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 A
few months ago, I was in Dearborn, Michigan, for a
preview of the 2010 model year offerings from Ford, Lincoln and Mercury
dealerships, supposedly the "freshest" lineup in company history
since Henry rolled out his Model T, transforming the nature of the horsepower
that moved America from four-legged to four-wheeled.
That day at the Ford
Development Center, a layout of tracks and buildings that used to be called
the Dearborn Proving Grounds, included time to take several new vehicles
for laps around the various test tracks. I drove several cars, but had
driven the new Lincoln MKT from its parking spot to the starting line
when time for the exercise expired.
Twenty feet doesn't
provide much of a driving impression, but I knew at before too long the
MKT would find its way into the Phoenix press fleet, which it has.
First impression:
The MKT is a very handsome, very nicely designed crossover with three
rows of seating. Once upon a time, we'd have called it a three-row station
wagon and have marveled at its styling and capabilities. Of course, the
term "station wagon" has fallen from favor with automotive marketing
departments, which have come to favor "crossover" to describe
the category.
I digress: I love
station wagons, appreciate their versatility and practicality and wish
there were more on the road. As far as terminology that invokes negative
images in people's minds is concerned, does no one else think "cross
dresser" when he hears the term crossover?
Back on subject:
Call it a crossover or a station wagon, what comes as a real surprise
is that beneath that gorgeous and luxurious Lincoln sheetmetal and styling
is the chassis from the Ford Flex, that oh-so-boxy but oh-so-practical
wagon/crossover that Ford introduced as a 2009 model.
We who write about
automobiles often criticize automakers for what we call "badge engineering:"
taking a standard family vehicle, making a minimum of cosmetic modifications
and slapping on the badge from the company's luxury division - and at
the same time adding several thousand dollars on the Monroney sticker.
The most egregious
case occurred in the 1980s when the Cadillac rolled out the Cimarron,
a barely disguised Chevrolet Cavalier. It's much less of a stretch - and
thus much more acceptable -- to take a Toyota Camry, add leather and a
new customer-friendly dealership experience and call it the Lexus ES,
or to take, say, a Dodge Grand Caravan and gussie it up into a Chrysler
Town & Country.
But Ford finally
did the right thing, totally redesigning the exterior skin and making
significant enhancements to the interior accoutrements to turn the Edge
into the MKT. This is badge engineering at its best, and we hope it will
encourage other automakers to make similar styling changes between its
standard and luxury brands.
The 2010 Lincoln
MKT is very much a luxury vehicle. Standard equipment includes adaptive,
high-intensity-discharge headlamps; a "Vista" roof that comprises
two large glass panels; a power rear lift gate; leather-covered seating
for six, with 12-way power with lumbar control for both front seats, which
also are heated and cooled; 20-inch polished aluminum wheels; amazing
ambient interior lighting; tri-zone climate controls; heated exterior
mirrors with blind-spot warning technology; DVD-CD touch-screen audio
with Sync voice recognition and satellite radio; an array of airbags and
safety systems, including a backup camera.
Empowering the MKT
and its technology isn't a typical, big Lincoln V8 engine but Ford's new
EcoBoost V6, a twin-turbocharged, 3.5-liter V6 designed to provide the
power of a V8 and the fuel economy of a V6. You can get the MKT with a
3.7-liter, 268-horsepower normally aspirated V6 that's rated at 17 mpg
in town and 23 on the highway. Our all-wheel-drive version with the 3.5-liter
EcoBoost, which pumps out 355 hp and 350 pound-feet of torque, is rated
at 16 city and 22 highway in what is a large and heavy (between 4680 and
4924 pounds) vehicle.
 
By the way, by using
a pair of smaller turbochargers, engineers are able to eliminate the turbo
lag that used to make it feel as though the engine had an on/off switch:
stomp on the pedal, count to three and hang on because when the power
spooled up, you were in for a rocket ride.
But by using a pair
of turbos, there is no lag, only wonderfully linear power delivery, just
as in your typical V8.
And if you live at
elevation, there's the bonus benefit of the turbos helping to overcome
the usual power losses associated with driving in the mountains or even
on the mile-high western plateaus.
The 3.7 V6 version
starts at $44,200 in front-wheel drive and at $46,195 in all-wheel drive.
The EcoBoost model, which comes only in all-wheel-drive guise, starts
at $49,200.
Our test unit included
a $4,000 Elite package that includes voice-activated navigation, THX surround
sound system, power sliding glass for that panoramic roof and acoustic
door glass, as well as $1,890 for second-row bucket seats with a center
console that extends between them and includes a built-in refrigerator.
Add in destination and delivery charges and the bottom line is $55,885.
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