Remember the scene in Jaws when Quint is being eaten by a great white shark, where he kicks his legs at the beast’s head, trying to avoid its endless rows of razor-sharp teeth? I reckon Lincoln’s designers based the MKT’s snout on Bruce’s man-eating maw. Sure, there’s a touch of Hannibal Lecter’s mask to the MKT’s grill design. And yes, HR Giger’s aliens would feel right at home wheeling this whip to a Humanity’s End party. But there are children who laughed at the liver-loving psycho killer and sniggered at the acid-tongued incubus who will wake-up in the middle of the night in a cold sweat, begging Daddy to take them to school in the morning in his sedate sedan. Congratulations, Lincoln: the MKT is the world’s most terrifying family vehicle.
The MKT’s grill is so unrelentingly grotesque it’s easy to overlook the fact that the crossover’s hind quarters are equally—if less aggressively—hideous. For anyone who appreciates well-sculpted sheet metal and artful illumination, the MKT’s butt is an abomination. The enormous red strip bisecting the back end at nipple height is a distorted echo of an over-sized Ford Thunderbird logo pasted onto an homage to the Acura RL’s ungainly reverse snow plow motif. Adding insult to aesthetic injury, the MKT’s back-up lights are in exactly the wrong place (dead center).
But wait! There’s more! The rear’s glass-to-metal ratio and forward tilt suggests nothing so much as an oncoming Amtrak train. You can’t ask the MKT’s designers “what the hell were you thinking?” because, clearly, they weren’t. The MKT’s profile is blessedly bland, if you discount the 10-spoke 20″ EcoBling wagon wheels filling-up the arches and ruining the ride. We’ll get to that . . .
Based on its looks, the only logical market for Lincoln’s unfathomably ugly station wagon is someone driving a 
hearse. Unfortunately, the $50K plus sticker puts it out of reach for all but the most successful goth rockers, who’d instantly opt for a proper tour bus. Which leaves . . . who? Seriously. I have no idea why anyone would buy a Lincoln MKT. An engine freak?
Lincoln proudly proclaims that the EcoBoosted MKT is the “only vehicle in its class with a twin-turbocharged direct injection V6 engine.” There’s a reason for that. Vehicles in this genre (at this price point) are tuned for quiet composure. Unlike a smooth-spinning naturally-aspirated six or a lazy, loping V8, the EcoBoosted 3.5-liter V6 is a thoroughly manic motor. The MKT’s force-fed mill feels like an amphetamine-crazed stallion, ready to drop a couple of cogs and bolt for the horizon at a moment’s notice. Or, indeed, without a moment’s notice.
Never mind the occasional roller coaster-like jolt, when the MKT’s speed-seeking six-speed gearbox loses its [freight] train of thought. Or the fact that the MKT’s paddle shift transmission gave up the ghost in the middle of my test drive. With 350 lb•ft of torque at just 3500 RPM, the MKT accelerates 
like its hair’s on fire. How great is that?
Not much. The the carnivorous Lincoln’s an answer to a question nobody asked: where can I buy a really fast Medusa-class crossover with a hair-trigger throttle? Oh, and don’t worry about wind noise, tire roar or a stiff, crashy ride. Or handling.
Sensibly enough, Lincoln equips its blown MKTs with all wheel-drive. While the big rig’s brakes are almost as touchy as the go-pedal, the steering system serves-up something roughly approximating feel and the car corners without excessive body roll. To no appreciable effect save safety. Tap into the MKT’s seemingly endless thrust (just try not to) and its forward momentum completely outstrips the Lincoln’s ability to do anything about/with it. The MKT is more Hyundai than hot rod; it’s Sonata sports wagon it Hertz.
Yes, there is that. The MKT’s materials, interior design and overall build quality suggests a future spent scaring jet-lagged travelers trudging through rental car lots. What the hell are those pieces of foam glued to the top of the engine bay (in front of the base of the windscreen)? My guess: a twenty-five cent fix for an at-speed hood rattle. Got duct tape? Yup. Well we may need some more over here . . .
