Crossover Review:
Lincoln was created to stand above the other Ford brands. The stunningly
classic Mark II of the 1950s turned heads, despite selling in small
quantities. The garish late 1950’s Lincolns flaunted their own
controversial body panels. The Mark III and its successors were
unmistakable. Today Lincoln is at a crossroads, and a crossover may be
the future of the brand.
Many of us remember
Lincoln as the purveyor of block-long luxury sedans and supplier of
limos to livery companies. And in those dark days of November 1963 in
Dallas, even our young president rode in a Lincoln convertible on his
last day.
As the market for huge,
gas-guzzling sedans diminishes, Lincoln is feverishly reinventing
itself. As has been the case for some time, the available tools for this
transformation are the current Ford products, so the division must
content itself with “Lincolnizing” them.
In the same showroom,
you can buy a Lincoln MKZ sedan parked right next to the Mercury Milan.
The Lincoln MKX, the feature of this story, looks remarkably like the
new Ford Edge upon which it’s based. So, how well Lincoln performs its
upgrade will make the difference.
The MXK and Edge are
cleanly styled, comfortable, five-passenger tall wagons, called a
crossover, a cross between a car and a station wagon. Like the 1990’s
Explorer, they are family friendly, but on a car chassis with a tipped
back windshield and all the trimmings.
Lincoln starts its
differentiation at the nose, where an enormous chrome grille spans the
entire front panel. A bold Lincoln rectangular gunsight logo tells the
world this is no ordinary Ford. The look is reminiscent of the revered
early 1960’s cars, which were distinguished by their retreat from late
1950’s excess.
The sides of the car
are not significantly altered from the Edge, but the wheels stand out.
As part of the Ultimate Package, my Black Clearcoat test car featured
18-inch chrome-plated alloys that sparkled beneath the obsidian figure
of the car above them. At the rear, a broad swath of red LED taillamp
across the tailgate wears another oversized Lincoln logo at its center.
Climb inside and some
of the Lincoln distinctions come into clearer focus. Here you’ll find a
design that’s almost completely different from the pleasant but
unremarkable Edge’s. The MKX offers wide swaths of real wood veneer,
handsomely grained plastic with satin nickel style accent panels, and
selective use of chrome, including a display of the word “L I N C O L N”
across the dashboard worthy of a 1970’s trunklid.
The squared circle
instrument panel design recalls those esteemed 1960’s Continentals
again. The steering wheel is especially well proportioned and luxurious,
with wood accents in the 3 and 9 o’clock positions and handy remote
controls for the audio and cruise systems. The interior effect is posh
and pleasant.
The MKX is very quiet.
When I turned off the 600-watt, 14-speaker, THX II-Certified
surround-sound system - like they have in the theater - I heard, well,
nothing. The sound of the 265-horsepower, 3.5-liter dual-overhead-cam V6
intrudes slightly during brisk acceleration, but that’s about it.
You can have your MKX
with front-wheel drive or all-wheel drive (AWD). The AWD system quietly
transfers torque from front to rear or side to side as soon as the
computer senses a need for it. AdvanceTrac with Roll Stability Control
provides active safety to keep the car going where the driver intends it
to go. There are six standard airbags in case you overstep its limits.
Though it’s not a
mammoth sedan, and looks trim with its short overhangs and taut forms,
the MKX weighs 4,400 pounds, so the V6 works has its work to do. I
averaged 14.5 miles per gallon. The EPA numbers for the 2007 car are 17
City, 24 Highway; the revised 2008 figures drop to a more realistic 15
and 22. At least you can feed it regular fuel.
The EPA’s Green Vehicle
Guide gives the AWD MKX scores of 7 for Air Pollution and 5 for
Greenhouse Gases - a little better than average on the first number,
average for the other.
My tester was a late
2007 model, but the 2008s are essentially the same, with a few nice
additions, such as standard SIRIUS satellite radio and Ford Motor
Company’s new SYNC. The SYNC system integrates mobile phones and media
players with the car’s audio system using Bluetooth technology.
The 2008 models start
at $35,420 for the front-wheel-drive model and $37,170 for the AWD
version. My 2007 AWD tester had a base price of $35,770 and with the
options it came to $43,890.
The MKX is definitely
desirable, but fuel mileage is still in the low area of $3.35-a-gallon
of gas. I found a few poor trim fits and there is no hidden storage
bins. And the new alphabetical names are baffling. So, does this
crossover truly represent where Lincoln wants to go? Let’s see that the
buyers decide. By Steve Schaefer © AutoWire.Net - San Francisco
Lincoln Home Page
Byline: Crossover
Review provided by Tony Leopardo © AutoWire.Net
Column Name: Today Lincoln is at a crossroads
Topic: The 2007 Lincoln MKX
Word Count: 889
Photo Caption: The 2007 Lincoln MKX
Photo Credits: Lincoln MKX Internet Media
Series #: 2007 -
69
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2007 Lincoln MKX
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