What we find particularly amusing about this clip is the question "Would you pay $3,000 for better fuel economy?" Well, that answer has been proven over and over again as yes, with the Prius, Insight, Civic hybrid, etc. You most certainly pay a premium for those hybrids in order to get higher fuel economy. However, there's a level of status from the eco-green movement that comes with buying those badged bi-powered cars.

The better question is: are people willing to pay for better fuel economy in the rip-snorting 300-plus HP range without the pretty hybrid badging? Will the public buy into a turbo V6 replacing a V8, getting the same power and better fuel economy? Questions like those are, apparently, best answered by looking at the cupholders.

355 HP from a 3.5 liter twin turbocharged V6 is nothing to sneeze at, but we've never really heard verified quarter mile times for either the Lincoln MKS or Ford Flex, so we jumped at the chance to run them at Milan Dragway when Ford called us up. After all, big talk about stuff like "fuel economy" and "V8-like performance" isn't squat unless the cars can turn in the numbers. Although we've already driven the Lincoln MKS EcoBoost, we've yet to drive the similarly ecoboosted Ford Flex. We weren't allowed behind the wheel this time either, but we did get to watch as Ford engineers peeled out from the starting tree.

So we hit the "Test and Tune" night at the Dragway, better known as "run whatcha brung." The gates open at 5:00 pm and through them pour a wide spectrum of vehicles, everything from clapped together hoopties we're pretty sure tech looked the other way on to drag rails to snowmobiles. Yes, they race snowmobiles, nine second, 130 MPH snowmobiles. So when three MKS and a Ford Flex showed up, let's just say the crowd didn't exactly go wild. Once we popped the hoods though, those in the know crowded around the cars. "Yes, it's the SHO powertrain" was very often repeated.

And then over the loudspeaker "All street tire cars proceed to the staging area." We were up. It's a very strange thing to stage a quiet, luxurious, $48,000 Lincoln next to snarling, barely-road legal Mustangs and GTO's, but we made our way to the front of the line. We lined up at the lights, windows up, air conditioning off, traction control disabled, brake stand, revs at 3000 rpm and green! The unassumingly Lincoln then proceeded to return a 14.1 second quarter mile with a trap speed of 104.4 MPH. When we parked, there were quite a few more people interested in what was under the hood. Ours wasn't even the fastest time of the evening. Later in the evening, when the temperature had dropped and the cars had cooled down, former Jalopnik hack and Car & Driver man about town Mike Austin managed a 13.9 second run at 104 MPH. Yes, that's right — you can buy a 13 second Lincoln.

But what about that EcoBoost Flex? Well, despite all our ribbing and negotiating, Ford wouldn't let us behind the wheel, but that didn't stop them from having a good 'ole time of it. Would you believe the Flex, with all of it's 4500 lbs of heft and the aerodynamics of a brick wall managed a 14.5 second run at 98 MPH? Turns out 355 HP and a torque curve as flat as Iowa can really wake up a car's performance.

Here's the thing about both of these cars — they were running consistently all night long. If you want to be a bracket racing hero and take the kids out to soccer practice the next day, the Flex will do 14.5 s at 95 to 98 MPH run after run after run. Same with the MKS, speeds were in the 103 to 104 MPH range and we picked up 1/10 of a second for each 5 degrees the temperature dropped, 14.1 to 13.9 as the night grew cooler.

Someone should really tell Ford they need this setup in the Mustang.

Lincoln is hoping buyers will sail past cars like the V8-powered Infiniti M45 to look at the Lincoln MKS, which they claim will offer best-in-class highway economy at 25 MPG, and the Lincoln's relatively more powerful V6. Whether or not this actually sways anyone to buy a car from a brand more associated with livery than with living good is another question.

ECOBOOST DEBUT: FUEL-EFFICIENT NEW V-6 ENGINE GIVES FLAGSHIP LINCOLN MKS THE POWER OF A V-8

DETROIT, Jan. 12, 2009 – Launched last summer, the Lincoln MKS upholds the luxury and comfort standards unique to Lincoln. Now, with the addition of all-new EcoBoost engines, the Lincoln MKS also will deliver a compelling combination of V-8 power and V-6 fuel economy.

