Ford has now announced the prices of the 2010 Fords and Lincolns equipped with its 355 to 365 horsepower “EcoBoost” 3.5-liter turbocharged V6. At one point Ford said EcoBoost would add $750 to the cost of an engine. But perhaps they were comparing the EcoBoost engine to the one it took the place of, a V8 in this case.
As it happens, EcoBoost adds $3,000 to the price of a Flex AWD and MKT AWD, and $5,000 to a Lincoln MKS AWD. In all three cases, about $200 can be attributed to the manually-shiftable automatic with shift paddles. With the MKS, the Ecoboost’s price bump also includes larger wheels that cost $510 on the non-turbo MKS.
Still, EcoBoost clearly costs more with the MKS. Why?
In comparison, the price bump on the Flex and MKT seems reasonable. But there’s one big problem: I recently drove a regular Flex for 2,500 miles, and the regular 262-horsepower V6 felt more than adequate. This just isn’t the sort of vehicle that tends to be driven aggressively. If I was driving in the mountains or towing a trailer, then the EcoBoost would probably be much more necessary.