By James R. Healey, USA TODAY
This time it's different, based on impressions from a preproduction MKT test vehicle put to normal daily duty, and driven from Northern Virginia to here and back, and in Manhattan traffic.
The tester had a lovely feel behind the wheel. Calm. Unruffled by most road irregularities. And quiet. Until you nailed the throttle and put the optional 3.5-liter EcoBoost V-6 to work. At that point, the big Lincoln broke into a gallop and issued a distant snarl from under the hood that invariably provoked a sly smile from the driver.
The base engine wasn't tested. It's a 3.7-liter V-6 with more power than Ford Flex's 3.5-liter base engine, setting Lincoln apart even at the lower end.
Ford Motor bills the EcoBoost as a V-6 that gives you V-8 power and V-6 mileage, courtesy of direct fuel-injection technology and two turbochargers. But — big but — if you drive it like you'll want to, like the V-8 it credibly apes, then V-6 fuel economy is just another broken auto-industry promise.
MKT steering, brakes and shifting are all responsive and not soggy the way Lincolns' of yore often were. Interior appointments — elegant upholstery, authentic wood trim, harmonized dashboard lighting, general ambience — went together, finally, to craft a distinct personality, something that suggests it could be worthwhile to pay extra for the Lincoln.
"Best interior we've ever done at Lincoln," asserts Frank Davis, executive director of product development for Ford Motor.
Gripe: The third-row seat has a lot less headroom than the Flex does, because of the tucked and tightened rear styling, vs. Flex's box shape.
Ford Flex, driven briefly for comparison, felt — sorry, Ford — really brittle, down-market, cheesy stacked up against the Lincoln. Doors didn't open and close with the same premium, high-quality feel. Surfaces didn't seem as high-end. Noise levels were higher.
You have to make peace with MKT's oversize grille, of course. Lincoln calls it a "bow wave" grille. "We felt it would be a look we could grow the brand with," says Pat Schiavone, Ford Motor design director.
Another identity element Lincoln is reviving is what Schiavone calls a haunch. It's a kick-up or shoulder at the rear edge of the back door. He says it harkens to the Lincoln Continental of the 1960s, among others.
Can't live on heritage alone. These days, gotta have the techno goods. MKT surely does, and here's a breathtaking development: They seemed to work well. MKT gave you no sense that the engineers did things just because they could.
Best example: Active Park Assist, a self-parking option. Whips into a parallel-parking spot faster than you could, and better. Tried it in Midtown Manhattan traffic and delayed other drivers barely long enough to get a honk.
Lexus pioneered such a system, but that one is cumbersome compared with MKT's. In the Lincoln, you push a button to tell the system you're cruising for docking space. It uses ultrasonic waves to find a hole big enough, and alerts you via text in the driver information center. It tells you just where to stop, invites you to select reverse, and instructs you to touch nothing but the brakes.
In the oft-cited two shakes of a lamb's tail, MKT spun the steering wheel one way, then the other and was tucked in remarkably close to the curb.
MKT, like other Ford Motor models, has an option that looks sideways when you back out of a conventional parking spot to alert you if cross traffic is barreling along and might not notice you in time. Handy in the mall at holiday-shopping time when crazed drivers are speeding to grab that parking spot coming open 100 yards down the line.
Adaptive cruise control, an option getting common throughout the premium brands, lets you specify a following distance and will yank the rig down smartly if someone cuts in front and leaves too little space. When there's little traffic, it maintains a set speed, like an ordinary cruise, kicking into distance mode when traffic tightens. You can't shut off the distance mode and use the system solely as a conventional speed-based cruise.
Small but important details were nicely done. Instrument lighting, for example, was a crystal white; no sparkle, just presence.
Two things say that Lincoln's finally sure of itself: •No chrome wheels; you get polished aluminum for shine. Chrome's a bit tacky, Schiavone says. •No more "Lincoln" badge on the console. The MKT is a bit hard to embrace at first glance. But inside, things are so remarkably right, you don't care about the outside.
It's breathtaking, and presumptuous on Lincoln's part, to note that the full-boat model is some $61,000. On the other hand, you can get a very nice one for $50,000 (roughly $5,000 more than a similar Flex) — still a lot but not quite as ridiculous for those luxury shoppers who want a big crossover.
MKT really does put Lincoln back in the luxury category and might be the first big step toward rescuing — redeeming? — the brand. Don't laugh. General Motors did it to Cadillac.
2010 LINCOLN MKT
•What? Full-size, six- or seven-passenger crossover-utility vehicle derived from the Ford Flex. Available with front-wheel drive (FWD) or all-wheel drive (AWD).
•When? On sale since September.
•Where? Manufactured at Oakville, Ontario, using Ohio-made engines, in a factory that also builds the Flex.
•How much? Base FWD starts at $44,995 including $795 shipping; AWD starts at $46,990. EcoBoost, available only with AWD, is $49,995. About $61,000 with all factory options.
•How powerful? Standard: 3.7-liter V-6 rated 268 horsepower at 6,250 rpm, 267 pounds-feet of torque at 4,250 rpm. Available FWD or AWD. Optional: 3.5-liter, twin-turbocharged EcoBoost V-6 rated 355 hp at 5,700 rpm, 350 lbs.-ft. at 1,500 rpm; comes only with AWD.
All use six-speed automatic transmissions with manual-shift mode.
•How big? Less than an inch shorter, about three inches narrower, than Lincoln Navigator large SUV. MKT is 207.6 inches long, 76 in. wide, 67.4 in. tall on a 117.9-in. wheelbase. Weighs 4,680 to 4,924 lbs. Passenger space: 114.9 cubic feet. Cargo: 17.9 cu. ft. behind third row, 39.6 cu. ft. when third row's folded, 75.9 with second and third rows folded.
Tows up to 4,500 lbs. Turning circle diameter, 40.7 ft. curb-to-curb.
•How thirsty? FWD rated 17 miles per gallon in town, 23 on the highway, 19 in combined driving. AWD models: 16/22/18. Trip computer in EcoBoost AWD test vehicle showed 16.4 mpg (6.1 gallons per 100 miles) in mixed city, suburban use; 19.2 mpg (5.21 gal./100 miles) in high-speed interstate highway driving.
Ford specifies regular for both engines but says EcoBoost needs premium to get the advertised power. Ford won't say how much power the EcoBoost engine loses on the lower-octane fuel.
Tank holds 18.6 gallons
•Overall: What a pleasant surprise. Finally, a machine with the distinction and premium feel a Lincoln should have.
