Thanks, JoeB.

I agree there are better overall competitors, although Lincoln did a nice job with the interior. But, if I didn't need the third-row seat, I'd personally take the Lexus RX350.

 

I like Ford's ecoboost powertrains and I think they're really doing things right in terms of quality (build and materials) these days. I also like that interior more than I've liked most Lincoln interiors in the past few years (many of the past ones have been far too retro and body looking). But I can't stand the exterior of that car... especially the back end.

 

Nice review Mike. I really like the interior design, but I agree with most that the exterior is a little hard on the eyes. Love the EcoBoost powertrain though!

 

Thanks for your input. Each to his own, I guess, on the interiors.....I, myself, like the retro-Lincoln look of the MKX, MKZ, and the now-discontinued Aviator interiors. Of course, that may just be a nostalgia thing with me, from the Lincoln Continentals I grew up with in the 1960s, whose interior design they more or less try to imitate.

As far as the quality goes, the FWD MKZ model has been first-rate in reliability, but with some other new Lincolns, for some reason, they don't seem to have shown as much of a reliability increase that most Fords and Mercurys have, according to Consumer Reports. The Lincoln people blame it on more complex vehicles with more equipment, but I think there's more to it than that.

 

Thanks.


Yes, it would look a lot better with a different grille and rear-end slope. As I stated in the review, the grille looks like a teen-ager showing off a set of teeth-braces, and the rear end a frumpy-looking version of the Chrysler PT Cruiser.

The Lincoln stylists, unlike the more-or-less-similiar Ford Edge/Lincoln MKX, clearly wanted to differentiate this vehicle more from the Ford Flex platform it came from. They succeeded...but at a price.

Unlike the lighter Taurus SHO, The heavy weight and rather unresponsive 6-speed automatic, though, does not make this version of the EcoBoost the semi-dragster that the ads would suggest. It is definitely more powerful than the base V6 verison, but not as much as you might expect.

However, to be honest, I can only estimate the SHO's responsiveness.....they are generally special-order at Ford dealerships in this area, and I ended up reviewing a Taurus SEL model instead.