I went back to another Ford-Lincoln dealer today and sat in one (no test drive) since initial impression yesterday was positive. I actually thought of the remote possibility I may get the MKC, so you don't know until you check one out yourself and in great detail. Brought both my kids too, to do a more authentic "real-world" evaluation.

However, after today's more detailed assessment of the interior, I was left with less enthusiasm

Rear seat width was pretty good. You can fit three small to medium build adults (Pic 1)
Large glove box (Pic 2) and decent cubby space throughout.
The panoramic sunroof enhances lighting and visual comfort.
Soft-touch buttery feeling materials everywhere and of a consistent feel. From the leather seats to the console, to the dash, and the door arm rests. Nice job here.
Weighted and plush carpeting abounds, including the mats.
Rear heated seats

Rear legroom was tight. I positioned both driver and passenger seats for my "shortish" 5'9" frame, and my legs were just about 2 inches shy of touching the rear of the front seats. (Pic 3)
Rear seat height is fairly low. My legs had little thigh support which was worsened by the short seat cushion length. (Pic 3)
Front seat bottom cushions are short (Pic 4). I had a difficult time getting comfortable on both seats, but was worse on the driver's side since no matter how far back, lowered or reclined, it felt like I was sitting in a chair relative to the brake and gas pedal with my right leg not feeling properly extended and supported. Disclaimer: I drove there with the IS which has second to none F-Sport seats and driving position...

Acceptable: Cargo space looks to be about smaller than an RDX , XC60, and X3, but larger than an Evoque and about like the Q5. (Pic 5) It is significantly smaller than non-luxury compact CUVs like the CRV and class-leading RAV4, but that's to be expected. However, it has a donut spare nicely tucked under the floor.
Acceptable: Switch gear and stalks - look and feel similar to Cadillac. Lexus and Audi best here.

Will submit three more posts immediately following since max 5 pics per post.

 

The finish and material quality overall is a notch below Lexus/Audi and comparable to a Cadillac SRX/ATS. (Pic 1) Overall very good and is the best Ford has offered to date. Dash and upper door panels is excellent and where some minor points are lost is in the rubber/grippy feeling lower dash and console/arm rest. Lower door panels are hard plastic.


The fit in several spots is notably poor and stitching finish is mediocre at best. (remaining pics)

 

More fit issues (pics below)...

Conclusion:

The MKC's styling has grown on me, and in the darker gray metallic in the showroom, is a looker without being overly styled (like some find with the NX). Unfortunately, it falls a little short on interior comfort and space and certain areas in fit and finish. For $55K loaded (Cdn), I can hop into an RX or any of the Germans (albeit slightly less equipped). I can't comment on the NX yet as I have not seen it in person, but I expect it to be superior in the interior materials, fit, and finish over the MKC making (on paper) the NX the better value proposition if styling is appealing. Then factor in the questionable reliability track record of the 1.6L and 3.5L Ecoboost engines, and you begin to further doubt the value of your investment with the MKC. It's too bad that for me personally I was rooting for the underdog Lincoln since for the first time in 20 years, I have considered a domestic product. If the late Cadillac (CTS) is any indication of progress in product quality, Lincoln can also get there by the next gen. Fingers crossed.

Since driving the MKC won't matter to me due to the above shortcomings (which are important to me), my loyalties (and deposit) remain with the NX F-Sport!

 

MKC Misc shots

 

I finished my MKC review today.....still writing it up. Should be done and posted sometime late tomorrow.

Generally quite favorable, with a few sticking points.

 

^^^ Great. I'll be curious to see your view on the interior space and fit/finish, in addition to the ride/handling/power (which I expect it to be pretty good actually).

 

hows that central stack with HVAC and NAV looking? poorest part of interior design IMHO, looks way too simple - didnt even notice that transmission was buttons on the left side of the nav.

Rest of the car looks good, sans issues you noted.

 

Good catch. Did you let the dealer know?

 

corrado: Great review with all the photos. I think we basically agreed on most points and came to the same conclusion. I'm disappointed this vehicle didn't come across better to me. I'm a 6'-1" golfer and the rear seating and cargo space are too small for my needs. I need room for 4 adults to sit comfortably. The rear cargo width is very narrow, I didn't measure it and the brochure doesn't say but I'm guessing it's less than 48" versus the NX according to Lexus' press release of 53". If you look at your photo of the MKC cargo area the side cladding intrudes into the width a lot versus the NX which looks cavernous comparably.

I drove the top trim level(Reserve) and it came with every bell and whistle I've heard of and even more. I reviewed the brochure closer on the options available and the salesman I dealt with didn't touch on half of them. I love all the gadgets and new tech included.

There's one that I wonder about, it's the Active grille shutters. Does anyone know the purpose and how they are operated?

 

A lot of cars have this now. It blocks off parts off the grill when additional ventilation isn't needed to aid aerodynamics, boosting FE.

 

Hoovey, in hindsight, I should have let someone there know of the sharp protrusion in the door. The entire time I was there with my two kids (for at least 20 mins), not one sales rep came to see me and you would think that we would be the prime demographic for this vehicle. Strange but not complaining since I got to take my time and assess every detail.

Roger, I believe the shutters are there for improved aerodynamics at highway speed, and thus to improve fuel economy. Which BTW, based on the ratings, are not too good, 19 MPG (12.8L/100km) city for the 2.3 and 20 or 21 for the 2.0.

As we both echo, if interior space was a little better (like even its cousin - the Escape), it would pass that grade for me. In addition, the fit and finish department was not good over the three MKCs I've seen so far.

spwolf, the dash is not that bad. It lights up nicely (should have taken a pic) and all controls are easy to reach. The feel of the buttons are pretty good, better than past Fords, but not as good as Lexus or Audi.

Another thing I forgot to mention which was a peculiar Jekyl and Hyde situation. If you shut the doors from the inside, they sound like you're closing a bank vault. Really impressive. However, if you close them from the outside, they sound tinny a bit like a Crown Vic's doors Weird...

 

This afternoon I drove to a nearby Ford/Lincoln dealership to look at the MKC and I didn't see any at all. I didn't go into the showroom but nothing on the lot. I wonder if they are still rolling it out, or if I missed something? I might check out another dealership tomorrow.

 

Strange how in the US, you can't seem to get a hold of an MKC. I've been to two dealers and both have one in the showroom and a couple outside. Then again, Lincoln does not sell very well up here, plus I have seen ZERO advertising of the MKC on TV or even internet...

Roger: How was the test drive (power, ride comfort/handling, engine smoothness, and NVH)? I'm expecting this to be good to very good...

 

This article will explain why: http://www.autoblog.com/2014/06/19/2...ing-exclusive/

 

they are probably selling well with initial allocations... dealers wanting to sell as much as possible dont keep their demo and showroom vehicles.