Interior/Exterior
On the inside, our test car was clad in classy Cashmere white leather upholstery, with contrasting black leather trim on the dashboard. Although this might be a bit old-fashioned for some and definitely will present some challenges in terms of keeping the seats clean, the mature, upscale appearance fits well with the Lincoln brand. Interior room is quite good, especially for rear seat passengers, and the trunk is appropriately large, but anyone looking to carry odd sized items should note that the rear seats do not fold down.
The MKS includes all the usual luxury goodies, including dual zone climate control, heated and cooled front seats with 12-way power adjust, heated rear seats, rear window power sunshade, keyless entry and pushbutton start, and Ford’s excellent voice activated Sync system. Additional options on our test car include a dual panel moonroof, voice activated navigation system, rear view camera, and THX® II Certified 5.1 Surround Audio System with 16 speakers and 600 watts of power. Although we’ve tested plenty of cars with fancy sound systems, including some sourced from serious high-end audio companies, this relatively modest looking system provides some of the best sound we’ve heard in a car. Even non-audiophiles will be impressed with the level of clarity, imaging, and dynamic range.
On the outside, our test car came dressed in handsome Tuxedo black metallic paint which complements the smooth, fluid shape of the MKS quite well. Although Lincoln has taken forward strides in terms of design and has been given quite a bit of freedom by its corporate parent to take some risks, as the boldly shaped MKT demonstrates, the MKS is a bit conservatively styled and risks being lost in the crowd. The split wing grille gives the front end some snap, but the sides and rear are rather bland and look more like a standard issue sedan than a stylish luxury car.
Verdict
Although it would be overly optimistic to expect Lexus and BMW owners to abandon their cars in droves and buy a Lincoln MKS, we wouldn’t be surprised if at least a few buyers who are considering a GS or 5 series decide to go with the MKS Ecoboost instead, especially after looking at the price tag. The MKS Ecoboost starts at a little over $47,000 and our nicely equipped test car comes in at just under $54,000; that’s much less than an equivalently equipped 550i or GS460.
Although the MKS Ecoboost is still a bit behind the best in terms of handling and design, the gap is quite small and for the money you’d be hard pressed to find anything that’s as quick or well appointed. And even though most luxury car buyers aren’t looking to drag race every red light, who doesn’t like the extra kick of a turbocharged engine every now and then?
| BUILD | INTERIOR | PERFORMANCE | HANDLING | STYLING | VALUE | OVERALL | |
| RATING | 4.5 | 4.5 | 4.75 | 4.25 | 4.0 | 4.5 | 4.4/B+ |
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| Official website for Lincoln luxury cars and SUVs – www.lincoln.com | |
I know I am an old man because this car appeals to me .It comes from Volvo genetics and that’s who built many of the cars I have owned over the last 20 years.If I went on frequent sales calls this would be the car for me.Ideal for client lunches and out to sporting events. I think it is handsome and say’s American car in the best use of that term.The grill reminds me of the classic Old’s Cutlass’s of 1969 and that’s when they made the awesome 442. I think of this as a bridge Car .As cars change to smaller lighter and alterna fuel vehicles there will always be room for a comfortable sedan.The age 40 to 70 age buy’s the majority of the high end vehicles and there should be something tailored for our age group .Go Lincoln.