NEW YORK AUTO SHOW: Here's the latest on an old technology with modern-day upgrades which Ford is trotting-out first in their Lincoln Division. Turbocharging has been around since the first internal combustion engines; gasoline "direct injection" is a newer feature; the technology was first used in diesel engines, and has spread to their gasoline-powered cousins. Lincoln's 2009 MKS (are you getting as confused with all of Lincoln's new, confusing nomenclature as we are?) will be the first car to be "EcoBoost" equipped; whether or not buyers will accept Ford's contention that their EcoBoost V6 is just as "good" or better than a V8 (say, like the one from Cadillac, or BMW or Mercedes-Benz or a dozen other manufacturers) remains to be seen. Our guess? We've all been waving "Bye-bye" to Lincoln-Mercury for so long now that perhaps EcoBoost will be just another nail in those companies coffins. Here's the straight scoop from FoMoCo's very own and very hyping PR material:
As America watches gasoline prices creeping toward the $4 per gallon mark, Ford Motor Company is coming to the rescue with a new family of engines that promise real-world savings at the pump.
Highlights:
* EcoBoost uses gasoline turbocharged direct-injection technology for up to 20 percent better fuel economy, 15 percent fewer CO2 emissions and superior driving performance versus larger displacement engines.
* The new technology will be available in half a million Ford, Lincoln and Mercury vehicles annually in North America within the next five years – beginning with the new Lincoln MKS sedan in 2009.
The EcoBoost family of 4- and 6-cylinder engines uses turbocharging and direct injection technology to deliver up to 20 percent better fuel economy and and up to 15 percent fewer emissions. More importantly, EcoBoost builds on todays affordable gasoline engines allowing the technology to be applied across a wide range of engines and vehicles types, from small cars to large trucks.
In 2009, Ford first will introduce EcoBoost on the Lincoln MKS featuring a 3.5-liter twin-turbocharged V-6
that will produce the power and torque of a V-8 engine with the fuel efficiency of a V-6. In fact, with an estimated 340 horsepower and more than 340 lb.-ft. of torque, the Lincoln MKS will be the most powerful and fuel-efficient all-wheel-drive luxury sedan in the market.
EcoBoost’s combination of direct injection and turbocharging mitigates the traditional disadvantages of downsizing and boosting 4- and 6-cylinder engines, giving customers both superior performance as well as fuel economy.
With direct injection, fuel is injected into each cylinder of an engine in small, precise amounts. Compared to conventional port injection, direct injection produces a cooler, denser charge, delivering higher fuel economy and performance.
When combined with modern-day turbocharging – which uses waste energy from the exhaust gas to drive the turbine – direct injection provides the best of both worlds: the responsiveness of a larger-displacement engine with fewer trips to the gas pump.
Ford’s 3.5-liter EcoBoost V-6, for example, can deliver upwards of 340-plus lb.-ft. of torque across a wide engine range – 2,000 to 5,000 rpm versus 270 to 310 lb.-ft of torque for a conventional naturally aspirated 4.6-liter V-8 over the same speed range. At the same time, this V-6 gives customers an approximately 15 percent fuel economy improvement and emits up to 15 percent fewer CO2 emissions to the environment.
Direct injection coupled with turbocharging allows for the downsizing of engines that deliver improved torque and performance. A 4-cylinder EcoBoost engine has the capability of producing more torque than a larger 6-cylinder engine – nearly an entire liter larger in displacement –-- with up to 20 percent better fuel efficiency.
FULL-SUITE OF IN-CAR SATELLITE COMMUNICATIONS
The all-new 2009 Lincoln MKS luxury sedan – on sale this summer – is the lead vehicle for Ford’s full suite of new in-car communications technologies. SIRIUS Travel Link™ gives drivers and passengers up-to-the-minute information on gas prices, traffic, coast-to-coast weather conditions, sports scores and movie listings on the road. SIRIUS Travel Link is the premier feature of Lincoln’s next-generation navigation system – developed with industry leader Xanavi. New entertainment / navigation system in 2009 Lincoln MKS allows users to select SIRIUS Satellite Radio channels via voice commands. (end of PR material)
Be skeptical if you will, but the fact is, at least with a younger demographic of buyers, Lincoln
parent Ford is selling a lot of their Focus models equipped with Ford's "SYNC" system, and apparently the system in Lincoln's 2009 MKS contains everything which comes with SYNC --- and then some. Here's how Ford describes SYNC, in a press release dated January, 2007:
Ford Motor Company today announced the launch of a new factory-installed, in-car communications and entertainment system that is designed to change the way consumers use digital media portable music players and mobile phones in their vehicles.
The Ford-exclusive technology based on Microsoft Auto software, called SYNC, provides consumers the convenience and flexibility to bring into their vehicle nearly any Bluetooth-enabled mobile phone or digital media player and operate it using voice commands or the vehicle’s steering wheel or radio controls.
Ford owners will not need to worry about whether their car or truck is compatible with the latest phone or music player that hits the market. SYNC seamlessly integrates the vehicle with the popular portable electronic devices of today and is upgradeable to support the devices and services of tomorrow.
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