What is the best way to break in an engine?

First follow the instructions that are in the owner’s manual. Second Follow the general advice most others have recommended.

You would be wise to follow the instructions in the owner’s manual as long as you are under one or another warranty - insurance.

I never do anything special when breaking in a new engine, just drive it the same way I’m going to drive it the rest of it’s life. That method has always worked out fine for me. One of my cars now has over 500K, two have near 200K, two have between 100-150K and two with under 100K. The car that now has over 500K on it didn’t begin using any oil till between 250-300K, but by then I’m sure the rings/cylinder walls were starting to see some wear. The last new car I bought was a '97 Escort, I took it on highway trips running the engine up to speeds of 80-85 MPH in the first few thousand miles and didn’t vary speeds unless it was due to traffic conditions. It only has 32K miles on it now, but everything seems fine with it.

Thanks for the correction- I looked it up and the engine is a 2.5l. I drove quite a few cars in a very short period of time; the experience left me a bit dizzy with all of the details.