Fifty-three thousand dollars! I’m tempted to say it again! Fifty-three thousand dollars! What are the chances that any American-branded sedan could be worth this kind of money, particularly in our newly cost-conscious era? Mr. Farago has repeatedly pummeled the “MKTaurus” on these pages, and that was before the price of Lincoln’s big sedan cleared the fifty-K mark. Before we can even get a handle on whether or not the MKS is a good car, it’s critical that we take the competition’s temperature and see just how unjustifiable the pricing is.
We can start with the Lincoln’s distant relative, the 2010 Volvo S80. In V8-powered, all-wheel-drive trim, the Volvo is $50,950. The S80 cannot be equipped quite as thoroughly as the MKS — it cannot park itself, as the MKS can, and there’s nothing to compare with Ford’s SYNC system — but a thoroughly equipped S80 costs about $56K. It’s not as fast as the MKS, it’s not as big as the MKS, and it’s not as gadget-heavy, but it is made in Sweden and it will carry more credibility with your daughter’s friends at any of the Seven Sisters. Call it a draw,
I like the idea of a matchup with the Audi A6 3.0T. The example we tested earlier this year was priced almost dollar-for-dollar with the MKS. I will admit to being an unbashed Audi fan who owns a rather questionably-colored S5 coupe, but of the dozen or so thirtysomethings I put into both the A6 and the MKS, nobody preferred the Audi. The MKS simply murders the Audi in a straight line, on the spec sheet, and on the open road. Only in full-throttle, wet-road situations or around a racetrack does the Audi’s superior driveline pedigree reveal itself. There’s never any torque steer from an A6. On the other hand, perhaps if the Audi had as much power as the Lincoln there would be more danger of torque steer. Nor does a low-option A6 feel quite as special as the “Ultimate Package” MKS inside. This round goes to the challenger from Dearborn.
Lexus doesn’t offer an AWD GS460, and the GS350 is outgunned in this comparison. If we equip an Infiniti M45 AWD to match, we are well past $62K and it still won’t hang with the MKS in a straight line. As with the Audi, I prefer the layout of the M45’s AWD system, which avoids the annoyances of a transverse engine and the attendant wandering steering wheel. Still, the M45 has neither space nor pace to match the MKS. Acura offers a facelifted RL, about 
which the less said the better.
At the end of this little market-pricing journey, we have to conclude that the “MKTaurus” offers pretty decent value for the money. You won’t get more for less anywhere else, and in EcoBoost form, the Lincoln is genuinely rapid. Taurus SHO owners are already dipping into high twelve-second quarter-mile times with nothing more than an ECU reflash and premium fuel. The MKS would be capable of the same feat. Previous-generation BMW M3s should, perhaps, worry. I personally smoked an SLK55 AMG in a 0-60 sprint for a two-into-one lane merge, primarily due to the traction advantage. While his traction control was stutter-stepping the back tires along a rather chilly fall Ohio road, the MKS had briefly spun the fronts and shaken the wheel before redirecting drive to the rear for a steam-catapult launch.
You can get this same twist in a thirty-eight-grand Taurus “Show”, however, so to justify the markup the MKS needs to feel special in a way that numbers can’t describe. After putting substantial drive time behind the wheel of the Taurus and the MKS, I wouldn’t hesitate too long before spending the extra money for the Lincoln. It’s much quieter on the freeway — as quiet as any D-class German under most circumstances — and it rides impeccably.
The less-than-cultured responses at the steering wheel that plague the D3 Fords have been tidily addressed with the new EPAS electronic steering. Not only does EPAS exchange the syrupy, indistinct direction-finding of the standard car for a vibration-free, variable-effort smoothness, it also permits the 
MKS to park itself. This feature works like a charm, and best of all it works in the middle of the night. Even the best parallel-park artists need light to operate, but the MKS can and does park itself in a situation where it’s too dark to see the curb.
I will readily admit my personal biases here. Not only do I thoroughly approve of the D3-platform Fords, I also find that after a long weekend of club racing in cars with 800-pound springs and open headers it’s a genuine pleasure to drive home in a car like this. It’s no BMW wannabe. It’s not even a sporty sedan, Lincoln’s aggressive “starship” marketing aside. It’s a big, comfy, wickedly fast cocoon, with a kick-ass sound system and cruise control that effortlessly slows the car on its own when some mouth-breather swings into the left lane. In other words, it’s a convincing American luxury car, and that’s enough for me.
Overall rating: 4/5 stars
PEFORMANCE: 4/5
One of the fastest sedans you can buy for the money.
