2010 Lincoln MKT First Drive

The 2010 Lincoln MKT three-row crossover is significant for which of the following reasons.

1. It is something like the sixth new or significantly updated Lincoln model to be introduced in the last year, including the face-lifted MKZ sedan, the big MKS sedan, the MK ULTRA, the MC5 and also the MkII.



2. The MKT is the first Lincoln to be designed from scratch using Peter Horbury's new Lincoln styling language. (That Horbury departed Ford/Lincoln promptly after the MKT was designed to head Volvo design, again, is neither here nor there.)



3. The MKT will offer the so-called EcoBoost V6, a twin-turbo, direct-injection, all-singing, all-dancing engine that Ford Motor Company has been promoting as its performance-making, CO2-reducing messiah for a number of years now.

Don't answer. They're all (pretty much) the right answer. And beyond all that baggage, the MKT isn't too bad to drive either.

Progress Perspective
We drove the 2010 Lincoln MKT EcoBoost recently at Ford's proving grounds in Romeo, Michigan, and let's get something out of the way right now. The twin-turbo V6 does not make a V8 redundant — at least not all V8s. Neither does the three-row crossover replace all conventional SUVs.

But, based on our drive and our frequently reliable sense of logic, a high percentage of people will be better off in a crossover with a relatively fuel-efficient engine than they would be in a truck. And if the truck in question happens to be the unibrow-having, harmonica-faced Navigator, then the MKT's case is all the stronger. (Incidentally, the 'Gator isn't going away from the Lincoln lineup, since the Ford Expedition on which it is based isn't going away, and — oh yeah — it's the vehicle with the highest profit margin at Lincoln.)

Green With Boost
The EcoBoost V6, which will be optional for the MKT that goes on sale late this summer and will see application in a wide range of Ford and Lincoln models, is a smooth and punchy thing. The MKT, on the other hand, is a large and lardy thing. It has everything, including all-wheel drive, a navigation system, a power-operated liftgate and even a refrigerator, so it tips the scales just two suitcases short of 5,000 pounds.

When we're buzzing around Ford's high-speed oval test track at about 90 mph, the MKT is easily capable of keeping that pace in a strong headwind. No big deal? OK. But when we floor it at 90 mph, the MKT has the beans to ram its large amount of frontal area through the wall of air and actually pull surprisingly hard past 100 mph. This is evidence that 355 horsepower, the EcoBoost's power peak, is, well, 355 hp.

We drop the MKT to about 45 mph for a slightly more real-world acceleration test. We floor it until we hit about 80 mph. The $60,000 Audi Q7 4.2 that Ford has rented for humiliation purposes cannot keep up in this test of midrange torque. We note that Ford has chosen its competitor carefully, bringing out the slowpoke of the German luxury big three. But, OK, point taken.

Fuelie
Ford still doesn't have final EPA fuel economy figures for the MKT, but it is claiming "at least 16 mpg city and at least 22 mpg highway." The real figures won't be in until June. If Ford follows the precedent of under-promising and over-delivering that it set with the Ford Fusion Hybrid, the MKT EcoBoost numbers will be better. Even at 16 mpg city/22 mpg highway, the MKT EcoBoost would be more fuel-efficient than any other three-row crossover. The normally aspirated 288-hp Buick Enclave matches its fuel economy, but otherwise you'd have to either get one of the diesel-powered German crossovers or give up on the third row of seats to find a real rival.

The MKT's greatest competition in this regard might just be the Ford Flex, which will also be offered with the EcoBoost engine, as it rides on the same suspension system and offers an interior nice enough to pass for a luxury-brand offering.

Bow Waves and Bustle-Backs
We leave to your eyes whether the daringly styled MKT is to your liking. We will say that with its face full of shiny teeth matched by a truncated rear end, the MKT is undeniably distinctive and looks nothing at all like the Flex on which it is based.

