Sulu

Being the owner of an ES (Hybrid), the MKZ (Hybrid) could -- and should -- be on my cross-shopping list. But when my wife and I decided on a luxury-brand hybrid a few years ago, Lincoln was not on the list and it did not even come to mind (even though my son is a fan of the Ford brand). In fact, only by reading about Lincoln in ClubLexus am I reminded that Lincoln still sells cars.

mmarshall

I'll admit the ES is likely to be more reliable, but take an MKZ out for a spin......I don't think you will be disappointed, though, given some the quirks in the Hybrid's braking system and the way the transmission (sometimes) starts out from a stop, I'd be more inclined to go wth the gas version.

oldcajun

I think the demise of the MKZ is a given. Once the Fusion is out of production, the platform for the MKZ is gone. Producing it as a stand alone model would be prohibitively expensive. If Lincoln is to have a sedan, it almost certainly will have to be on the platform used for the Aviator. That platform is designed to underpin a variety of vehicles and can be configured as FWD, RWD, and AWD. They could easily create a new car to replace both the MKZ and Continental. Wouldn't it be great to see a new full size Lincoln with RWD and an interior like the Aviator and Navigator. If you adapted a SUV to create a sedan, would the sedan then become a crossover?

bitkahuna

iTrader: (20)

Sulu's point wasn't about features, pros/cons, etc., it's that Lincoln doesn't even enter into his consciousness for consideration. Lincoln clearly has a long way to go, if they even bother any more with sedans as they seem to be a hot track with their utes.

mmarshall

Lincoln hasn't completely redone the MKZ interior yet (except for the 2017 facelift with the console controls). The Navigator, Continental, Aviator, and Corsair, with their rock-solid materials and fit/finish inside, gives us a clue as to what we might (?) expect from the future MKZ if they don't pull a GM on us and yank it from production.

So, my answer is.....Lincoln has already come a long way from just a few years ago.

LexBob2

It is hard to imagine the current MKZ surviving the demise of the Fusion. I forgot about the Continental (like a lot of buyers). It is selling at a fraction of the MKZ, 451/mo. -44%. It's hard to see it hanging in much longer.

mmarshall

The Fusion's life (thankfully) has been extended until at least the end of the 2020 model year, so I suspect the MKZ will be around at least that long. But I agree....if the decision is made to pull the plug on the MKZ, too, I doubt that Lincoln would redesign the interior for just one year.

Sulu

Thanks, bit. Mike, you are putting words in my mouth.

I never mentioned nor did I wish to imply that the MKZ is not reliable. Neither did I mention that it drove funny; the idiosyncracies mentioned about the braking (I am not sure what is meant by "the way the transmission (sometimes) starts out from a stop") are merely the "normal" behaviour of a hybrid, and it is behaviour that I have become used to and love.

My point was that when shopping for a luxury-badged, FWD hybrid sedan, I had forgotten that the MKZ Hybrid was available or even that Lincoln still offered vehicles for sale in Canada. If even someone like me cannot remember that a automotive brand offers vehicles for sale, how can you expect that brand to attract new, conquest buyers?

Now, having driven the ES Hybrid for 5 years, I cannot imagine driving another brand's hybrid. Now, if Lincoln were to offer a completely new MKZ Hybrid (without a push-button transmission) next year, I may (if I remember to) take a look, but Lincoln is unlikely to offer a new model next year and I probably won't remember. (Where is the nearest Lincoln dealership to me?)

mmarshall

Might be the way you took it (if so, sorry), but that was not my intention.

It certainly is not as reliable as the average ES....that's no secret.

Not all hybrid trannies act alike....your experience, in the ES Hybrid, may be different. Sometimes the CVT-equiped MKZ I sampled had the feeling of hesitation when first starting out....like the drive-belt was not engaging fully enough.


Well, I wasn't trying to be a Lincoln salesperson by posting this write-up...only giving my impression of the car to share with others. And don't belittle your own knowledge...if everyone in the buyers' market was like you, they would probably be a lot better off.

(My late father, BTW, once told me I was too honest to be an auto sales-rep LOL)

Well, in one sense, I can't argue with you there. Toyota, with the original Prius, invented the hybrid business in North America.....and, of course, has been improving and perfecting it ever since. Other companies are playing catch-up.


I don't know exactly where you live in Canada, but just punch in a few buttons and this web-site should give it to you.

https://www.lincolncanada.com/dealerships/?

Sulu

Sorry, I have to correct you because there is a constant bee in my bonnet about this...

The hybrid transmission in the Ford and Lincoln hybrid cars is very similar to Toyota and Lexus hybrid cars (you do remember that you claimed that Ford copied Toyota's hybrid system). And Toyota's hybrids do not have a belt-and-pulley CVT (in fact, no hybrid vehicle that I can think of uses a traditional CVT); yes, Toyota calls it an eCVT but it is not even a CVT in that sense. It is a planetary gearset Power Split Device, just like the hybrid transmissions in the Chevrolet Volt and Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid are also also PSDs (of their own designs, but neither labelled as CVT).

Don't get me started on this again.

Rant over...

mmarshall

No problem. I wouldn't call it a rant. Lincoln, in its own specs, though, calls the MKZ Hybrid transmission an Power-Split CVT.

That's what the Ford people themselves told me when the first-generation Hybrid Escape debuted many years ago. They said some of the components were actually borrowed from Toyota under license. Today, of course, Ford does most of its own work in-house.