30 Minutes with the 2007 Lincoln MKX
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Recently we had the opportunity to spend some time behind the wheel of the new 2007 Lincoln MKX crossover. This is a critical vehicle to the brand as it works to establish credibility and build brand equity in the luxury crossover market against competitors such as the Lexus RX and Infiniti FX.
Driving the heaviest model available -- laden with AWD, Vista Roof, etc. -- initial impressions with the powertrain are very positive. The 3.5-liter V6 is smooth until pressed into high rpm duty, where it gets a little raspy. The engine is complimented by an excellent six-speed automatic transmission that provides reasonable acceleration from a standstill, holding the lower gears to prevent premature up shifts. Without the constant up-and-down hunting sometimes experienced with an automatic, this gearbox feels almost intuitive in its ability to be in the right gear at the right time. A request for more acceleration is quickly addressed with a downshift from sixth to fourth or even third when necessary.
Follow the jump for the rest of our driving impressions and some official photos from the MKX press kit.
From the driver's seat, the MKX is very inviting. The driving position from the supportive bucket seats provides a good view of the road, giving the driver a sensation of sitting in the vehicle and not on it. Interior tactile surface materials, while not up to Audi standards, have improved, but for a vehicle that stickers in the mid-$40K range these surfaces could exude a bit more luxury and a little less cost-consciousness. The gigantic Vista Roof transforms the entire roof into glass, with a sliding front and a fixed rear panel and power sliding sunshades. Most controls are simple and easy to use, but the climate control and seat heating/cooling buttons are very thin and located at the bottom of the center stack, making them difficult to operate without taking your eyes off of the road. The vehicle we drove was also equipped with the award-winning navigation system shared with the MKZ, and it works well. Equipped with a 6.5" touchscreen and clearly marked controls, it took us straight to our multiple destinations, even when we forced it to re-route several times.
Dynamically, the MKX is quite adept, and it feels like Lincoln has found a reasonable middle ground compared to some of its competitors. You certainly won't win any trophies at your local SCCA autocross event, but the MKX provides a comfortable, controlled ride and absorbs road imperfections without disrupting stability. Not quite as luxurious as the Lexus, but not nearly as firm as the Infiniti FX, it never felt like we had to chase the vehicle on the road, even as speeds increased or road conditions worsened.
Overall, first impressions during this short drive were very good, We have a full road test scheduled in the near future and will be sure to post a full In the Autoblog Garage review then.
LINCOLN MKX OFFICIAL PHOTOS:
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Phil 4:55PM (11/18/2006)
It should sell more than the Aviator did!!!
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Submachine 5:50PM (11/18/2006)
When all the pretty official exterior photos are shot from BELOW the car, you know there are some goofy angles in this thing when viewing in real life.
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the friendly grizzly 5:27PM (11/18/2006)
Did the Aviator even sell? Seriously: I have seen fewer of those than I have seen of Blackwoods or (fill in name of whatever the Lincoln calls their F150).
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RC 5:29PM (11/18/2006)
looks very very nice, hopefully they got all the bugs out and the launch will be successful for ford.
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Tommy 6:31PM (11/18/2006)
WHy is it that Ford/Lincoln does not get the simplets thing. Why not add a tiptronic tranny, or somethign that allows you to manually shift gears. To many that is what makes or breaks the deal.
Also, the wheels look afwully small and the steering wheel is HUGE! even without driving the car, I can see that it will not be "fun to drive"
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BOB 6:58PM (11/18/2006)
LOOKS GOOD -- Of course, you cannot go out and buy one, because the Edge and this are off sale pending some kind of fix, as of the last I read.
The picky comments: Hey, I can make those too, but I am not the target audience for the car. Drivers wanting large wheels and Tiptronics are not part of the target either.
Does it hit the mark? I think it looks good, and might take some sales from the overstyled, "ladies' car" Lexus, which is looking tired, although an excellent car. Lincoln does not have to sell a ton of them to do better than they did with the Aviator (shrunken Navigator, sold a deep discounts).
