What's new
Loaded with potential
Graeme Fletcher, May 28, 2010
Ford is on a product tear at the moment: The Fiesta is going to turn the entry-car segment on its ear, as will the European Focus and an all-new compact SUV when they arrive. But what of the Lincoln side of the ledger? In many respects, its future has potential.
For instance, the gasoline turbocharged direct injection (GTDI) engine in the MKS sedan is a wonderful piece of engineering -- Ford's Eco-Boost technology is as good as it gets. In this case, the direct-injected, twin-turbo 3.5-litre V6 pushes no less than 355 horsepower, plus 350 pound-feet of torque at 1,500 rpm. To say the MKS is quick is an understatement; its zero-to-100-kilometres-an-hour time comes in at just 5.5 seconds. Yet, it can also be frugal if driven with a soft foot. I averaged 10.8 litres per 100 km during my test period, which surpassed my expectations.
The EcoBoost's power is relayed to the road through a good all-wheel-drive system and a six-speed manumatic. The all-wheel drive, when teamed with Ford's sophisticated AdvanceTrac stability control system, puts a stop to any unwanted wheelspin while adding a measure of stability to the drive. Mat the gas and the MKS just picks up its exaggerated side sills (part of the EcoBoost body kit) and runs like the wind.
The transmission works equally well, but with one flaw -- the manual mode. Paddle shifters were designed to keep the driver's hands on the wheel whenever shifting manually. But the MKS's system forces the driver to reach down and move the shift lever into the manual mode to activate the paddles. There is no logical reason for this. The world's sportiest brands leave the paddles active regardless of shifter position; Lincoln would be wise to do likewise.
As with the engine, the handling and ride quality is superb. The MKS is a large, heavy (1,940 kilograms) four-door, but one would not know it from the way it drives. The feel and feedback from the steering is great, the suspension is effectively damped and, thanks to the AWD system and large P245/45R20 tires, there are no discernible vices.
As for content, the good news is that the MKS comes loaded to the nines. The heated and cooled front seats are very accommodating and come with all the right power adjustments (two memory positions for the driver). Then there's stuff such as Sync and MyKey, both of which are industry-leading attributes. The tester also featured some pretty high-end options, including a two-panel sunroof, a fabulous 600-watt, THX-certified audio system that blasts its sweet sound through 16 speakers and a user-friendly navigation system. The bonus is that much of the stuff, including a cellphone, can be operated via voice control.
There's also a crash avoidance system that alerts the driver if he is closing in on another car too quickly by flashing a row of red lights and making a devil of a noise -- it frightened the living daylights out of me the first time it activated. The system borrows many of the sensors that make the active cruise control one of the best. All of this kit adds to the MKS's allure as a luxury car.
Want more? No problem. The car's ability to park itself without having to jump through the extraordinarily complex hoops demanded by Lexus is something Lincoln should brag about. Simply push a button and the system looks for a parallel parking space. The instant it finds one, it tells the driver to stop, select reverse and control the brake. Bingo, the MKS is parked in less time than it takes to read this. The system is so accomplished that it parks the car in a faster and more accurate manner than what many motorists, myself included, can achieve.
Cabin-wise, the MKS is one of the few cars capable of realistically accommodating three adults. The tester's rear seat also featured two-stage seat heaters. Aft of that sits an 18.7-cubic-foot trunk. Unfortunately, the opening is letter-box-like--wide, but with little height -- and the seats do not fold flat (there's only a small ski pass-through).
The downsides to the MKS are twofold. First, the toys add up very quickly indeed -- more than $12,000 on the test car. The second is found with some of the interior materials. The "ultimate leather" is great except that some of it is vinyl, oops, man-made. This leaves a less-than-upscale impression because it's in one's face. The same applies to some of the other materials: The upper dash materials are good; the stuff on the centre console and door panels aren't. I was expecting more uniformity with the quality of the fixtures and fittings.
Am I being overly picky about the material choices given the MKS's fabulous ride, wonderful handling and an engine that's sweet and powerful without being hard on gas? Perhaps. But, my mother had a saying: "What the eye doesn't see, the heart doesn't grieve over."
Lincoln would do well to take this sage advice to heart.
Color Photo: Graeme Fletcher For National Post / Although heavy, the MKS more than compensates with a superb engine, coupled with terrific handling and ride quality.
