Lincoln MKT driven and admired

So, last week your humble blogger was among several that were given a First Drive of the new Lincoln MKT. Is it a wagon, is it a truck? It's Lincoln's answer to the high fuel costs of the Navigator and Escalade, as well as competition for Acura MDX and Audi Q7.
And Lincoln has done their homework. I'm not a fan of big SUVs and I'm a huge fan of Station Wagons, so I'm impressed and overwhelmed by the MKT.

Impressed with the quality feel and level of luxury that is everywhere in this people mover.

From the wood accents to the soft touch dash materials and the butter leather interior.

Also impressed with the EcoBoost V6's 355 hp and Kansas flat torque curve. I didn't bother the with steering wheel paddle shifters, didn't need to, since the new 6 speed automatic shifted smoothly and never hunted for gears no matter the driving situation. Our half day in the new Lincoln took us on almost every type of road you could imagine and at one point I was going to complain about the slight body roll I experienced around tight twisty country two lanes, until I realized that I was doing almost twice the posted speed limit. This is a big vehicle, cavernouse interior and a substantial pressence on the road, but never did it feel like a truck.

I haven't received the promissed images from Lincoln's marketing folks, but luckily I had my trusty digital camera. So I can show you a glimpse of the cabin. But you need to sit in it to really appreciate the luxury and comfort. I couldn't find anything not to like. All the usual tech gear and automatic everything of course.

Between the Syn and largest Nav screen in class, this is a tech junky's playground.

But even non-tech people will appreciate and be able to use all their toys.

The USB port for your flash drive, MP3 player or my suggestion a portable hard drive, is at the bottom of the center console, which is as big as the boot on my little Mazda.

The DVD screens for the kids allow you to play the same movie on all screens or 2 different movies with headset connections. And the soccer team will have easy access to the third row, especially if you opt for the elecric self folding middle seats. Back strain will be a fond memory for many reason, including the power liftgate and easy load height. A totally flat load floor in 7 seat configuration makes hauling large loads easy as pie.

Try as I did, I couldn't find anything to hate about this. I personally have no use for all the room, but I'm calling my buddy with the Navigator and telling him that he needs this.

I almost forgot the 20 mpg we averaged during our half day and that's with two heavy footed drivers who really wanted to find fault in the worst way. I was really happy with two of the colors offered as well, the burgundy on top and this very nice blue. I drove a black MKT as well.

I'd love to hate this, but after driving it I just can't.