Here is a vehicle with a Lincoln badge that moms and dads can buy -- you dont have to be retired or a rapper.
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Tommy 7:03PM (11/18/2006)
#6
a retired man would never buy it because it looks too featuristick.
A rapper would never buy it, because it looks like crap
DOnt even try to compare an american car to a lexus, which holds its resale value. Lincoln, as most of us know, loses its value very rapidly. So after, say, a year two years of oftership it will depreciate 50%, while a lexus will depreciate only 10-20%.
what's the "target audience" in your opinion then? since, according to you, old people will not drive it, and young people who know what tiptronic is will go with something else? Mark my words - this car will not sell, and ford will end up going belly up
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Jackson 7:06PM (11/18/2006)
What the hell are you talking about the steering wheel looks big? Having to really reach now to find things to bash on new Fords heh? Since when do "many" people look for manual shifting? After all, this is just a crossover were talking about...
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Jackson 7:14PM (11/18/2006)
Don't even try to compare an American car to an import? I think somebody is a afraid that a certain domestic company, or a few, in the near future may be retaking the top spot.
Imports hold a higher resale value? Sucks to be a misinformed and biased imbecile that is arrogant enough to pay more than a used car is worth from an even more arrogant imbecile that over paid for the vehicle as new.
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Tommy 7:25PM (11/18/2006)
#9... tha'ts why you drive a fuckin shevy and I drive an Infinity... it's the only diffrence.
I get real wood, you get cheap plastiks.
I paid 37k for mine... you got yours for 6k with 80,000 miles.... goood shit buddy...good shit
just because you cant afford a foreign car, doesnt mean you can bash it.
and ford will never retake the market...
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Jay 7:40PM (11/18/2006)
Tommy, you're a moron. You drive an Infiniti and you can't spell it right? You're either monumentally stupid or you're lying. I'll bet you drive a clapped-out rustbucket automatic Sentra with over 200,000 miles that you got from your older sister. It's probably purple.
Putz.
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Jackson 7:49PM (11/18/2006)
#10...
#1- I do not own a Chevy, I do not happen to care for Chevys either.
#2- Infinitys are fugly cars, just because it is expensive, doesn't mean it looks good.
#3- I did not pay $6,000 for my car, nor were there 80,000 miles on it.
#4- I can afford a foreign car, but I chose not to purchase one.
#5- Yes, I can bash all I want.
#6- You get wood off of a car? Come on man, that's disgusting.
#7- GM and Ford used to think the same way, and look where they are, Toyota/Honda/Nissan will all get theirs someday.
So you did an excellent job of proving my point of import buyers being misinformed, biased, arrogant imbeciles that get suckered and brainwashed into over paying for a car.
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Sue ESponte 7:58PM (11/18/2006)
The design is a marginal improvement over that of the new Navigator (which means that its marginally better than a piece of !@#%).
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the dude 8:09PM (11/18/2006)
A purple 92 sentra re-badged as an INFINTI. C'mon tommyboy, lets see some pics!
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doug 8:47PM (11/18/2006)
Whew !! This immature little "tommy" boy needs his big mouth washed out with soap.....
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Shawn704 9:22PM (11/18/2006)
I know the MKX and CX-9 share the same platform, but different targets, but why IMO, the CX-9 looks more luxurious?
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Andy 10:19PM (11/18/2006)
I prefer the Edge in looks and price.
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mike 10:17PM (11/18/2006)
Interior looks good except for the ugly blonde wood. Exterior is just butt nasty!! Lincoln is still trying to sell Fords with chrome. It wont work. Lincoln is just a joke now. They will not catch Caddy,Lexus etc with this junk!!
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MikeW 10:59PM (11/18/2006)
P R N D L, boy that looks fun!
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agl418 12:01AM (11/19/2006)
This is a nice looking crossover and I'm impressed with it and the new MKZ.
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