Lincoln’s Raises The Bar With The MKS
Lincoln debuts a worthy entry in the competitive mid-price luxury sedan segment.
Long a strong competitor in the luxury car segment, Lincoln gradually ceded its position to a number of established as well as upstart foreign brands, offering up a steady stream of badge-engineered Fords with top trim level. Ford management’s decision to concentrate on its other premium brands, namely Jaguar, Land Rover, Aston Martin and Volvo, decimated Lincoln product development, relegating the brand to second class status.
With all but Volvo now out of the way, Ford has redirected its attention to its American luxury car brand, bringing forth fresh new models featuring its latest design interpretation. Leading the way is the new MKS, a five passenger mid-price luxury sedan slotted between the midsize MKZ and the large, but ancient Town Car.
Sharing chassis architecture that underpins several Volvo, Ford and Mercury models, the heavily modified MKS features a beautiful, double-wing grille centered by the Lincoln badge. Crisp, adaptive Xenon headlights complete the front fascia, a declaration that Lincoln’s new design language has arrived.
Inside, the roomy and ultra-quiet cabin is attractively appointed featuring Bridge of Weir perforated leather seating that was first introduced in the 1956 Continental Mark II, as well as generous quantities of chrome, olive ash wood trim, and a smartly laid out center stack. SYNC, a voice-activated mobile phone and digital music system, is standard with optional dual panel moon roof and surround sound stereo system.
Under the hood, a 3.7L V6 is the only engine offered, soon to be joined by a 3.5L EcoBoost V6 which Ford says will join V8 power with V6 fuel economy. The current engine is strong, pumping out 275 horsepower and 270 ft.-lbs of torque. Paired with a six speed automatic transmission which can also operate in manual mode, the MKS runs on regular gasoline and delivers 17 mpg city/24 mpg highway.
Anti-lock disc brakes, stability control and side impact/side curtain airbags are among the standard safety features for the MKS. Trunk space is abundant, providing plentiful room to carry several sets of golf clubs.
Front wheel drive is standard, with all wheel drive optional. A fully-independent rear suspension absorbs road trauma with ease while comfortably carrying occupants on its sizable eighteen inch wheels. Steering and handling isn’t quite on the same level of its German counterparts, however the Lincoln MKS provides a ride similar to what Lexus delivers.
The 2009 Lincoln MKS is priced from $38,490, slightly higher for the all wheel drive model. This Spring, a redesigned MKZ debuts followed by the summer release of the seven passenger MKT crossover, three models that demonstrate that Ford is once again giving serious attention to its home grown luxury brand.
See Also — Lincoln Pins Revival On Luxury MKS Sedan
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