The Lincoln MKS is among the first Ford Motor Company vehicle to introduce a premium twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter EcoBoost V-6 engine for the 2010 model year and is expected to deliver best-in-class highway fuel economy of 25 mpg. By 2013, more than 90 percent of Ford Motor Company’s North American lineup will be available with EcoBoost technology.

“We are committed to delivering fuel economy leadership in every new vehicle,” said Derrick Kuzak, Ford’s group vice president of Global Product Development.  “We do this with affordable technology that can be applied to the widest number of vehicles. EcoBoost is an important component of that goal.

“The beauty of EcoBoost is that it enables us to downsize for fuel efficiency, yet boost for power. We’re able to decrease the size of the available engine – such as installing a V-6 versus a V-8 – yet boost the power using turbocharging to deliver similar power and torque of that larger engine.”

The 3.5-liter EcoBoost V-6 is expected to attain fuel economy numbers of 16 mpg city and 25 mpg highway based on preliminary testing of the all-wheel-drive 2010 Lincoln MKS while producing an estimated 355 horsepower at 5,700 rpm and 350 lbs.-ft. of torque at 3,500 rpm.

With its premium EcoBoost engine, the new Lincoln MKS will deliver more power and better highway fuel efficiency than the 2009 Lexus GS460 (24 mpg) or 2009 Infiniti M45 (21 mpg).

“We’re delighted with how well the Lincoln MKS has been received. Customers have really responded to the vehicle’s balanced combination of luxury, comfort and performance,” said Pete Reyes, chief nameplate engineer. “Adding the 3.5-liter EcoBoost V-6 is another great enhancement to our luxury sedan. We now can deliver V-8 power without sacrificing fuel economy.”

The Lincoln MKS will be among the first vehicles to receive the 3.5-liter EcoBoost V-6 starting in the summer of 2009, enhancing what’s already a strong package. Standard on the Lincoln MKS EcoBoost series will be 19-inch wheels, steering-wheel paddle shifters to the six-speed SelectShift® automatic transmission, all-wheel drive and an expanded technology package that includes Intelligent Access with Push Button Start, ambient lighting, adaptive HID headlamps with Auto Highbeam, rain-sensing wipers and rear-window power sunshade.

“The Lincoln MKS EcoBoost series provides customers the best combination in style, technology and power,” said Pei-Wen Hsu, Lincoln MKS Marketing manager. “An EcoBoost appearance package also will be available, offering customers a more aggressive and sporty look that further differentiates the Lincoln MKS from other competitors.”

The EcoBoost program is part of Ford’s ongoing and wide-ranging initiative to deliver innovative fuel-efficient powertrain systems with horsepower and torque performance found in larger-displacement engines.

“Our EcoBoost engines offer more power and better fuel economy,” said Brett Hinds, EcoBoost design manager. “It’s all part of Ford’s strategy to bring adaptable powertrain technology to all kinds of vehicles and all kinds of lifestyles. This technology is affordable and applicable to all gasoline engines.”

The turbochargers recover energy from the exhaust that otherwise would be wasted and put it back in the engine to gain efficiency. Simply, the turbocharging system puts more air into the engine for more power. A compressor increases or “boosts” the pressure of the air entering the engine. An intercooler reduces the air temperature before it enters the engine.

The twin parallel turbochargers, which are water-cooled and operate simultaneously, combine with a direct-injection fuel system to produce power when the driver pushes down on the accelerator pedal. The high-pressure fuel pump operates up to 2,175 psi – more than 35 times the norm seen in a conventional V-6 engine. The high-pressure pump is a cam-driven mechanical pump with a single piston and an electronic valve that controls how much fuel is routed into the fuel rails to the injectors.

As demands on the twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter EcoBoost V-6 engine are increased, the control system responds to maintain optimal combustion, timing and injection duration.

On each stroke, six individual jets spray fuel directly into the combustion chamber, mixing with the incoming air. “By bringing the fuel injector right into the combustion chamber, there’s no delay from the time you inject the fuel to when it’s used by the engine,” Hinds said.

The fuel injectors are located on the side of the combustion chamber. When the fuel is injected into the cylinder, it evaporates and cools the air that’s been inducted into the cylinder. “Another benefit of our direct-injection method is that it cools the air right where you’re going to burn it,” Hinds said. “This action both improves the breathing of the engine and minimizes knocking.”