As an automotive brand struggling to reclaim its place in The Bigs, Lincoln has equipped all MKTs with “premium perforated leather trimmed seats.” While the chairs are comfortable enough for government work, they’re as aromatic as a window pane. Without any eau de dead cow to distract the nasal palate from nasty, out-gassing plastics, Lincoln’s luxury crossover smells exactly like an oven-fresh Ford Focus.
It’s no small point. Lincoln owes its miserable existence to its inability to sweat the small stuff. Everywhere you look, there’s evidence of cost cutting. From the glove box lid’s flimsy feel, to the execrable embalmed mouse fur material covering the third row seats, to the nasty faux nickel-finished plastic adorning (in the ironic sense) the radio and HVAC housing, the MKT is more econo-box than luxury limo.
I know luxury cars. And you, sir, are no luxury car.
The MKT’s central dials are an especially egregious example of Ford’s lack of commitment to, or understanding of, an upmarket ethos. Garish markers illuminate an otherwise vapid tachometer and frame the speedometer in twenty mile-per-hour increments. [Note: if Lincoln wants buyers younger than 60, perhaps they shouldn’t put that number smack dab in the middle of the speedo.] I’m thinking the MKT’s vanilla-ice-cream-topped-with-gravy styling owes its genesis to a penny-pinching rummage through Ford’s parts bin. If so, shame on them. If not, double shame on them.
The MKT’s plastics may smell bad, but they engender the same amount of haptic happiness as any other Ford product (i.e., none). About the best that can be said about the MKT’s cabin: the wood’s shiny and the second row seating is expansive, cosseting and comfortable—provided the owner opted for twin chairs (as advertised on TV).
Hang on; why would they do that? Who wants an ugly-ass six-chair 
leather-lined station-wagon-on-stilts? How’s that whole R-Class thing working out for Mercedes, anyway? True story: the moribund Merc enjoys pride of place on the Lincoln’s Compar-O-Matic, flanked on either side the not-exactly-flying-off-the-shelves Audi Q7 3.6 and the not-entirely-unpopular Acura MDX.
Yes, well, as well all know, three’s company and six is a crowd. And there are not one but two more 5000 lb gorillas in or near the MKT’s vicinity. I know Lincoln’s nonsensiclature makes it virtually impossible to memorize their lineup, but I seem to recall that they already have a crossover. The MK . . . uh . . . X. Trying to create a market for the MKT—instead of improving and promoting their existing model—is yet more evidence of Ford’s ongoing wander through the wilderness.
Anyway, primate number two: the Ford Flex. The twin-under-the-skin Flex is no oil painting either, but it costs less, does everything the Lincoln MKT does, and wasn’t designed by a psychopath serving a life sentence in a maximum security mental health facility.
Time to face facts: the MKT’s fugly grill and bulbous butt are an insurmountable obstacle. The EcoBoosted Lincoln could be as fast and agile as an Mercedes S63 AMG, as luxurious as a Bentley Flying Spur and as economical as a Toyota Prius and you’d still need to a brace of beta blockers to buy one.
I know Lincoln dealerships treat their customers well, if only because of their scarcity. But anyone who buys an MKT instead of an up-optioned Flex or something else entirely is an idiot. Actually, make that a blind idiot.
As even the Rhode Island Department of Motor Vehicles’ licensing division has to draw the line somewhere, I don’t expect the Lincoln MKT will do much for Lincoln’s bottom line or future prospects, save weaken them. The Lincoln MKT AWD EcoBoost proves, once again, that just because you can do something doesn’t mean you should.
Performance: 5 stars. Anyone who’d want more thrust in this thing ought to have their headers examined.
Ride: 2 stars. If it was an SUV, fair enough. But it isn’t, so no fare.
Handling: 3 stars. Deadly dull but not deadly.
Exterior: 0 stars. Ghastly.
Interior: 0 stars. What we have is a failure to luxuriate.
Fit and Finish: 1 star. Nothing broke or fell off during the test drive, but Lincoln needs to reach higher. MUCH higher.