RIDE: 5/5
It would need a longer wheelbase to be any better.
HANDLING: 2/5
It’s not a sports sedan.
EXTERIOR: 3/5
I like the bird-of-prey front end, but it’s an awkwardly-proportioned car.
INTERIOR: 4/5
Easily a match for the competition.
FIT AND FINISH: 4/5
Panel gaps are big in places.
TOYS: 5/5
It parks itself!
DESIRABILITY: 3/5
MKS owners will still have to do some explaining to the neighbors.
PRICE AS TESTED: $53,600 (approx.)
143 Comments on “Review: 2010 Lincoln MKS...”
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Don’t worry about the price. It won’t stay that high for long. Just wait three years and buy a lightly-used one off lease for a third of the price.
Two stories:
1) I walked by one parked at the nearest Ritz-Carlton; looked decent although a bit too much like a lexus.
2) got a cab ride in another Lincoln – older model — and was very impressed with the leather. Perhaps I was drinking too much that night.
Does seem a much better value than a lexus, however.
I really like the Lincoln ads and I really like the new products. I think Lincoln is showing all the halmarks of a company that “gets it”. I think the market comparisons agree. It’s not my kind of car and not my price range. But clearly Lincoln knows it’s market and is exceeding expectations. They may not have a product for everyone, but the “new” products they have are very competitive. They just need to find a way to get people into the showroom.
It’s hard not to feel good about the Ford comeback story. Their not out of the woods yet, but they can see the clearing. If the economy doesn’t take it’s sweet time turning around, Ford should be profitable when AM predicted.
Jack,
In a previous review you did on Autofiends, you complained about the cheapness of the centre console plastic in the 2009 model. Has this been corrected for 2010?
Also, I predict a lot of people will ask why the V8 Genesis wasn’t included in your comparison. I presume this is because the Hyundai doesn’t offer AWD?
I saw an MKS in the flesh the other day, and it looks much better in person than it does in photos (even though it’s pretty handsome in photos anyway).
It’s good to see Jack describe this as an American luxury sedan. I’m tired of Cadillac and Lincoln trying to be something they’re not.
Nice review, Jack. I have to admit I really like this car. I sat in a non-Ecoboost MKS at the NY Auto show this year, and it struck me as everything a Lincoln should be: Big, Comfy, Big, Solid, Big, Plush, Big, Heavy…did I mention Big?
Adding a Seriously Hot engine & AWD and suddenly this becomes a really compelling ($53k) car, but as your comparison pointed out, Fifty Grand seems to be the Lux mid-range these days.
I say this car has the goods to command that price.
This morning, while waiting for my boss to turn in his Acura for service, I wandered across the driveway to the Jaguar dealership. The un-supercharged XF was $57K. The interior and exterior styling, while not perfect, both look nicer to me than that of the Lincoln. It also has a 385hp 5.0 liter V8, which is good for something, I guess. I wonder if Mr. Baruth has any opinion on the relative merits of the Jag vs. the Lincoln?
Your last paragraph hits it on the head 100%…what Lincoln (and Cadillac, for that matter) need to be is unabashedly American…big, comfy and powerful. I don’t see how trying to target Audi/BMW will work for them. I just wish Lincoln would move away from their naming schemes and go back to vehicle names that carry some panache…I mean, MKS?? Whatever…
Still, the (almost) 40-year old in me is starting to think he likes the idea of a quick, comfortable ride. Just not yet, and not for $50k+…I’ll let others buy one first and wait three to five years for the massive depreciation to hit…
U.S.A!! U.S.A!!!
It’s nice to see Ford taking an interest in one of their brands that people actually associate with the parent company. After they wasted billions of dollars and decades of time playing with brands that most people did not know were even associated with Ford, like Jaguar, Aston Martin, Land Rover, Volvo and Mazda, they finally are giving Lincoln some products to be proud of. The Panther body and F150 platform weren’t going to hold the fort down forever.
The interior is my biggest gripe with this car.
The leather looks OK, but the dash plasti-metal looks cheap.
American designers are also trending toward too many colors and surface textures in the interior of the car.
I’ll admit, I do like most black German interiors – they age well, and years down the road still look stylish.
I fear these multi-color, multi-surface interiors will look very dated while you are still making payments.
Finally, what is with the parking brake? That foot operated parking brake looks like it belongs on a car from 20 years ago. My last run-of-the-mill Passat loaner car had an electronic parking brake – why doesn’t this $50,000 luxury sedan have something similar?
