2011 Lincoln MKZ Hybrid at the 2010 New York Auto Show

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• Competes with: Toyota Camry Hybrid and Lexus HS 250h, to some degree
• Looks like: A Lincoln MKZ with a few new badges
• Drivetrain: 191-hp (total), 2.5-liter four-cylinder and electric motor with continuously variable automatic transmission; front-wheel drive
• Hits dealerships: Fall 2010

Hybrid vehicles have been around for years, which is why it’s a little surprising that Lincoln’s first hybrid is also the first midsize, front-wheel-drive hybrid sedan from a luxury automaker. The MKZ Hybrid’s drivetrain technology should look familiar, as the car is related to the Ford Fusion Hybrid, but it features a number of extra luxury touches.

Official gas mileage figures haven’t been released, but expect them to be similar to the Fusion Hybrid’s 41/36 mpg city/highway rating, if not the same. It hits dealerships in fall 2010.

Like the Fusion Hybrid, the MKZ Hybrid doesn’t do much to advertise itself as a hybrid. There are some extra badges on the front doors and trunklid, but without them, this sedan could easily be mistaken for a regular MKZ, with its large twin-port grille and wide LED taillights.

The MKZ Hybrid is powered by a 2.5-liter four-cylinder gas engine and an electric motor that make a combined 191 horsepower. As with the Fusion Hybrid, Ford claims the MKZ Hybrid can travel at speeds as high as 47 mph on electric power alone. Perhaps more significant than that maximum electric-only cruising speed is the MKZ Hybrid’s SmartGauge with EcoGuide technology, which features screens incorporated into the instrument panel that can help you drive more efficiently. Whereas the Fusion Hybrid has green vines that “grow” larger the more efficiently you drive, the MKZ Hybrid adds white flowers that “blossom” based on long-term gas mileage. How cute.

Standard luxury features include Bridge of Weir leather upholstery, heated and cooled front seats, a memory feature for the driver’s seat and real wood trim.

Lexus has been one of the few automakers to market hybrid sedans in the luxury segment, but until recently its efforts have yielded performance-oriented hybrids that didn’t offer markedly better gas mileage than their gas-only siblings. The automaker’s new HS 250h is decidedly more fuel efficient at 35/34 mpg, but Lexus has been trumped by Lincoln and the MKZ Hybrid, which offers better gas mileage and more room for passengers.