Toys: 4 stars. It honest-to-God parks itself and the SYNC works a treat, but the ICE audio quality is so muddy I wanted to put a pair of Wellingtons over my ears.
Desirability: 0 stars. I can’t imagine anyone pining to plunk down 50 large on one of these things.
Price as tested: $50K
Overall Rating: 0 stars. Beats walking and goes like stink, but the MKT is a complete embarrassment to all concerned, really. A badly built car that never should have been built.
116 Comments on “Review: 2010 Lincoln MKT EcoBoost...”
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So, Mr Farago, what did you really think of the MKT?
I drove the non-EcoBoost front-drive MKT recently. Enough power for this sort of vehicle, but the engine sounded coarse and the nose got floaty under hard acceleration.
The standard model uses a different, hydraulic (rather than electric) steering system, and it’s numb. The handling felt a bit soggy, yet the ride also wasn’t very good. Some harsh reactions to bumps, and the stiffness of the body structure clearly isn’t up to luxury car standards.
Some of the interior materials are worthy of the price, others are not. Interior space could be a larger issue. In most three-row vehicles, even small ones, adults will fit in the rearmost seat in a pinch. Not in this one–there’s not enough headroom.
Overall, I can’t see the point of buying one of these instead of the roomier, less expensive, easier on the eyes Flex.
No reliability stats for the MKT yet. The related MKS and Flex have been about average based on responses to TrueDelta’s Car Reliability Survey.
http://www.truedelta.com/car-reliability.php
What a disappointing vehicle…this is not what Lincoln needs, or Ford for that matter, to compete. Should have kept the Aviator around and dumped the Mountaineer. It was a better 7-seat midsize Lincoln than either the MKX or MKT. And was built how a Lincoln should be, body on frame with all independent suspension and a decent V8.
This is sad. They could have built that Lincoln concept car that I think it was you who showed us, and instead they build a car with a face that even a mother shark couldn’t love. This car is not as bad as a Caliber, but that’s damning with very faint praise. That grill is going to look absolutely junky as soon as the car is a year old, or gets its first ding. The face on this thing is worthy of a fifth grader’s doodle.
I was wondering where this review went. I’ll be in the MKT for a car like this next year when my XC90 lease expires. I definitely won’t be shopping this one! I’ll stop at my local Lincoln dealer to have a look, though. I would most definitely consider a Flex over this.
I sent pics of the MKT to my wife a month ago and here was her response (we have twins on the way): “I know we’ll be mourning the passing of our personal freedom, but do I really need to drive something that looks like a hearse? They purposely give all those in motion action shots so you can’t get a good look at that honkin’ beast.”
Black doesn’t do this car’s exterior any favors. At least this car will never, ever get lost in a parking lot. While I don’t actually hate this vehicle (maybe next revision, if it exists, could take the decent underpinnings and push it in the right direction), I question who would actually buy it in its current state – my grandparents might like the idea of a unique American vehicle that can haul the occasional visiting family member around, but I could never ever see them using the self park, sync, or anything like that. I definitely can’t see them paying for that stuff.
Am I wrong, or did they take the front grille treatment of the old Pontiac Montana, super-size it and slap it on the front of this abomination….
How low-rent can you go…..
I’ve seen a few of these at Ford dealers. The Flex, if nothing else, is interesting and cohesive in it’s design. This, well, I’m reminded of the current Lexus RX or BMW X6 (or the Aztek): taking design cues that work on one body style (a sedan or coupe) and extrapolating them onto one where they very much don’t.
This really is a very ugly car, even disregarding the grille. Where the Flex is clean and striking, the MKT is cetacean in it’s profile. I thought the Traverse was bad, but this really takes it.
Forgot to mention: when I dropped by the dealer, they had a loaded EcoBoost awaiting delivery to…Geoffrey Fieger. You might know him as Jack Kevorkian’s defense attourney:
http://www.fiegerlaw.com/landmark.php
Somehow failed to make the hearse connection at the time.