-ted
Agree that it looks better in the flesh, BUT the exposed exhaust plumbing visible when approaching the MKS from the rear is a major turn off. It looks like the rear of the car is jacked up and needs to be towing a trailer to bring it down to the correct ride height.
WOW! Don’t let C&D see this review. They’ll all have coronaries and put that mag in the coffin once and for all.
FWIW: I liked and agreed with your review.
I like what Ford’s new management has been doing, and I like this new Lincoln. I do hate the name however, and hope that they soon feel that their products are again worthy of some of the old, great names.
My only hesitation is my “Detroit 3-year rule” –
In the last 20 years there have been many new cars from Detroit that have been reviewed well when new only to become buckets of woes after a few years. Being a little tigger-shy has served me well in avoiding a lot of pretty bling that turned out to only be cheap plating.
In short, I want to believe in the new Lincoln, but I’m afraid.
Jack,
When you reviewed the 2009 model for Autofiends you criticised the centre console plastics. Has this deficiency been addressed for 2010?
Hmmm, this may be on my used car shopping list in a few years. Cars like this depreciate at a horrific pace.
Two words: Ford Fusion. It didn’t suffer from that at all. Been out for years now, even had a facelift, and still dead reliable. Ford doesn’t suffer from this problem anymore.
I just wish Lincoln would move away from their naming schemes and go back to vehicle names that carry some panache…I mean, MKS?? Whatever…
Or at least make them sound different. What are they, MKX, MKS, MKZ, I can hardly tell the difference.
John
Don’t worry about the price. It won’t stay that high for long. Just wait three years and buy a lightly-used one off lease for a third of the price.
I gotta to disagree on this point. Previous attempts at a hot-rod Lincoln have genereally failed, usually due to the same demons; quality issues and marketing. Yes, marketing. The Lincoln LS was a decent ride, but when you compared it by its own marketing to an Audi A6 or BMW 5 series, it fell flat on its face. The MKS is a vast step in the right direction and given Ford’s strong stance in the economic world right now, coupled with Cadillac’s resurgance of blowing people’s minds that American cars can be great again, I’d say odds are in Lincoln’s favor.
The problem with Cadillac is they give no reason for people to buy up from the CTS. They STS is mediocre, and the DTS is just…horrible.
At Lincoln there is a reason to move up from the MKZ to the MKS.
To all people defending this price point, who aren’t Ford employees, that’s fantastical!
To all people defending this price point, who actually bought or will by this vehicle, and think resale value won’t be anything other than absolutely gut-wrenching, I wish you good luck!
Straight line performance is so one dimensional, especially in the world of “luxury vehicles” professing to compete with teutonic things.
I just wish Lincoln would move away from their naming schemes and go back to vehicle names that carry some panache…
Amen to that. The word Continental comes to mind…why on Earth would they let that name collect dust? (The same can be said for Thunderbird, Cougar, and Galaxie.) These days it seems to be all about the Brand name first while the car name is secondary.
The one thing about the interior I don’t like is that large piece of plastic below the controls that says Lincoln on it. You’d think it was a cubby or something, but it’s not. Seems like a waste of prime real estate.
I’ll add my desire for real product names again. The the alphabet soup need to go. I mean they went from Zephyr to MKZ. This should be the new Continental.
ohsnapback–
Resale value is the last thing to go up as a car company improves its products, and HAS been going up for Ford in recent years slowly but surely.
“# JEC :
October 16th, 2009 at 10:45 am
Don’t worry about the price. It won’t stay that high for long. Just wait three years and buy a lightly-used one off lease for a third of the price.”
I sure don’t. I am not about to go shopping for one of these ugly atrocities, new or used.
However, FORD should worry about the price!
And what about the name? It consists of 3 characters, which mean MK=mark and S=sedan. Even if you know what they mean, you can’t but be impressed with how incredibly useless this name is! Instead, like Merc and BMW, of using the characters to inform the consumer about what kind of car this is, (engine Cu in? Cylinders? Body size type?), they utterly waste 2/3 of the name with the stupid “MK” which just means “mark”, and then offer “S” for sedan, as if the consumer is effing blind and dumb as an ox and can’t see (or even just feel, if he or she is utterly blind) that the vehicle has 4 doors!
And beyond that, NOTHING! No info. Contrast to BMW’s 740iL, for example, you know that 1. it is the largest size series, 2. it has a 4.0 (later a 4.4) lt engine, and it is the “L” version (huge room in back seat, limo like).