The direct injection of fuel into the cylinder also helps provide a well-mixed air-fuel charge, increasing engine efficiency. Direct injection provides several benefits in terms of fuel burn and lower emissions.

“Because the fuel is directly introduced into the combustion chamber, you don’t get fuel wetting the combustion wall like with port fuel injection, you don’t saturate the ports and you don’t get droplets that might recombine and add to saturation,” Hinds said. “By injecting fuel directly into the combustion chamber and under high pressure, the fuel can be directed to exactly where we want it to be for a given combustion cycle.”

The spray pattern for the fuel was optimized after extensive computer modeling work, with the angle of how the fuel is sprayed key to the process. “The better combustion process is a big advantage of direct injection,” Hinds said. “In a port fuel system, at key off it’s possible to have fuel on the walls of the intake port, which migrates to the top of the valve and puddles. So when you key on, you get that emissions spike. Direct injection is much cleaner from that standpoint.”

Turbo lag virtually eliminated
The simultaneous turbocharger operation paired with the direct-injection system help to virtually eliminate turbo lag, one of the main reasons turbocharger technology was not previously more widely used.

The dual-turbocharger setup has several advantages over previous turbocharging systems, including:

The turbochargers are smaller, resulting in more-compact exhaust manifolds, which don’t generate as much heat
Turbochargers are packaged adjacent to the cylinder block and have improved mounting providing NVH (noise, vibration, harshness) improvements
The dual turbochargers spool up quicker, allowing the 3.5-liter EcoBoost V-6 engine to reach peak torque faster. The turbochargers spin at approximately 170,000 rpm. By comparison, the redline for the engine is approximately 6,500 rpm

“The two turbochargers both operate identically over the speed range of the engine – one is responsible for the left bank of the engine and the other is responsible for the right bank,” Hinds said. “Both spin immediately and produce boost, even at low engine speeds.”

The turbochargers are designed for a life cycle of 150,000 miles or 10 years.

“Our testing is far, far more harsh than could be achieved in the real world,” Hinds. “In an extreme situation, a customer might be able to hit peak power for about 10 seconds – probably not even that much. We test at peak power for hundreds of hours to ensure we can reach our durability and reliability goals.”

The turbochargers are only about the size of an orange, but help provide a big performance advantage to customers. Hinds describes the torque response in terms of linear acceleration – power whenever you need it.

“You get peak torque across a very wide engine speed range,” he said. “It’s available when you pull away from a stoplight or pass someone on a secondary road at a comparatively low speed. You don’t need to wind up the engine to get performance out of it. It’s there all the time.”

Turbocharger “whoosh” is mitigated by electronically controlled anti-surge valves, which proactively relieve the boost in the intake, which can range up to 12 PSI. Careful software calibrations manage the pressures in the intake manifold.

“We control the boost to make sure that customers don’t recognize when the boost is building,” Hinds said. “As the turbochargers spool up, the electronic control system takes over. Our active wastegate control along with the throttle controls the boost and torque levels very precisely and the customer perceives a continuous delivery of torque.”

Extensive durability tests on the twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter EcoBoost V-6 engine ensure it will excel in all conditions. Start-up tests, with a wide variety of fuels, were made in conditions ranging from minus 40 to 110 degrees Fahrenheit. Altitude testing up to 12,000 feet in Colorado also was performed.

“The direct-injection fuel system allows us some real opportunities in terms of optimizing cold start for both emissions and robustness,” Hinds said. “We have multiple injections for each combustion event, and we can essentially tune where those injections should take place to deliver the strongest start possible with the lowest emissions.”

Mated to the 3.5-liter EcoBoost V-6 engine is the 6-speed 6F-55 SelectShift automatic transmission, which is dedicated to the twin-turbocharger engine. The 6F-55 transmission was developed from the successful 6F-50 transmission to specifically respond to the increased torque demands of the EcoBoost V-6 engine. Upgrades were made to the transmission’s friction material in response to the higher shift energies, and a new torque converter has been optimized for performance and fuel economy.

Additionally, the 6F-55 transmission operates more efficiently. The transmission team was able to reduce the fluid level in the transmission, which in turn reduced weight and drag torque on the system. Upgrades to the transmission’s thermal valve mean the system warms up quicker, reducing gear-spin losses.

