Lincoln Launches Ecoboost Town Car

by Derek Kreindler

August 1st, 2012 10:32 PM

Sorry Panther fans, this is not the Town Car you are looking for.

We are, of course, talking about the MKT Town Car, the apostate unibody crossover Town Car-in-name-only that is as popular with Panther fans as Salman Rushdie is with Iranian mullahs.

The two-box Townie will be available with Ford’s 2.0L 4-cylinder Ecoboost and all-wheel drive. Civilian versions of the MKT will not be getting this motor, so the only way to get this configuration will be if you’re a livery car driver, or willing to buy a used black car.

At $49,845, the EcoBoost model will cost $1,100 less than the 3.7 V6 model. Fuel economy is rated at 20 mpg city/28 highway/23 combined, versus 17/24/29 on the V6. Power is rated at 235 horsepower and 260 lb-ft of torque versus 300/275 for the V6.

#EcoBoost #Ford #IncolnMkt #Lincoln #LincolnMktTownCar #LincolnTownCar #V6

Comments

Join the conversation

13 of 62 comments

Nickeled&dimed on Aug 02, 2012

Fuel economy is rated at 20 mpg city/28 highway/23 combined ecopoost, versus 17/24/29 on the V6. Is the combined mileage on the V6 supposed to be 19? I can't see how averaging 17 and 24 would ever yield 29. Unless you're GM and you use funny math for everything.

Like Reply
- See 7 previous
- APaGttH on Aug 02, 2012
  
  Because 17/24/29 is likely 17 - city / 24 combined / 29 - highway
  
  Like
- Sajeev Mehta on Aug 02, 2012
  
  And the way livery drivers operate their machinery, I seriously doubt they'll get those figures. With enough cargo, that little turbo mill will be running at WOT for long periods of time.
  
  Like
- Nickeled&dimed on Aug 02, 2012
  
  As I understand it, the EPA ratings are MKT (mass market) V6 (awd) = 16 city/23 highway/18 comb. V6 (fwd) = 17 city/25 highway/20 comb. Livery Only V6 (awd) = 17 city/24 highway/19 comb. EB4 (fwd only) = 20 city/28 highway/23 comb. At least, according to fueleconomy.gov. Those are the only 4 MKT models there. Just pointing out the typos. And we're comparing AWD to FWD. And anyone expecting to drive the EPA route in a livery car is doing it wrong. ALSO, I would like to know what special sauce they feed the MKT Livery V6 awd to make it more efficient than the standard MKT V6 awd.
  
  Like
- NulloModo on Aug 02, 2012
  
  @nickeled&dimed The AWD livery package has the 305hp 3.7 liter NA V6. When you get AWD on the retail version you automatically get the 365hp 3.5 liter EcoBoost V6.
  
  Like
- Ajla on Aug 03, 2012
  
  @nickeled&dimed The way Ford offers its engines is beginning to approach GM levels.
  
  Like
- NulloModo on Aug 03, 2012
  
  @nickeled&dimed Ajla - Not really, Ford's engine lineup is basically- 4 Cylinders: 2.5 NA ('12 Fusion, '12 Escape, base '13 Escape and base trim '13 Fusions) 2.0 NA (Focus, C-Max and Transit Connect) 1.6 NA (Fiesta) 1.6 EB ('13 Escape and '13 Fusion) 2.0 EB ('13 Escape, Edge, Explorer, '13 Fusion, '13 MKZ, Livery MKT, Focus ST, '13 Taurus) V6: 3.0 NA ('12 Escape and Fusion, soon to be cut from the lineup) 3.5 NA (Edge, Explorer, Taurus, Flex, '12 Fusion, '12 MKZ) 3.7 NA (MKT, MKX, MKS, '13 MKZ, Mustang, F-150) 3.5 EB (MKT, MKS, F-150, Taurus SHO, Flex, Explorer Sport) V8: 5.4 (Expedition, Navigator, E-Series) 5.8 Supercharged (Shelby GT-500 only) 5.0 (F-150, Mustang) 6.2 (F-150, Super Duty) 6.7 Diesel (Super Duty) V10: 6.8 (certain fleet trim Super Duty only) With the 3.0 V6 on the way out all of the remaining V6s are just variations on the Cyclone design. The 2.5 I4 will be gone in a year or two, replaced throughout the lineup with the 1.6 EB. The 2.0 NA I4 will also likely be replaced with the 1.6 EB. The 5.4 V8 should be gone pretty soon, I expected it do be gone from everything but the E-Series by '13 models, but apparently there are enough parts lying around for it to make it another year in mainstream models. The 5.8 V8 will likely live on in the '14 Shelby then be replaced by a turbocharged DI version of the 5.0 for the top spec Mustang for the '15 redesign (which would also end up replacing the 6.2 in the F-150 when it comes time for a redesign there). For 2012 you could get the MKT retail AWD with the 3.7 liter NA engine, but the take rate was so low it made sense to drop it. For livery use the extra power isn't needed so it makes sense to offer the NA engine as a lower cost slightly more efficient option.
  