Now THAT is what I call intelligent, informative, no-nonsense, not wasteful naming of a vehicle!
American designers are also trending toward too many colors and surface textures in the interior of the car.
I’d like to log my vote for more choice not less. Leave black to the Germans, they can have it.
Now, if we’re talking a weird melange of wood grains, plastichrome, etc. without a unified design to it, then I agree with the poster.
Now they just need to do something to make it look more like a Lincoln and less like a Lexus or Hyundai. The exterior is too plain and in fact Ford did a better job with the refreshed Taurus giving it it’s own unique look. As for the interior, the center console suffers the same problem as the Taurus or way too wide Burtha. It cuts down on useable space up front and digs right into your leg. The trunk also is a major dissapointment, especially compared to the departed Town Car. The opening is litterally half the size and space is down noticeably. Downsizing, making FWD luxury cars that get better mileage etc was tried during the 80’s in the form of the Deville/Park Ave/98 series cars and then by Licoln with the Continental. Now everybody is clamoring for RWD. The trouble with the new Lincoln is that what your losing; RWD luxury ride, trunk space, distinctive styling, seat comfort and V8 power and refinement etc is not made up at the pump. Yes this new Lincoln can muster no better than a lackluster 24 (23 with AWD)on the open road or the same mileage as last years larger V8 Town Car. It does offer lots of gee wiz high tech features but that alone doesn’t make it worth the price of admission IMO. And then there are the stupid dumb meaningless letter names again copied from Lexus.
Quote:American designers are also trending toward too many colors and surface textures in the interior of the car.
You must be joking! By too many colors your referring to black, tan and gray. Uh those aren’t really colors more like dull boring non color choices. If anything car designers are totally lacking in color choices today. The interior is the place you spend 99% of your time in. Looking at a nauseatingly boring drab gray interior that always looks dingy is best left to Camry/Corolla drivers. Black interiors are ok on sporty type cars but are really sun heat absorbers in the Summer for 2nd degree burns at times.
I wonder how tall one can be and still be comfortable in this?
If I don’t fit (6′4″) I will be pissed.
I don’t know if I would say that Cadillac has undergone a resurgence. At best, one model has succeeded – the CTS, and even it isn’t best in class.
The rest are either outright flops (old SRX, STS, XLR), Cadillacs for a dying owner base (DTS) and reworked Chevys (Escalade, new SRX). Hardly a mind-blowing line-up.
Granted, Lincoln isn’t blowing anybody away, either, but at least Ford didn’t spend $4 billion on Lincoln and not have much to show for it.
As for the MKS – I’m seeing more of them on the road lately. The front is very handsome – I like the new Lincoln signature look – but the tail looks too much like a Suzuki sedan.
Most luxury cars have their resale value fall off a cliff several years down the road. Why would you avoid this $50K car over some other $50K car for the reason of depreciation? They are all bad investments. If you worry about depreciation you buy a Honda.
I dare anyone to say with a straight face that Lincoln’s alphanumerics are any more confusing than Lexus or Acura.
Jack – nice review, but here’s what I’d like to hear more of – specifics on handling.
How was the steering feel? Did the car feel eager, or just competent?
I haven’t driven the turbo variant of this car, but I did drive the base version, and I had much the same feeling as you did about it – sumptuous inside, with lots of toys, and quiet. Performance-wise, I found it willing but underpowered in a straight line, but front-heavy and unwieldly in corners. I wasn’t much of a fan of the steering, either.
Having driven the A6 you mentioned, I’d think of this as a major problem for the MKS in a head-to-head comparison. And if the MKS can’t measure up to the Audi, it won’t measure up to a BMW 5-series either.
Also, how did the Ecoboost feel? Any turbo lag? Any growly engine noises?
Any thoughts on all that?
Gracias.
My ratings:
Exterior Styling: 2/5, largely due to the god-awful grille.
PEFORMANCE: 3/5
One of the fastest sedans you can buy for the money? You can buy a G8 sedan for a fraction and get far better performance and a gigantic V8 Corvette engine to boot.
RIDE: 5/5
It would need a longer wheelbase to be any better.
I’ll take your word for it.
HANDLING: 2/5
It’s not a sports sedan.
Unacceptable!
INTERIOR: 3/5
Easily a match for the competition.
FIT AND FINISH: 1/5
Panel gaps are big in places.
inexcusable! 20 years ago, this might be OK for a $7,000 cavalier, but not today and not for a $53K ‘LUXURY” sedan!
TOYS: 5/5
It parks itself!