“We’ve upgraded the gear sets to handle the increased torque,” said Joe Baum, powertrain team leader. “We’ve also adjusted the final drive ratio and matched the gear ratios to provide the optimum performance and fuel economy.

“Our final drive ration is 2.73. With a lower final drive ratio, the engine spins lower at highway speeds, which helps save fuel. And with all the torque, the Lincoln MKS still delivers good low-speed launch performance.”

One harmonious system
Careful powertrain system management ensures the engine, turbochargers and transmission work together harmoniously.

The Lincoln MKS team also was careful to give customers an exhaust note from the 3.5-liter EcoBoost V-6 that was pleasing but not overpowering. A precision-tuned induction sound tube directed into the cabin complements the feeling of power.

“It has the powerful sound Lincoln MKS customers will respond to,” Hinds said.

With the addition of the twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter EcoBoost V-6, the overall package for the Lincoln MKS is one customers will respond to as well.

“With its elegant styling, wide suite of convenience technology and incomparable ride, the Lincoln MKS is an outstanding luxury sedan,” Reyes said. “We’re pleased and proud to add the 3.5-liter EcoBoost V-6 to an already-great car.”

[Source: Lincoln]

The new 3.5-Liter twin-turbocharged V6 EcoBoost engine takes the current Duratec 3.5-Liter V6 found in the Ford line and adds two turbochargers, direct injection and a host of upgraded parts needed to handle the newly achieved torque. As excited as we were about the prospect of 350 HP, as previously discussed, we're not upset Ford engineers found enough extra power to beat 100 HP-per-liter.

The two Honeywell GT15 turbochargers run provide up to 12 PSI of boost and, with parallel setup, reduce lag almost completely. The addition of a cam-driven fuel pump provides the high pressures necessary to pump fuel through the six injectors and into the cylinders. This combination provides a major increase in power with a 10-15% fuel-economy benefit over a comparable V8.

This new engine will be featured in the 2010 Ford Taurus, 2010 Ford Flex, Lincoln MKS and Lincoln MKT.

ford’s new ecoboost technology at a glance

DEtroit, Jan. 11, 2009 – The first in a wave of new Ford EcoBoost™ engines makes its debut in the Lincoln MKS, MKT and Ford Flex later this year as part of Ford Motor Company’s global initiative to provide powertrains that deliver the fuel efficiency and power customers demand.

The twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V-6 EcoBoost engine delivers the performance found in a normally aspirated V-8 while maintaining the fuel economy found in a normally aspirated V-6 engine.

A look at the highlights of the EcoBoost story:
• Power and fuel economy: The twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter Duratec V-6 EcoBoost engine produces 355 horsepower at 5,700 rpm and 350 ft.-lb. of torque at 3,500 rpm. A 10-15 percent fuel-economy benefit is expected versus normally aspirated 4.6-liter V-8 engines in the same competitive class.

“The beauty of EcoBoost is that it enables us to downsize for fuel efficiency, yet boost for power,” said Derrick Kuzak, Ford’s group vice president of Global Product Development. “We’re able to decrease the size of the available engine – such as installing a V-6 versus a 
V-8 – yet boost the power using turbocharging to deliver similar power and torque of that larger engine.”

• Engine: Base engine architecture comes from the proven Duratec 3.5-liter V-6. To handle the increased torque that EcoBoost delivers, some upgrades were made to some of the components, such as the cylinder block, crankshaft, connecting rods pistons and exhaust valves to ensure the EcoBoost V-6 engine is as robust as possible.

“The Duratec 3.5 family is a good example of Ford’s forward planning in terms of powertrain technologies,” said Brett Hinds, EcoBoost design manager. “The engine architecture itself was well protected for high-boost applications, so it didn’t require an extensive durability program. It was in good shape to start with.”

• Turbochargers: Two Honeywell GT15 turbochargers with water-cooled bearings and operate in parallel, spinning at approximately 170,000 rpm up to 12 PSI. They are rated for a 150,000-mile, 10-year life.

