Lincoln MKC debuts new 2.3 EcoBoost motor

Lincoln has released the first pics and details of the Ford Kuga-based MKC crossover ahead of its debut at the Los Angeles motor show this week, but the real point of interest is that it’s the first vehicle to get the new 2.3-litre EcoBoost engine that will slot into the next-gen Mustang.

The entry-level MKC will come with the familiar 2.0-litre EcoBoost motor that already serves in the Ford Falcon, Range Rover Evoque and Jaguar XF, among others.

The new 2.3-litre unit is destined for the Mustang, as well as the new Focus RS, but it’s in a relatively mild state of tune in the MKC, eking out 205kW at 5500rpm and 406Nm at 3000rpm.

In its press blurb, the company says two factors pivotal to the success of the newest entry in the EcoBoost engine line-up are a three-port integrated exhaust manifold cylinder-head and a twin-scroll turbocharger.

“The three-port IEM design is the key driver for performance because it improves airflow and optimises exhaust energy pulses through the turbocharger,” said Pete Pandolfi, 2.3-litre Engine Supervisor for Lincoln.

“The three-port IEM and twin-scroll turbo design really opened us up to have outstanding power and refinement.”

The exhaust flows from the inner and outer pairs of cylinders are kept separate as they go through the three ports into the two scrolls of the turbocharger. Lincoln says separating the exhaust pulses until they hit the turbine wheel minimises the backflow into the next cylinder that fires, preserving energy to help spin up the turbo.

As a result, the engine is also designed to virtually eliminate turbo lag for sharper overtaking response, and Lincoln claims the 2.3-litre unit is up to 15 per cent more frugal than six-cylinder engines with similar outputs.

The MKC goes in production in the second quarter of 2014, with the vehicle arriving in showrooms by May.

Entry-level versions of the MKC will be front-wheel-driven, but up-spec models will be offered with Intelligent All-Wheel Drive and 19-inch wheels.

The raft of driver aids will include frontal collision warning and mitigation, lane-keep assist and a smart parking system that not only steers the car into a spot, but also out of it. Also on offer is Blind Spot Information System is cross-traffic alert, which detects traffic as the vehicle reverses out from a parking space.

A novel feature that debuts in the MKC is Approach Detection, which detects once the driver is in proximity of the vehicle and subsequently “issues a warm welcome that includes illuminated welcome mats next to both front doors and soft lighting in the door-handle pockets”.

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