Lincoln seems to have created a paradox with the 2010 MKT. How can a luxury crossover with three-row seating blend such high performance with efficiency, such immense interior room with handling agility and such supreme luxury with compelling value?
When Car & Driver magazine road testers got the chance to compare the all-new Lincoln MKT with 3.5-liter EcoBoost twin-turbo V6 and Intelligent All-Wheel Drive to the Audi Q7 V8, they came away mightily impressed – with the MKT. Said Car & Driver in its July test drive, “…on Ford’s undulating ride-and-handling course and five-mile banked oval, the MKT exhibited reassuring composure and had more than enough grunt to outrun the V8-powered Audi Q7 on hand for comparison.”
The fact that the MKT EcoBoost™ has an MSRP of $49,200 – thousands less than the Q7 – is a sizeable added bonus. Just as eye opening as the MKT EcoBoost model’s 355 hp and 350 lb/ft of torque is its rated highway fuel economy of 22 mpg. For comparison, the Audi Q7 V8 rates at 18. And the MKT can run on Regular grade fuel just fine while the Audi (and most other luxury-brand crossovers) require more expensive Premium.
The MKT is also available with a naturally aspirated 268-hp 3.7-liter V6 and is available in front-wheel drive or with Intelligent All-Wheel Drive. The MSRP of $44,200 makes it an exceptional value in the segment. But you’re not going to find anything among full-size, three-row luxury crossovers with such dramatic styling as the MKT.
Nor are you likely to find another three-row crossover that offers today’s most in-demand technology and makes it so easy to use. Isn’t the whole point of new technology to add convenience, not distraction and frustration? When it comes to delivering onboard information and entertainment, the Lincoln MKT takes a backseat to no luxury crossover.
Speaking of seats, MKT treats the driver and front passenger to standard heated and cooled seats. On competitors’ vehicles, that feature tends to be on the extra-cost option list. Second-row passengers in the MKT meanwhile, enjoy nearly 42 inches of stretch-out legroom. Plus, they have access to their own climate controls, as well as available premium sound and video features.
Power “fold and tumble” second-row seats with heating, cooling and power-assisted lumbar adjustment are also available. There is even a rear console-mounted refrigerator available in the six-passenger seating configuration (middle-row bucket seats).
In the MKT, you can simply speak requests for music and phone use because it comes standard with the SYNC® voice-activated, hands-free in-car communications and entertainment system. Order the Elite Package, and your favorite sounds play through an incredible THX II® Certified 5.1 Surround Audio System. The package also includes a voice-activated navigation system with integrated SIRIUS Travel Link™. A prepaid subscription gives you coast-to-coast weather data, forecasts, fuel prices, sports scores, movie listings and more. It’s like having a personal in-car concierge.
The Elite Package also enhances driving safety with the Blind Spot Information System (BLIS®) with Cross Traffic Alert, and enhances luxury with the power panoramic Vista Roof™. And you’ll still be $20,000 or so under competitive vehicles. But are they truly competitive? Can they, like the MKT, park themselves?
In Car & Driver’s words, the MKT’s available Active Parking Assist is “unlike the system offered on the Lexus LS, since this actually works.” Activated at the touch of a button, Active Park Assist uses sonar sensors to tell you if a parking space is suitable as you drive alongside it. Just stop the MKT, shift into reverse and work the gas and brake pedals while the MKT steers itself in. Unlike other systems on the market, Active Park Assist also works in uphill parking situations.
Out on the open road, the Lincoln MKT offers serenely quiet cruising, the result of a super-strong structure, laminated windows and careful attention to aerodynamic design. Inside this tranquil environment, every surface reflects extraordinary craftsmanship. The list of standard features is quite long, making an MKT better equipped than other luxury vehicles, even before adding options. Keyless Intelligent Access with push-button starting, Lincoln’s exclusive MyKey™ technology, adaptive HID headlights, rain-sensing wipers, a power liftgate, a rearview camera and SYNC are all standard.
The 2010 Lincoln MKT achieves a milestone in luxury vehicle design, comfort, performance and technology – with value that embarrasses competitors.
Source: IMN