“We’ve tested the turbochargers at a much-higher duty cycle than a customer would ever experience,” said Keith Plagens, turbo systems engineer. “Our whole goal from the beginning was to make the operation of the turbochargers seamless, so the customer wouldn’t even know they were there.”

• Direct fuel injection: A cam-driven high-pressure fuel pump feeds the fuel injectors at pressures ranging from 200 to 2,175 PSI (pounds per square inch) depending on customer driving. A typical port fuel injection system operates at pressures of around 60 PSI. Six sprayers in each injector target fuel into the cylinder, resulting in a cleaner and more-efficient fuel burn and better cold-start emissions.

“By injecting the fuel directly into the combustion chamber and under high pressure, the fuel is sent exactly where we want it to be for a given combustion cycle,” said Joseph Basmaji, direct injection fuel system technical specialist. “This aids burning of fuel more efficiently and effectively.”

We met up with Patrick Hespen from SVT communications, who guided us through the rows of workbenches stacked high with engine parts from every imaginable engine product. Deep in the back was a set of parts which, when fully assembled, would form a production-intent twin-turbocharged, 340 HP, 340 lb-ft Ford EcoBoost engine. You know, the one they're touting as a V6 which delivers the power of a V8.

The beauty of the EcoBoost system is that it takes relatively few changes to go from a standard 3.5-liter V6 to a fire-breathing, twin-turbo monster developing peak torque at 1500 RPM. What it all boils down to is the combination of direct injection and two turbos. Those two main updates drive the smaller, but smartly executed, changes around them.

So, let's follow the fuel through the engine: The first difference the gas sees is the addition of a mechanically actuated, high-pressure fuel pump. The pump rides on top of the drivers' side cylinder bank and gets its motive power from a four-sided cam lobe, brilliantly added to the intake cam. The fuel then passes into a high-pressure (like 3000 PSI high) stainless-steel common fuel rail to which is mounted three injectors, one assembly per side. The injectors are mounted to the underside of the cylinder head and poke into the distal edge of the compression chamber.

Since the system direct-injects fuel into the chamber, games can be played with the actual flow of the spray. For instance, on start up, when the engine is cold and the catalysts aren't functioning, the engine injects a half-shot of fuel into chamber on the downward stroke of the intake cycle, then, as the piston comes back for ignition, a second half-shot is fired at the piston head. Notice the shape of top of the piston (sans the CNC'd EcoBoost logo): The little trough is designed specifically to ramp that secondary spray at the spark plug — the result is a locally rich mixture good for ignition, but a globally lean mixture, great for making heat fast.

As the spent fuel leaves the combustion chamber, it meets another innovative feature: a stainless steel, stamped and welded two-walled exhaust manifold. The manifold is much lighter than its cast counterparts, but more importantly, its insulative properties keep the exhaust hotter, transferring more energy directly to the turbo. Speaking of the turbo, surprisingly, when we get to the turbo we find nothing notably exciting. The impeller side of turbo itself is made of a high-nickel-content alloy good for an operating temperature up to 1750 degrees Fahrenheit. The compressor side, while rated up to 220,000 rpm maximum speed, isn't really all that different than the one found on every other turbo on the market.

Since the gas is spent, we're going to hop onto the intake air side now. That air gets compressed by the two turbos we just met, and then joins in a common tube. That tube has an electronic boost controller which dumps excess pressure electronically, instead of the "Fast and Furious" approved vacuum-driven blow-off valve. The air then makes it's way into an air-to-air intercooler, and the cooled air heads off to an all-new intake manifold, optimized for compact packaging and easy assembly. An interesting feature is the integration of the coolant pipe which runs under the whole length of the intake; it attaches at the rear to the coolant line in the valley and locates the thermostat and outlet for the heater core out of the way. Anyway, that air gets directed straight into the cylinders by valves enhanced with Inconel alloy for greater strength.

Because we're engine geeks, there are myriad little details and upgrades we could go on about, like the addition of piston head oil sprayers, used to keep the piston head cool by hitting the bottom side with oil, and how they're brilliantly integrated into the crankshaft bearing oil pocket. Or the million miles of durability testing the engine has already undergone. Or the crazy ability to retard the timing up to 20 degrees...but we won't. We're happy to sit back and let the pictures do the rest of the talking, eagerly awaiting the day we get to put that bonkers power curve to the test.