What do you think of the new Lincoln MKZ?

http://www.caranddriver.com/news/201...-and-info-news

 

Do you know why 26 viewers and none reply? Please post picture or link.........people are too lazy to search.

 

I think the design is a huge improvement over the previous model. Interior fit and finish is very impressive. However, I would still never consider getting one for several reasons:

1. What is wrong with a stick to shift gears? Adding a stack of buttons answers a question nobody asked.

2. Software-driven touch controls. It is hard to tell when my finger affected any change to the instrument panel.

3. Too expensive. Starting price is $35,925. Ecoboost version commands $49,265. V6 costs considerably more.

4. It competes with BMW 3 series, Mercedes C-class, Lexus IS, Audi A4, Volvo S60, Infiniti G37, Cadillac ATS. Lincoln needs to do better than this to win new customers.

 

I really like the interior look and flow
Exterior not so much.

 

I really like it, but I want a smaller RWD sedan with EcoBoost from Lincoln :/

 

[QUOTE=Haitwun;7532326]


3. Too expensive. Starting price is $35,925. Ecoboost version commands $49,265. V6 costs considerably more.


The 2012 MKZ has so far had better sales figures than previous years. I hope they improve again for 2013.
The standard engine is a 2.0 ecoboost 4cylinder. The V-6 will be the upgrade for the MKZ. This is the opposite of all other Lincoln models.

 

Electronic shifters are proliferating throughout the industry. Opens up a ton of space down on the center console.

 

The only thing that will confuse people will be how to put the car in neutral. There are going to be 3 different settings for neutral and 3 different ways to put the car in neutral. It does add a ton of space to the car though.

 

on a refined luxury car not about sport it's basically just a waste of space. bravo Lincoln!

haptic feedback?

compared to what?

uh, wrong, this car is longer than the new GS!

 

I don't know one person even aware about this car. It's nonexistent.

 

I like the exterior, but not having a shifter sounds uncomfortable. The most commonly used item for me is the shifter and that's where my right hand rests, down low where blood readily flows and doesn't cause fatigue. Having to keep your arms up higher lessens bloodflow and tires the arm and hand. Of course most people buying a Lincoln are not going to want to manual shift and be all over the buttons, so I guess it's not going to make much of a difference. However, it's things like this that keep me away from nice new cars like these. Ford's recent ergonomics and lack of proper manumatic shifting has been a big turn off here. Honda has been equally stingy with their shifters too.

 

What if you need to put the transmission into neutral quickly? Have we forgotten the lesson learned from the unintended acceleration issue? If the accelerator pedal seems stuck, quickly shift into neutral and stand on the brakes. Can you quickly shift into neutral if you have to look for the right button to push?

On a side note... Reviewers have complained that Ford's gear selectors cannot shift from Drive into Neutral without first pushing and holding the release button on the side of the lever ****, which may allow 2 things to happen: 1. the driver cannot quickly shift into neutral when needed (if the button is not pressed), and give up trying; or 2. the driver may inadvertantly shift the transmission too far, into Reverse.

On another side note... The zig-zag gated shifters (that all new Toyotas seem to have) allows the driver to push the gear selector lever quickly from Drive into Neutral without having to push a release button and without fear of pushing too far past Neutral into Reverse. I know some do not like the gated shifters, but I much prefer it.

 

Well now you do!

I got to test drive this thing over the weekend. I was lucky enough to be part of a program that Lincoln has setup. A "concierge" service where they delivered the car to a location of my choosing (in this case my house) and allowed me to try it out for an hour. Here's some thoughts (not a full review).

They brought a fully loaded V6 AWD and let me at it. It's not going to compete with the IS/GS but rather the ES. They have their hybrid which is estimated to be 45/45/45 MPG and is a no-cost option at any level (so they claimed).

The exterior styling is good but not great. Better in person than in photos. The styling does compromise rear seat headroom though leg room seemed reasonable when I had the front seat set for myself (6' tall). Interior materials were good and fit and finish seemed decent. My Ford Touch v2 and Sync worked noticeably faster than previous versions and I had no problems with voice recognition (I honestly don't understand the voice complaints so many people have. Must be my Midwestern "neutral" accent).

On the drive side the car rode great in Comfort drive mode (they have a normal and sport mode) and was nice and comfortable. They have a system called Lincoln Drive Control that can vary the suspension 50 times per second. The sport mode firmed it up (a touch too much for the intended audience IMO) and pipes more engine sound into the cabin.

Overall it had more than adequate power (it's not a sport sedan) and the huge moveable roof (I mean huge) was cool though it does impede a bit on rear view visibility when it is open. A good start for Lincoln to get out of the "nonexistant" mode.



Change that to read "bigger" and I'm with you.

 

I mean't smaller as in an IS competitor. I'm down for RWD across the Lincoln board though

 

thanks for the mini-review!

how quiet was the car?