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.

MFD makes it to my first Media day, with Lincoln

So, MFD has made it to "media" status. I went down to Manhattan to see Lincoln's latest offerings. The MKZ ( major refresh ) and MKT ( new ) And this is the line of Lincolns waiting to whisk us away to the Queens Botanical Gardens. Manny, our driver, was a veteran of traffic roads and very likable. There were about 24 members of the media, digital and print, some of whom I've heard of. Actually, I was shocked to be sitting two chairs from Jerry Flint of Forbes Magazine. A man who I've read with admiration and used as material here on MFD many times. There were no other names that jumped out at me, but I did meet a very nice young man from Rides and 0-60 magazines, who was my co-driver.
Once out to Queens, we were given access to engineers and marketing people who've working so hard to re-invent Lincoln. Detailed presentations and then access individually. I was impressed by Dan, the Engineer behind EcoBoost. I'm sorry to say I do not remember his last name, but we had an interesting discussion about the future of EcoBoost, no I didn't get any scoops, but I did bounce some ideas off him to see what reaction I'd get. The entire Lincoln team were outstanding. Once we were fed and satisfied we had picked their brains to our satisfaction, we were teamed up and set loose with a car and directions. Think scavenger hunt or rally, 2 drivers, one car, a varied route and and let's not forget the toll money. I started off in the MKZ taking first turn behind the wheel, then my co-driver took over after our first stop. It was nice talking to him and getting a journalist' view of different subjects. We both agreed that since I'm not traditional media and not dependent on advertising dollars from the manufacturers I am free to rant and rave as I will.
It was a long day and very educational. Not just about the cars, but about "automotive journalist" also. Now I'm not going to reveal the name of the journalist or who they write for, but I was gobsmacked by the following exchange.

I was sitting at a table with some prominent journalists and there were two pistons on the table as props. Along comes a journalist who sits down and picks one up, then asks "what's this?" I thought they were just pulling my leg, since I'm not a professional so I replied jokingly that I thought it was an ashtray. This person looked at me blankly and I realized it wasn't a joke. I proceeded to explain that what this "automotive journalist" was holding was a piston. This is not a joke. A person who writes professionally about the auto industry and vehicles didn't know she was holding a piston. I wonder if she realized there was a row of turbo chargers on a rack labeled EcoBoost? Maybe she thought it was modern art or complimentary hair driers.

If you email me, I'll tell you what site this person writes for.

Lincoln MKZ review

So, today MFD made it to the big time, actually snagging an invite to a manufacturer's presentation for the media. And here's my first impressions of the Lincoln MKZ, formerly Zephyr. While I thought the Zephyr was a better name, the new MKZ is a better car.

24 media types, including little old me, were given the keys and set loose with Lincoln's "entry level" offering.
And let's just start off with this, the new MKZ goes way beyond just a mid-cycle refresh.

To puncuate that there was a 2009 MKZ right there for side by side comparision. And while the old MKZ was already nice, the changes are subtle and startling at the same time. And entirely new front clip, which allowed powertrain engineers to retune the engine, as a result of improved under hood heat management. And it also lowers the cd from .34 to .32. For you non-technical types, like me, that means it slips throgh the air just that much better. And it looks so much meaner too!
And there's little that feels "entry level" inside either. All of the interior panels are completely new. Nice soft touch materials, new guages with a very nice lighting feature. Of course the guage cluster moves with the wheel, which means that anyone, no matter how tall or short ( like me ) can see the speedo and set up a comfortable driving position.
A very clean center stack with reasonably easy HVAC and Audio controls, flows int a very useful center console. Everything felt just right. It was easy to set the power seat, mirrors and wheel for any driver. The seats were very supportive and comfortable. Our travels brought us from Queens Botanical Garden through bumper to bumper traffic, then up to quaint Westchester villages on a mix of highway and twisty back roads.
The navigation screen, which I needed for some of these winding county lanes, was at the perfect height for viewing, with no problems viewing, no matter which way the sun was shining.

Overall, I'd say the MKZ was a fun drive, but comfortable enough to shuttle grandma or the kids anywhere. I was satisfied with the power of the V-6, even without EcoBoost. And while I'm usually a shift for myself kind of guy, I was impressed with the automatic's smooth seemless shift and lack of hunting. It's what you'd expect in the class. And about this point I'd be begging for a nice 6 speed manual, but I could live with this. Not only that I could enjoy it.

MyFordDreams to drive new Lincolns?

No, I didn't win the lottery and plan to buy a bunch of new cars, but I did get an email inviting me to an event next week, where I'll be able to drive the new Lincoln MKZ, MKT and maybe the MKS? Maybe I didn't make FoMoCo angry with my last couple of posts. I'm waiting for confirmation, but so far 2 emails and I have date/time/location and outline of events.
If I did win the lottery, the MKZ would be my new daily driver, that's how much this car has impressed me. I liked the Zephyr name better, but what's in a name.

The MKT intrigues me, it's the city cousin of the Flex and when I saw it at the Javits Center in April, I had to admit it looks sharp. I don't have the need for something this big, but it's nice.

So, let's see where this goes, if I get a confirmation and the proverbial "golden ticket" to actually see, feel and drive these. Maybe they'll realize who I am at the last minute and bar the doors.

But I've been fairly good to Lincoln and have only beat up on Ford for the Mustang and Ranger.

Of course my pointing out the obvious about Mercury can't help.

Check this page next week for updates, MyFordDreams may actually be treated like "digital media" instead of deranged stalker.