(I could care less, learn how to park and give us something useful. And few Americans in flyover land will ever need to parallel park anyway.)
DESIRABILITY: 1/5
I could care less.
PRICE AS TESTED: $53,600 (approx.)
Overall rating: 1/5 stars. Would not buy it even for $25k, let alone $50k plus.
Ford is the only Domestic maker I respect today, for not yet picking my Taxpayer’s pocket like bankrupt GM and Chrysler, but they need to do a lot of Homework with the Lincoln Brand.
Autosavant, have you DRIVEN this car? Just curious.
“FreedMike :
October 16th, 2009 at 11:51 am
Autosavant, have you DRIVEN this car? Just curious.”
Of course I have Not Driven it, nor do I have the least desire to do so after reading this review.
If I HAD driven it, I would not have blindly accepted the generous 5/5 ride rating of this reviewer, and his damning 2/5 HANDLING (aka Active Safety!) ranking.
HAve you driven it, and if yes, is your impression any better than that of the reviewer here, who did drive it?
I’m pretty sure you won’t find anyone who will defend Acura’s move away from popular names like Legend and Integra to ridiculous combinations of letters.
At least with the Germans it’s very obvious what’s going on. A bigger number or later in the alphabet is a bigger car. Numbers indicate engine size, etc.
Lexus at least does the engine bit, higher numbers means more performance.
“it’s a convincing American luxury car, and that’s enough for me.”
sigh…why the low expectations? Not that I disagree with the meat of the review, but there simply isn’t a reason to give American cars a pass on handling dynamics (Ford love story, rose tinted glasses and all that). Fact is, if they continue to improve the car, they will be benchmarking the better performing competitors and making changes to catch up on this front. It is not necessary to install a washboard suspension in order to acheive progressive weight transfer and decent steering, so that’s no excuse. And it isn’t as if they wanted front wheel spin to be the initial reaction to throttle inputs, all that means is that they haven’t ponied up the money for a rear-biased AWD system (as many playing the AWD upmarket game are doing for VERY good reasons).
Room for improvement is what it is, so why not congratulate them for making a good start at this without letting that slide? If they aren’t planning those upgrades already then they are planning for future failure.
BDB
“It’s good to see Jack describe this as an American luxury sedan. I’m tired of Cadillac and Lincoln trying to be something they’re not.”
But isn’t that how the Big 3 lost the plot and allowed the Axis powers to eat their lunch? Let their cars be good to decent at just one or two things (call it American, wave flag on cue) and refuse to acknowledge the competition’s advantages, rinse and repeat. As it stands now if you want a car built to the American ideal you should buy a Mercedes, and it’s been that way for quite a while.
tedward: As it stands now if you want a car built to the American ideal you should buy a Mercedes, and it’s been that way for quite a while.
I always thought that the current big Lexus is the best Cadillac ever built. It’s what the Cadillacs of the 1950s and 1960s should have become – well built, creamy smooth, reliable, powerful and available with the latest gadgets.
Autosavant :
October 16th, 2009 at 11:45 am
HANDLING: 2/5
It’s not a sports sedan.
Unacceptable!
So you feel that everybody everywhere should be forced to drive a sport sedan? It’s unacceptable that this car, which is clearly not built/meant/marketed as a sports sedan, is not a sports sedan? This is especially baffling in light of Cadillac’s utter and well-documented failure to reinvent itself as a BMW/Mercedes/Lexus copy. Obviously Cadillac customers don’t want those types of cars. And Lincoln customers probably don’t want an Audi A6 or Infiniti M. If they did, wouldn’t they just, oh, say, go buy one of those?
Glad you’re not in charge of product development or marketing at Lincoln.
I drove the regular MKS last year the same day I drove a Hyundai Genesis V6. While the original tuning of the Genesis V8 had some issues, the V6’s suspension both rode and handled better than the Lincoln’s. The Lincoln just didn’t feel sorted out, with vague steering and occasional jitters from the suspension. The Hyundai isn’t with the Germans in this regard, but it outpointed the Lincoln.
Jack says the electric-assist steering helps. If so, this is a first. He’s still not ready to stick up for the handling.
I also thought the 3.7 V6 sounded too course for a luxury sedan, and a recent drive in an MKT confirmed this impression.
Does the EcoBoost 3.5 sound better?
On the reliability front, the MKS got off to a rough start, based on responses to TrueDelta’s Car Reliability Survey (and others as well). The 2009 has improved since, and the 2010 could be better still.