Ignoring grammar and missing words, I don’t think you were quite harsh enough on the MKT’s appearance. I think we have a new challenger to the Aztek for the ugliest car in America. The Aztec was ugly in a disjointed Frankenstein’s monster manner, but at least Frankenstein’s monster had a relatively good heart. The MKT is plain frightening. This car takes the new Acura hideousness to higher levels. I can’t imagine what the discussions were like when they were designing the exterior and came up with this monstrosity. How anyone could thnk this exterior would be appealing to anyone is beyond me. This is a car aimed at blind drivers searching for a “luxury” CUV, and that’s a really small niche market to be aiming at. On the plus side, I don’t expect sales numbers to justify its existence for very long; so, we won’t have to put up with seeing them on the road very much.
Actually, I see those little glued-on foam blocks as an encouraging sign that Ford is at least attempting to address some refinement issues. Back when I worked there, they would have let the hood rattle rather than spend 23 cents on a solution, however crude.
It’s also possible that only the press cars get these, and the regular cars just have the hood rattle.
Bob
Aztek, your position at the top of the ugly list is in serious jeopardy.
“I reckon Lincoln’s designers based the MKT’s snout on Bruce’s man-eating maw. ”
The original Jaws, with all its total lack of reality about how sharks behave and all that, is still one of my favorite movies. And despite my 21 years now of long-distance ocean (coastal) deepwater swimming.
The MK’s snout, though, does not look at all like a great white’s mouth, but much more than a harmless baleen whale’s.
Perhaps buyers of the MKT are into intimidation. If so the car’s styling is wildly successful.
What better intimidation than to look in the rear view mirror and see that front end? And that ugly butt is like a fart when it passes you.
elton :
October 26th, 2009 at 12:14 pm
Actually, I see those little glued-on foam blocks as an encouraging sign that Ford is at least attempting to address some refinement issues. Back when I worked there, they would have let the hood rattle rather than spend 23 cents on a solution, however crude.
Yeah, but I think his point – which is well-taken – is that glued-on foam blocks are not acceptable on a car at this price point. They’d pass muster on a Focus, but I think buyers of $60,000 luxury cars demand better.
“Overall Rating: 0 stars. Beats walking and goes like stink, but the MKT is a complete embarrassment to all concerned, really. A badly built car that never should have been built.”
I agree. Damning but well deserved criticism is probably what Lincoln needs, and if they pay attention and try to do MUCH better, maybe this will actually help them much more than a puff piece saying that there are enough taste-less auto illiterates out there that actually like this POS and will buy it.
“Overall, I can’t see the point of buying one of these instead of the roomier, less expensive, easier on the eyes Flex.”
Why stay with Ford and not buy the far superior, far more competent, car-like Honda Odyssey?
Right at this minute the Ford plant who makes all these fine vehicles in Oakville Ontario is shut down due to transmission parts from India unavailable, now you know what could happen to there Transmissions in future eh?
Lumbergh21, you aced me out with your comment re the Aztek.
I just showed the photos above to my wife, who was similarly impressed with the looks of this car. I suppose the fact that it is showing up around Halloween might partly explain the Jack O’Lantern grille.
Maybe because the Odysssey is automotive Ambien?
Autosavant :
October 26th, 2009 at 12:22 pm
“Overall, I can’t see the point of buying one of these instead of the roomier, less expensive, easier on the eyes Flex.”
Why stay with Ford and not buy the far superior, far more competent, car-like Honda Odyssey?
Or a Buick Enclave, which offers all the size and luxury features the MKT does, plus radically better styling, and a beautiful, well crafted interior, for $10-15,000 less? The only thing you miss is the ballistic engine, which may or may not be a selling point in this kind of car.
On the other hand, my wife saw the MKT on line and said she really likes its looks…how do I talk her out of it?
OK, Robert. Now, lets just sit down and take a couple of these with some water, and you’ll feel better.
I think that if America’s children made it through the 50 Buick, the 62 Dodge, the Aztec and the Acura RL, they will be OK after this Lincoln.
The Lincoln is certainly bold in the front. Personally, I am not bothered by it, and prefer it to, say, a Malibu or a Traverse. I am not a huge fan of the rear, but I could live with it. Profile? This is one good looking big people hauler. I think it is a lot more attractive than the pudgy Buick Enclave.
