LINCOLN SUV HITS MARK FOR COMFORT
MKX crossover shows on a lengthy road trip why it will be an ideal ride for mature motorists
Spend eight straight hours in a vehicle and certain attributes take precedence over others, the primary one, as my wife and I discovered while on a late summer road trip to visit family in New England, being comfort. For me, it was about avoiding fatigue and a terminal case of “numb bum,” for the missus it was about finding a comfortable position so she could nap.
It was fortunate, then, that we were in the Lincoln MKX, FoMoCo’s upscale crossover, which just happened to boast a pair of 22-way multi-configurable, heated and ventilated seats that are among the best in the biz. We rolled into our planned overnight stay at the charming summer/winter playground of Stowe, Vt., if not exactly ready to run a marathon, at least not feeling that we had been pummelled by a pack of stampeding pachyderms. (Hey, when one is sneaking up on one’s senior years, full-body motion without aches or pains is not to be trivialized.) Said optional seats ($1,500) also come with something Ford calls Active Motion — a massage function, in other words — in the seat cushions to ease muscle fatigue. Glorious, I tell you, and worth every penny.
A total redesign last year put Lincoln’s mid-size, five-passenger MKX in a much better spot to compete in a hugely profitable but highly competitive segment that sees some 16 models fighting for sales dominance, the key players being the Lexus RX, Mercedes GLE, Cadillac XT5 and BMW X5.
Unlike cross-town rival Cadillac, which has successfully shown an ability to inject a genuine sports persona into some of its product line, Lincoln has stuck to its luxury roots, and in the case of the second-generation MKX, introducing what it calls “quiet luxury.” This standard, according to the brand, “combines thoughtful and elegant design with a safe, effortless ride and a warm, tailored experience.”
The MKX offers a choice of two engines: the standard 3.7-litre V6 (303 horsepower, 278 pound-feet of torque) and the available 2.7-L twin-turbocharged Ti-VCT EcoBoost V6 (335 hp, 380 lb-ft — on 93 octane gasoline).
The tester, fitted with the twin-spin V6, was a superb power plant for negotiating the undulating terrain of rural New York, Vermont, New Hampshire and Massachusetts, also delivering an entirely reasonable (for a 2,017-kilogram SUV) 9.2 litres per 100 kilometres, as indicated by the dashboard readout.
There are a couple of points to consider, though, before ticking the option box on this engine. Yes, the EcoBoost does offer about 10 per cent more power and a serious uptick in torque, which is better for towing, though both engines carry a maximum tow rating of 3,500 pounds. Yet that output takes a percentage drop if you don’t use or can’t find 93-octane gas in your area.
Which brings me to the second point. As fuel prices surged in the wake of hurricane Harvey’s pummelling of the Houston area, the discrepancy between 87 octane (which the base 3.7-L V6 takes) and the preferred 93 octane of the EcoBoost swelled to more than 50 cents a U.S. gallon (3.78 L). Finally, upgrading to the 2.7-L EcoBoost carries a price hike of more than $6,000 in Canada. Bottom line: Do the math before you decide you really want this engine.
Both engines are mated to a six-speed SelectShift automatic with a push-button shifter located on the dash to the right of the steering wheel. Just a trifle affected, if you’re asking, though it opens up and de-clutters the whole dash area. The MKX’s previously mentioned competition boast eight- or nine-speed automatics, yet the Lincoln’s sixspeed box didn’t seem particularly deficient for its lack of extra cogs. There was no thunking, clunking or hunting for the right gear as we roller-coastered our way through the states.
Unlike the U.S. market, which gets a front-wheel-drive model as standard, Canadian models only come with an all-wheel drivetrain.
Two of the MKX’s copious safety features stood out during the trip. Although I’m not a big fan of cruise control, the Lincoln’s adaptive system was extremely effective in operation and significantly reduced my fatigue level. It uses sensors to detect when traffic in front slows down, automatically reducing speed and then resuming cruising speed when the sensors detect traffic has cleared.
I was less enthused about the crossover’s lane-keeping aid, which has the steering wheel vibrating if the vehicle strays from its lane, which was OK, and will provide what Ford says is a “mild” steering input to “encourage” drivers to steer toward the centre of the lane. There’s nothing mild about it; it tugs and seriously deadens the feel of the steering. I turned it off.
Carrying an as-tested price of just under $67,000 (base price $52,100), the MKX displayed a full load of conveniences, safety and luxury appropriate to the Lincoln name. In addition to the comfy seats, soft-touch plastics, sumptuous leather and shiny trim bits all lent an air of posh to the crossover. And the 19-speaker Revel Ultima audio system made it sound as though Underground Garage’s Michael Des Barres (Channel 21 on SiriusXM) — with his plummy British accent — was riding shotgun.
To say my wife and daughter (who had flown into Boston to join us) did some shopping would be an understatement. So, it was fortunate the MKX’s cargo area was a generous 37.2 cubic feet behind the rear seats, or 68.8 with the back row folded flat.
Not everybody wants a sporty crossover, though many of those shopping the premium mid-size segment do, which means the MKX will never make it to the top of the sales chart. It strikes me as a mature vehicle for a mature audience, which is why the Lincoln brand is struggling to regain some of the dominance it
once had. Yet, for those wanting a “quieter” presence, one that stresses comfort over keen handling, as well as calm and an understated elegance, the MKX is a classy choice.