At my office, four of us frequently go to lunch together. The four cars are a BMW 535i, a BMW X5, an Acura MDX, and my Lincoln MKS. As we head out the door, it’s the MKS that everyone walks to. All my co-workers admit that the car is more comfortable and roomier… Particularly when more than two people are traveling. The 535i has a back seat that is virtually unusable and requires the front passenger to move the seat up so that the rear passenger can extricate his feet from underneath the seat.

I’m not saying that the MKS is without flaws… But this car has an incredible number of positive factors. Some readers seem to belittle Sync. But compare Sync to IDrive? I’ll take Sync any day of the week. Much easier. Not to mention safer! As for confirming commands, this seems to happen when the system is unsure of the response. My wife’s voice seldom elicits this response. The additional time required to wait to respond is often the result of the system spooling up more options. For example, choosing a particular type of restaurant may be delayed if the search produces a long list of local restaurants.

Speaking of IDrive… I also love the fact that the MKS provides both voice commands and traditional buttons and knobs. While voice commands work great for certain features such as navigation and the phone, pushing a pre-set button is certainly the way to go when changing radio stations.

The MKS’ standard 3.7 L engine is certainly peppy enough. I agree with Paul that it is too noisy. Any engine noise at all should be limited to perhaps a throaty exhaust not the clatter of mechanical parts. Considering what this car is trying to be… The engine should be made quieter.

I hope the new Ford has the vision to develop this car and not let it languish too long. The Lincoln LS was another great idea that Ford failed to update and improve. This car is a very good car that could become a great one. Another mistake that Ford makes to set too high a price on performance. Ford predicted that 80% of their cars at some future date would have the EcoBoost engine. I notice that Ford now says 80% will be AVAILABLE with EcoBoost. This option is over-priced.

Scott Monty
Global Digital Communications
The Ford Story
@ScottMonty

Many thanks

Matt

EcoBoost engine sounds like a blast! I can’t wait. I was supposed to have a looksie at the 2010 Taurus SHO that is going to have the same engine but I believe I was out of the state when that was scheduled.

Thanks!

Mark Schirmer
Lincoln Mercury Communications Manager

Thanks for the very thorough & honest review of the MKS. The communications manager for Lincoln has seen the post and I know he’s going to leave you a comment. Stay tuned!

Scott Monty
Global Digital Communications
Ford Motor Company
@ScottMonty

Since you were asked to write this review I hope that Ford is listening and would love for them to engage in the conversation here.

You’re a young professional and being that they’ve given you this car to review I would assume that their hoping that it would strike a chord with your age-range, but all-in-all it feels like a big miss. I want to like it, being that I own the MKZ, and I think it has some curb appeal, but when I was right next to it at the dealer there was nothing calling to saying “This will be your next car.”

When I think of luxury cars for our age range (though, sadly, I may be outside of that range) I think of something that feels and looks much lighter despite it’s actual weight. I think of RWD/AWD and a peppy V6 or a V8 with an exhaust note that growls when pushed. I think of tech toys, keyfobs, and little details that I point out to my friends every time they get in the car. Now, every time a girl gets in my car she points to the analog clock and says “Oh, I like that”. While Lincoln may have hit some of that with the STUNNING THX sound system, they’re just not there yet all around, but I want them to be…

Ok, enough thread highjacking, but I’m a car guy, and can’t help myself. :)

This was definitely an epic review…I have no idea how long it took to assemble with nearly fifty photos, but you did a great job (nice use of the perspective crop in Photoshop also)!

I’ve got mixed feelings on the braking/weight/acceleration of the MKS. Keeping in mind that the MKS isn’t designed to compete with the ~1 ton cars I day dream about, the MKS has enough grunt to get you from your house in the burbs to the downtown office all while insulating you from the outside world. Stripping out the AWD drivetrain and dropping in the 3.5L EcoBoost in a longitudinal arrangement will help drop weight and cost while boosting performance. All that is left is fixing that horrific front grill and adding some real brakes. Like a boat, the MKS takes half a mile to come to a full stop.