Seriously, Lincoln should at least get some points for getting away from the badge-engineering of a few years ago. The new sheetmetal gives it a completely different look from the Flex, and I like it.
My gripe is that under the skin, it seems to be pure Flex. The level of power is great, but it appears to be straight out of the Flex parts bin. I hope that this is a short-term fix and not a long term strategy for Lincoln, if Ford really wants to take it up-market.
It is surprising that this MKT is not as quiet as expected, as FoMoCo has known how to do smooth and quiet better than almost anyone. I have not driven one, and will take your word for it. But all in all, it comes in at a price point not too far above the EcoBoost Flex.
As much as I would like to see Lincoln put out some genuine first class high-end product, I think we are not far enough out from the Premium Auto Group days when Lincoln was not a priority. In the short amount of time since Mulally has been with us, I think that Lincoln has accomplished an awful lot with what they have had to work with.
So, come on, Robert. Take a couple of deep breaths then take another look at a B9 Tribeca, and see if this hot rod Lincoln is really so bad.
Maybe because the Odysssey is automotive Ambien?
I do not know what that means, but I do know that the Odyssey is the king of minivans, and the minivan that looks AND drives the least like one, and only snubbish soccer moms with some kind of a complex would prefer the Flex instead.
I would like some serious (and not one of these Detroit brownnoses that can find no fault with anybody in the once big 3) auto journalist interview the Ford-Lincoln Design team, that whacko Mays in particular, and ask them what they were really thinking when they came up with this useless nightmare. Were they drunk and hevaily sedated at the time? Don’t they realize how tough the Auto Sales environment is in the US today?
If they bothered to spend 50$ to invite some volunteer testers and show them the vehicle, it would save them millions they now have to spend to produce and market the car.
I guess responses would vary from “I would never buy a hearse, I ‘d rather have my Civic pimped by Xibit” and people leaving the room frightened.
I wouldn’t want to be in the place of the director making the TV ads. Desperately trying to find a flattering angle for this ugly duckling…
It’s a metaphor that means it’s so incredibly boring and bland, it puts you to sleep.
Not to mention, it is also a minivan. The Flex is a crossover. Even though they serve very similar functions their markets have minimal overlap. Someone who is looking for a crossover does not want a minivan. The Flex competes with the Pilot, not the Odyssey.
“So, come on, Robert. Take a couple of deep breaths then take another look at a B9 Tribeca, and see if this hot rod Lincoln is really so bad.”
Oh right. The MKsomething is better then the ugliest SUVC Ever, the Edsel-Aztec of Suvs, the Tribeca. Are your standards that low, Cavanaugh? Even a Kia Rio at 1/4th of the price of this atrocity Lincoln looks much better.
And at least Subaru, allk of whose cars are rathewr ugly and boring in their exteriors, reacted immediately and changed the Tribeca’s weird-ugly face right the next year.
We have only ONE US company left, Ford, but if it continues to commit automotive suicide with Lincoln, it will be forced to close down both that AND mercury in no time.
All I can think of when I look at this is Jim Carey in the Mask, when he says “smokin’”
BDB: “The Flex competes with the Odyssey, not the Pilot.”
Really? Then which Ford product competes with the Odyssey? None? Really.
OK, then what does the Edge compete from the Honda portfolio?
SherbornSean–
Re-read what I wrote. I said the Flex competes with the Pilot, not the Odyssey. You got it backwards for some reason.
The Edge competes with the CRV, obviously.
And yeah, nothing Ford has competes with the Odyssey Because Ford doesn’t have a minivan.
As strange as it may seem, even though full-size crossovers and minivans serve many of the same purposes, they don’t compete with each other. The whole point of the crossover segment is to give minivan functionality to people who wouldn’t be caught dead in a real minivan.
“BDB :
October 26th, 2009 at 12:57 pm
SherbornSean–
The Edge competes with the CRV, obviously.”
You can’t possibly be serious.
The Edge, which at least looks cute, is far bigger and heavier than the CR-V.