To read more about the Car Reliability Survey, and sign up to participate in it:
http://www.truedelta.com/reliability.php
I forgot to add that the TTAC Ford love-in continues on a roll.
This was a glowing review of a car competing at a MB/BMW/Lexus price point that can’t handle worth squat, and is a gussied up Taurus (Lexus has a gussied up Toyota – the ES – but it’s 20k less than the Lincaurus).
Someone mentioned the G8 and a better performing car at about 1/2 the price, and I’d like to know if this thing rides any better than a new Lacrosse.
All Ford products get good love on TTAC; even the Flex, which is a commercial failure, and which has radically divergent reviews on other sites/publications.
I hate to encourage any replies, but someone should tell Autosavant that the Pontiac G8 isn’t a competitor since it’s extinct.
The problem with Lincoln is not with the attributes of this version, but that it’s not going to be cross shopped by anyone who knows what a Lexus,BMW or Mercedes is. It was never on the radar screen from this part of the market and none of the ads are going to change that. We enthusiasts know it exists and what it could be and what we want it to be. But the rest of the world simply doesnt care and never will unless there is some compelling aspect of the car. Something has to be WAY better, not just as good, to get noticed. (BTW, Sorry Mr. Lutz) None of the MKwhatevers bring it. While we’re on it – ever been to a Lincoln show room? My local one is still the last refuge of the polyester suite and white shoe crowd. Even if the cars ever get the plot, I couldnt hold my nose long enough to buy one.
Why pay $53K for an MKS when a fully loaded V8 Genesis is $10K less?
I guess part of the answer is no one pays sticker for Lincolns. Which should tell you all you need to know about re-sale.
Re Resale Value. Have you guys seen the resale on Audi and Benz products? I would venture to say that they have the highest depreciation in the industry right now.
Few things,
First, you cannot use just a straight feature for feature compairson to justify the price. While the other manufactures were working very hard to establish their brand as a BMW or Mercedes equal, Ford was busy murdering the Lincoln brand. Lincoln has not been a legitimate luxury mark for the past 20 years. Now, with one model (MKTaurus), Lincoln is ignoring how damaged the brand is by pricing it WAY out of it’s league. And with a bland interior, horrible handling, and a very generic exterior, People will not pay over $50K for this appliance. Same with the Lincoln version of the Flex. And sales have been down for the Lincoln Taurus already…almost 30% last month.
Second….the Taurus SHOW. A car that offers 98% of what the Lincoln version does at a much lower (yet still overpriced) $38K-$45K. What does the Lincoln do that is worth another $10K…other than screw you out of another $10K?
Lincoln (and Ford) cannot charge Audi/BMW/Mercedes and Honda/Toyota prices for their appliances. They need to charge HYUNDAI prices for everything thereby establishing their customer base with the new appliances. At that point, they can start raising prices.
The only thing Ford’s outrageous prices are doing is driving people away.
Cougar Red :
October 16th, 2009 at 12:37 pm
Why pay $53K for an MKS when a fully loaded V8 Genesis is $10K less?
I guess part of the answer is no one pays sticker for Lincolns. Which should tell you all you need to know about re-sale.
You can get a nicely equipped V6 Genesis for about 20k less than the MKwhatever, and it’s a proper RWD sedan.
And I guarantee it handles better, rides better, and is just as quiet inside.
It probably isn’t far off the mark in terms of acceleration, even…
Good review. I think this is a step in the right direction for Lincoln. They need to scrap that grill and have a genuine RWD flagship, but it is encouraging to see they are executing well.
Still, I believe the MKS will continue to be a slow seller. Who is the target market? While the design does a decent job of hiding this car’s hugeness, it is still a huge sedan with huge sedan gas mileage, huge sedan handling, and not much more useful space than less huge sedans. And the market for huge sedans just isn’t that, well, huge anymore. I think this is the central failing of the D3 platform. The other problem is that Lincoln has been lost for so long that it lacks the prestige buyers are looking for in a $40-50K sedan. It will take many years (and a RWD flagship) for Lincoln to gain status in the market.
Good review Jack. It’s nice to see that Lincoln has a vehicle that can compete well with others in the segment. It probably won’t be cross shopped with the Benz’s and BMW’s but it may do well with the Lexus crowd. None of the recent Lexus models I have driven seemed to be very sporty when it comes to handling but they still sell like crazy to people that don’t care about that element.
$53K, it’s called rampant inflation, however vigorously denied by our Government over the past two decades.
Hell, a Hyundai Elantra is almost $20K.