  Like
- Ajla on Aug 03, 2012
  
  @Nullo: Even with you selling the things you missed the Edge offering the 3.7L, the E-Series offering the 6.8L V10 and 4.6L V8, the 2.0L Hybrid engine, and the electric propulsion system. But, I also get that it's late and you weren't getting graded on your reply. -Why does the Edge offer the 3.5L and the 3.7L? -Why does the NA 3.5L still exist in general when they have the 2.0T and the 3.7L? The 3.7 doesn't exactly differentiate the MKS from the Taurus when it's the engine you get in a $21K base Mustang. (Ford's strategy with the 3.7L reminds me a lot of how GM offers the 3.6L DI. It's almost a bizarro engine hierarchy) -Why is the 2.0T offered on the MKT-livery, Explorer, and MKZ, but not the Flex or any other Lincolns? -Why is the 3.5EB STILL not offered on the MKX? -I hope that your future engine predictions are right. Except for that no more 6.2L 1/2-ton part.
  
  Like
- NulloModo on Aug 03, 2012
  
  @nickeled&dimed Ajla - You're right, I completely zoned out on the 4.6 and the 6.8 in the E-Series. The current hybrids use the 2.5L I4, the upcoming 2013 models move to the 2.0. I just consider those the same as the regular I4 NA engine with the addition of some electric stuff, though really there are some differences, but they use the same block and all of that, the hybrid versions are just Atkinson cycle. To your other questions: The 3.7L is only in the Edge Sport. I don't know why it needs to exist with a different engine like that, but since the MKX rolls of the same line with the 3.7L standard, the cost to offer it is probably trivial. The 3.7L is supposed to be the premium engine offering compared to the 3.5, it helps differentiate (most models of the) Edge from the MKX, Taurus from MKS, Flex from MKT, etc. The 3.5 is still peppier in heavy vehicles than the 2.0 EB is, and it can tow more. If I were to buy an Explorer I'd rather have the 3.5 than the 2.0. The only reason I can think of that the 3.5 EB hasn't made it into the MKX yet is that maybe it's a plumbing problem to fit it in. The 3.5 EB hasn't been installed into any CD3 vehicle yet. Or, maybe it's another way to encourage people to move up to the MKT if they want the extra power. The 6.2 is, IMO, the most pointless engine in the F-150 lineup. It doesn't tow more than, feel faster than, or get better mileage than the 3.5 EB in any circumstance. I could see it living on in extreme special editions like the Raptor, but otherwise the 3.5EB is better than the 6.2 in almost every way, and a DI turbocharged 5.0 would completely smoke it.
  
  Like
APaGttH on Aug 02, 2012

So it's got to be clear now. Ford is really trying to kill Lincoln

Like Reply
Sajeev Mehta on Aug 02, 2012

At least the name didn't die, like the Continental. I'm sure that counts for...something?

Like Reply
- DeadWeight on Aug 03, 2012
  
  Then they should have called this the Edsel II. Damnit! (just for effect)
  
  Like
Luvmyv8 on Aug 03, 2012

This car makes me want to use every expletive known to man. This would be no different then Nissan throwing a GTR emblem on a Sentra and marketing as such....

Like Reply