Are you at all familiar with their respective specs?
And have you seen the sales numbers? The CR-V sells TEN TIMES the units that the Edge is currently selling.
Autosavant, they’re both compact crossovers, they’re both around the same price range. The fact that one outsells the other or one weighs more doesn’t change any of that.
They’re 5-passenger compact crossovers in the same price range. Is it that hard for you to understand?
Nah, nah, nah, nah, nah, na, ha, BATMAN! Batteries to power, turbines to speed!
I want to take my kids out on Halloween in this thing!
Who cares, a SnOb SnUbs. Ford is our LAST HOPE, as GM and Chrysler are bvankrupt, gigantic welfare queens, but Lincoln has really lost its way!!! And Ford will pay dearly for that, and I am afraid that I the US taxpayer will soon be asked to bail IT our too!
I care – accuracy is important to me and should be to you too.
You will not be required to hand over any money to bail out Ford. Indeed, if you were bright enough to do so, you should have invested in Ford when its shares were at $1.01 – their performance since then has been nothing less than stellar putting the lie to your idea that Ford does not know what it is doing either with the Blue Oval or Lincoln. Ford is not anywhere near going bankrupt (or even bvankrupt as you put it) so please stick to facts rather than rhetoric.
I would rather have an Odyssey. The only thing preventing me from ordering a Honda is that I can see them coming and going in my neighborhood. All day. In every color. Maybe I will get a “custom” paint job ;)
jamie1–
I think Autosavant has Asperger’s Syndrome. That’s not a cheap slam, I’m serious.
Well, guess what, a lot of people do. Minivans are a shrinking market. CUVs are growing, and since the purpose of a company is to make money, getting out of the minivan market and into full-size CUVs is a good move.
BTW, the caps lock key is not cruise control for “cool”.
Reading between the lines, I think Mr. Farago’s telling us that the MKT is a must-buy….
Although, I gotta agree with review.
Havent’ driven the car. And I’m no fan of crossovers (or SUVS) generally. But, that said, I have to disagree with the statements on styling here. It seems like nearly everyone complains about the “me too” jellybeans clogging our highways, but they freak out if any car maker dares to design some personality and character in their cars. I like the new Lincoln grills that harken back to the old Zephyrs and Continentals. For a different view entirely, see this: http://www.examiner.com/examiner/x-6882-Classic-Autos-Examiner~y2009m10d16-How-Lincoln-got-its-groove-back-Classic-styling-clever-engineering-and-branding-unity
It is not that Ford did not try, repeatedly, and Failed, miserably, to develop and sell a minivan.
After repeated and disastrous (financially) failures, (Aerostar, Windstar, Freestar, and other mediocre to god-awful non-Stars), they just surrendered, not snubbed, the Minivan market. to set the record straight. And so did GM.
Ford currently is doing OK beause they recognized their own incompetence and replaced their management with an OUTSIDER CEO from Boeing. THAT, and not their largely boring vehicles, saved them, so far.
Lincolns sell for almost twice their equivalent Fords, and are much uglier. How can Lincoln hope to survive?
The Original Taurus was indeed a home run and saved the severely troubled FOrd in the mid-80s. I know people who bought the stock then and did well. Today’s obese new Taurus is an expensive, low-volume vehicle. Ford itself plans to make only 100,000 of them, instead of the 400,000 and the huge profits the original Taurus had.
Today’s home runs with 400,000 and 450,000 sales a year are boring Camrys and Accords.
i was gonna flame this Lincoln too, but it looks like I will be shut down by the Lincoln PR rep, Jamie1.
The new Taurus isn’t meant to have the same sales as the old one. It has the same name but it has moved into a different class (full size vs. mid-size). It competes with the Avalon, not the Camry.
The present day equivalent of the ’80s Taurus in the Fusion.
Ford currently is doing OK beause they recognized their own incompetence and replaced their management with an OUTSIDER CEO from Boeing. THAT, and not their largely boring vehicles, saved them, so far.