The concept that presaged the production MKT was a two-row vehicle, which allowed Horbury's design team to let the roof line plunge down in the rear. This strategy worked when the rear portion of the roof needed only to cover the cargo hold, but it's something of a problem when attempting to stuff humans under it. Because of laughably inadequate headroom (it has more than 5 fewer inches of headroom than a Flex), the MKT's third-row seat is as bad a joke as the third rows of all the other vehicles in its class — or worse.

We will say that the MKT's third row folds away deep into the cargo floor, minivanlike, which provides a nice low load floor with the seats folded and a deep cargo well behind the third row when it's erect.

The Lincoln People Mover
Beyond the powertrain and styling, the Lincoln's similarities to the Ford Flex become a bit more obvious. Or at least they do if you happen to have driven both of them, as we have. Your average shopper might not realize that the MKT he's just test-driven feels quite similar to the Flex.

The two vehicles ride on the same 117.9-inch wheelbase and use the same strut-type front suspension and multilink rear suspension, and they both have essentially the same tuning. Compared to the entry-level, front-wheel-drive MKT and Flex models with their normally aspirated engines, the EcoBoost version carries stiffer springs, but the same antiroll bars. Either way, it offers a nice compromise between a comfortable ride and responsive handling — less stiff-legged than the Audi, but with very agreeable roll control. It's nice.

Our only dynamic complaint after this early drive is that the electronically boosted steering system is super light and has a large dead zone around center. This likely won't bother experienced Lincoln drivers at all. But anyone coming out of a German vehicle will find it disconcerting.

Contributing to the sense of smoothness is the relative quietness of the MKT. Ford has been on something of a holy crusade against noise of late, and the MKT benefits greatly from this, as do the Flex and MKS. Among other measures, Lincoln has added relatively thick rear door glass and an acoustic laminated windshield and front side glass to help quell wind noise. The company claims that the MKT is as quiet as or quieter than the Audi Q7 or Acura MDX in this regard. Our test, which took part entirely on Ford's proving grounds, was certainly not on neutral ground, so we'll save final judgment on this claim until we get a real production vehicle on roads of our choosing.

We're also holding back on any comments regarding the apparent quality of the interior because the vehicles we drove were pre-production units. We can say that if Lincoln is able to match the quality feel of the Ford Flex (and it should, right?), then the MKT will certainly be well ahead of potential domestic competitors such as the Buick Enclave and Jeep Commander. The Flex's straightforward rectilinear interior design is more to our liking perhaps, but the MKT's more flowing look is plenty likable. And the MKT has one thing that the Flex never can — a telescoping steering column.

My Kingdom for a Horse
So what's three rows of Lincoln-ness worth (or two-and-a-half rows anyway)? Well, Lincoln will find out soon enough. The company plans to charge $49,995 (including destination) for the full-on 2010 Lincoln MKT with EcoBoost. That's no small amount of money. And the MKT has no shortage of competitors struggling to find customers in a down market.

But the MKT EcoBoost does at least come with a list of standard equipment so long it borders on the absurd. It includes: all-wheel drive (standard MKTs can be had as front-drivers), foglamps, HID headlamps with auto high beams, 20-inch polished wheels, wood interior trim, three-zone automatic climate control, an auto-dimming rearview mirror, a power liftgate, premium leather upholstery on the first- and second-row seats, Sync, remote keyless entry, a sharp 8-inch touchscreen and a reverse sensing system. The small second-row refrigerator ($895), adaptive cruise control ($1,295) and active parking assist, which pretty effectively parallel parks the beast for you ($595), head a relatively short list of options.

The list of competitive three-row crossovers in the luxury segment is nearly as long as the MKT's equipment list though. The MKT EcoBoost is a nearly unique proposition nevertheless partly because of its styling but also because it's tucked in the space between the Buick Enclave (which even in high trim level starts about $10,000 less) and the Germans (which cost at least $10,000 more with a decent level of equipment).

So what's a Lincoln worth? We figure that as long as no one notices how similar the silhouette of the 2010 Lincoln MKT is to that woefully unpopular loaf of bread, the Mercedes-Benz R-Class, then it's got a shot.

Edmunds attended a manufacturer-sponsored event, to which selected members of the press were invited, to facilitate this report.