On the Road
You start the 2009 Lincoln MKS with a push button (naturally; no upscale car uses a simple key anymore), and the 3.7-liter V-6 springs to life with a pleasing rasp. Pull the gearshift lever into Drive, and you're off: there are no shifter paddles or other newfangled gearchanging devices here, but MKS owners can make the best of the 3.7-liter V-6 and its six-speed automatic transmission by sliding the gearshift lever to the right, thus engaging the SelectShift mode which allows you to push forward to downshift and pull back to upshift. Thus engaged, the 3.7-liter V-6 eagerly races to its redline and provides strong acceleration and linear power, even if it's not particularly scintillating. In manual mode, the gearshift lever bangs against its stops as you push it back and forth, which sounds and feels a little cheap, but you quickly learn not to move it through its full range of motion. The V-6 is certainly a good engine, but the MKS doesn't even have as much power as, say, the new Nissan Maxima, let alone the V-6 version of the new Hyundai Genesis. Premium cars require premium powertrains, so the EcoBoost twin-turbo V-6 cannot come soon enough.
The MKS delivers a firm, well-controlled ride that will be somewhat of a surprise for Lincoln owners who are accustomed to the pillow ride of the Town Car and the last-generation Continental. Steering effort is not too high for traditional buyers, though, and the steering is precise if not overly communicative. When presented with an open stretch of twisty road, you can choose the SelectShift mode and have a reasonably entertaining romp, but there's no hiding the MKS's substantial curb weight of 4127 pounds in front-wheel-drive form; all-wheel drive adds about 150 pounds. The brake pedal is too mushy when you're really stomping on it, although it's fine in normal usage. And although ride comfort as a whole is quite good, the twenty-inch wheels on our test car could not effectively squelch freeway expansion joints. We imagine most people will be better served by the nineteen-inch wheel-and-tire package.
The cabin is well-insulated from road noise, and the seats are comfortable and supportive. However, the headrest of the driver's seat is pitched forward a bit too far, and this takes some getting used to. One presumes that it was done in an effort to provide head and neck support in case of a collision, but there must be a better solution. The rear seats are fairly roomy, also, and the sightlines from the front seats are good.
Pricing and Fuel Economy
In front-wheel-drive form, the MKS is rated at 17/24 mpg city/highway. Our all-wheel-drive test car was rated at 16/23 mpg but returned only 18.2 mpg during our 170-mile test drive loop, which admittedly was a combination of two-lane roads, city streets, and freeways, including stop-and-go rush-hour traffic driving into Washington, D.C. The MKS starts at about $38,000, and our fully loaded all-wheel-drive test model was priced at $46,070, including destination. ...next page >>