Again, incorrect. Ford makes money from selling cars not from hiring a new CEO. Mulally has done many great things but he would be the first to admit he can’t do everything. The ‘largely boring vehicles’ that you erroneously refer to are the same ones that have grown Ford’s market share for 11 of the last 12 months. Mulally has brought to Ford a focus on making use of its assets around the world. That is, and will be, his legacy. Interestingly, he found that the management at Ford was of a very high quality – that is why the people at the top of the company now are largely the exact same people that were there when he took over. Quite a contrast to the other US manufacturers and even Toyota.
By the way, it is ‘because’ not ‘beause’ – can you not at least turn the spell check on?
Wow. I get that the car is polarizing. But to the point that it hinders your ability to render anything approaching a rational evaluation, that’s REALLY polarizing.
I’ve driven the car. Smells fine. Must have had different leather. Interior bears a strong resemblance to other 2010 Lincolns, the MKZ and MKS particularly. The second row is the best I’ve ever experienced, in ANYTHING. If you want to pamper more than one passenger, I don’t see any competition at all. Cool toys too.
More importantly, it drives fine. Great, even. Well composed, plenty quick, corners without drama; RSC intervenes a little sooner than I’d like, though. One forgets that it weighs over 5,000 lbs pretty quickly.
Overall, I think it’s probably the most competent American station wagon ever. And no, I didn’t like the way it looks initially. It’s growing on me, though, like a lot of newer designs have a tendency to do.
Been a Lincoln fan ever since I was a young’un and my parents had a Mark IV, and then a Mark V in the 70’s…tufted leather, opera windows, etc. talk about pimp my ride!
Those 70’s Marks may have been land whales in size/weight, but unfortunately, this thing takes the whale thing too literally in appearance…looks like a 20 ft. humpback hit with an ugly stick.
I think Ford was trying too hard in an attempt to differentiate it from the Flex, and just went overboard. Scaled down a bit (or exucuted more artfully), the grill, retro tailgate and horizontal lights in back and side profile could have been attractive (or at least not hideous).
Where they should have gone ALL OUT was the interior, as the Flex is already has a pretty well outfitted there. Doesn’t look like they went far enough upgrading the MKT’s interior…it’s different, but no more posh, than the Flex’s.
Uglier styling, comparable interior luxury and a higher pricetag do not make a winner for Lincoln…just sad.
Wow. The site censors are certainly busy deleting comments such as this one:
“This is one of the most poorly written pieces of journalism it has ever been my misfortune to read.”
Come on Farago, if you’re going to trash Ford engineers for not thinking you can at least take the time to make an editing pass through your article, and run spell check. You should be embarrassed by the grade school errors in your writing. Sloppy writing indicates sloppy thinking, and reflects poorly on your journalistic integrity.
jamie1 :
You have no clue, if you think that Mullaly, with his defensive anticipatory measures, did not save Ford from becoming another gigantic GM-like Welfare QUeen.
]
I am not interested in wasting any more time reading your clueless attacks, But for full dicslosure,
Please Reveal any conflicts of Interest. Are you a FORD EMPLOYEE? Or at least a Ford Stockholder? (LOL). ANd note that wishful thinking alone did not save the Titanic.
PS as you can see, I purposely left a few typos for you to gloat about, Miss (or is it Ms) Editor Person. But you can resat assured that I have always been an effortlessly very good speller in any language I speak, incl those far more difficult to spell than English.
Great review, but I must be a little nit-picky. If you’re going to paraphrase that great Strother Martin line from Cool Hand Luke in your synopsis of the interior (i.e. “What we have is a failure to luxuriate”), please leave the ‘a’ out of it. If Strother had added an ‘a’ to his line, it wouldn’t have had the same impact:
“What we’ve got here … is failure to communicate”
Not one of the Current Lincolns is even remotely attractive. They are unnecessarily Obese and ugly. They look bloated, even if they do not have such a god-awful grille as this monkey has. They are overpriced and they do not even have a V8. The Ecoboost is great if it proves reliable, but Luxury car buyers of Domestic vehicles will not easily pay $50k or more for something that does not even have a healthy big v8 underneath.