2011 Lincoln MKZ Hybrid

We like the Ford Fusion Hybrid -- a lot. Enter stage left, the "2011 Lincoln MKZ Hybrid", which is making its big debut in the Big Apple.

The2011 Lincoln MKZ Hybrid will be Lincoln's first hybrid when it hits showrooms this fall. It's essentially a Fusion Hybrid with Lincoln luxury appointments and exterior style. Its parallel hybrid powertrain -- a 2.5-liter Atkinson-cycle I-4 hybrid engine that works in concert with an electric motor to produce 191 net horsepower -- is unchanged from the Fusion version. Oh, and Lincoln's version uses white flowers inspired by apple blossoms. Pretty!

The MKZ Hybrid is also endowed with all the latest in Lincoln standard luxury touches, including Lincoln's version of Sync, heated and cooled seats with 10-way power passenger seat, real wood trim (that of course comes from eco-friendly managed forests), a reverse sensing system and Lincoln's Personal Safety System -- a suite of seven safety technologies.

From the “Well, Duh” Department at Ford Motor Company comes the new hybrid version of the Lincoln MKZ. The 2011 Lincoln MKZ Hybrid is fitted with the same gasoline-electric system found in the hybrid versions of its corporate twins, the Ford Fusion and Mercury Milan.

The hybrid powertrain combines a 156-hp, 2.5-liter four-cylinder gas engine and 106-hp electric motor for a total system output of 191 hp; it’s rated for 41 mpg in the city and 36 on the highway in the Fusion and Milan variants. In the Milan and Fusion hybrids, a screen-based botanical garden grows leaves and vines as a reward for fuel-efficient driving; the Lincoln adds pretty flowers! What’s next, rain-forest fragrances emanating from the HVAC system?