mmarshall

That seemed to be the case for all of the other dead-as-doornails Lincoln displays here at the D.C. show except for the MKC. I think that part of it, though, here, was that gorgeous Amythist color (which apparantly wasn't shown at Houston). A number of the people commented on it.

mmarshall

Yes. Ford did a very nice job streamlining the looks a little without taking away the basic Mustang look (that classic Mustang look, of course, basically sells the car). Mustang purists, though, especially those who like to do their burnouts, probably aren't going to be happy with that less-durable IRS. Drop the clutch at three or four thousand RPM with that new IRS enough times, and you're probably going to be replacing those U-joints and half-shafts.

oldcajun

Mike,
The MKC shown at the Phoenix show had a 2.3 Ecoboost engine. The factory guy said it is a retuned version of the Mustang engine. His estimate for the rating was around 275 hp and near 300 lb-ft of torque. I inferred from what he said that is was the only engine for the MKC, but it may be an option to the 2.0 used in the top Escape.
Steve

mmarshall

Thanks, cajun. The Lincon reps at the D.C. show said the MKC would use a 2.0T for regular production. I guess we'll wait and see what it ends up actually getting....2.0 or 2.3. Still doesn't change my opinion, though, that a vehicle of this class should have a V6 option for refinement.

LexBob2

On MotorWeek's show covering the Detroit auto show they said the 2.0 would be the standard engine with the 2.3 as the upgrade. I guess info like this could be subject to change.

mmarshall

I sure hope so. It really needs a V6 option for an upgrade. It would be a real shame if this otherwise superb new vehicle (IMO the best new product from Lincoln since the Town Car) didn't sell because they cheapened it out under the hood.

bitkahuna

iTrader: (20)

i doubt the four banger (particularly turbo) costs much less to produce, but the goal there is fuel economy. plus engines have come so far that many 4 bangers are now incredibly smooth except sometimes on hard throttle (noisy), but even then, sound insulation, noise cancellation, etc. can make it acceptable.

FrankReynoldsCPA

I like to think there are plenty of folks like myself who would be willing to sacrifice a little mpg in exchange for the power and smoothness of a V6. I've specifically eliminated 4 bangers from my shopping list.

Sent from my Nexus 4 using IB AutoGroup

LexBob2

Whew! I thought you were slipping. I hadn't seen a Town Car reference for quite some time.

mmarshall

The Lincoln reps there at the D.C. show sure weren't slipping. They said that they get requests from the public at every car show to bring back the Town Car......and sharp complaints that it was dropped. The main problem, as they explained it, is that Lincoln management has now admitted that dropping it was, in a business sense, an error (as I've said all along), but that they don't think they can actually bring it back and meet the new CAFE rules at the same time. So, in that sense, blame Big Brother for its demise.

LexBob2

I was just kidding. I know how much you liked the Town Car and lament its passing.

In any case, it's not coming back and was axed for a variety of reasons CAFE being one of them. But there were numerous other reasons too.

mmarshall

According to the Lincoln reps, CAFE was the top reason. And they know that a lot of former Town Car owners are p***ed off.

I've often (deservedly) panned the Town Car's MKS replacement. But, to be fair, it DOES offer one major selling point over the Town Car....a nice AWD system for bad weather. The RWD Town Car, even with electronic traction-aids, could be a real handful in slick conditions without chains or studded tires (which are illegal in many areas).