Yamaha V-8. But Ford Motor Company has moved on to direct-injection and turbocharging in order to "downsize" its engines and face future fuel-economy and CO2 standards. That means twin-turbo V-6s for cars and crossovers that normally would be offered with V-8s (like the new Lincoln {{{MKT}}} crossover, reviewed here) and turbo fours for models that otherwise would get a V-6. Four-cylinder EcoBoost engines start launching early in the next decade.

For now, Ford begins with that 3.5L V-6, producing a tasty 355-horsepower and 350 pound-feet of torque in MKS/MKT trim. The engine will later make its way into the Ford Taurus SHO and Flex, and eventually a version of the engine will become available in the F-150, iconic in part because of its mighty V-8s.

EPA fuel economy numbers for the MKS EcoBoost aren't ready yet, so Ford asked journalists to compare "instant economy" between an Infiniti M45x and a 2010 EcoBoost MKS -- available only with all-wheel-drive to avoid torque-steer -- on its high-speed oval test track in Romeo, Michigan. While there's good reason to be skeptical of any such test set up by any automaker on its own grounds, one lap with the cruise control set at 71 mph turned up about 22 mpg in the M45 and close to 26 mpg in the MKS. This, after the MKS proved a much quicker car than the aging Infiniti. Both cars faced strong headwinds. Ford engineers say the Lincoln's 2.77:1 final drive ratio helps fuel economy by keeping revs low at highway cruising...Continued