Lincoln's newest luxury sedan, the MKS, is up-to-date with all the typical amenities that help sell luxury sedans. They are packed with conveniences and technologies galore.
The MKS, priced at $37,665, is also up-to-date under its hood. And next year, it will get a new high-tech engine.
"You get the power and performance of a V8 with the fuel economy, and CO2 emissions, of a V6. It's the best of both worlds for customers," said Mark Fields, President, Ford Motor Company.
Like other auto makers, Ford is hard at work revamping its engine offerings for every price class. The MKS might have been offered with a larger eight-cylinder engine a few years ago, but now a six is all that's offered. Current mileage ratings are 17 city and 24 highway.
The challenge for car makers isn't convincing buyers that a six cylinder engine can save fuel over an eight, as the numbers will speak for themselves. The challenge is convincing them that they don't need an eight cylinder engine in their luxury car.
Cadillac also recently announced that it would be leaning toward mostly V6 power as well. They will still offer bigger engines in some models, but for the majority of their cars, smaller, more efficient ones are in order.
The Acura luxury brand may have been a little bit ahead of the curve on this trend. Their flagship RL model has only had a V6 all along; even though some critics said it needed a V8.
There are rumors Acura may still offer a V8, or even a V10, in the next RL. The company insists that whatever engine they use, it will be relatively fuel efficient.
Luxury buyers might be a little more immune to the effects of high gas prices on their budgets. However, these days, it seems everyone wants to spend less money to get around.
