Lincoln MKZ: Test Drives
The 2007 Lincoln MKZ is Pimp !!!!!!!!! I just test drove one today in ATL during a outdoor Lincoln test drive event. I test drove a Silver FWD fully loaded MKZ and I have to say that car is Pimp. The MKZ had plenty of punch. The funny thing was the sales lady sitting in the back seat kept trying to tell me it was a AWD version but I kept telling her I have never driven an AWD car with the kind of punch.
If the driver pushes down on the accelerator about 1/4 inch the MKZ will easily jump about 10 MPH just like that. Even when the MKZ is going up a hill. The interior of MKZ is wonderful. It is, one of the most comfortable cars I've ever been in. The front seats have so much room. Even for my 6'3" frame with the seat pulled all the way back. I had to bring the steering wheel towards me so I could comfortable reach the wheel. While at the same time the lady in the back seat had plenty of room in the back seat. I know somebody who has a 99 Town car and that MKZ put's that car to shame. The test drive lasted about 15 minutes as the lady guided me around downtown ATL.
I went over some pretty nasty pot holes and the MKZ soaked up the holes like they weren't even there. Also, some genius left the A/C seats on full blast and I froze my butt off. I couldn't figure out why I was so cold but I didn't have the main car A/C on. Also, the MKZ had 0 torque steer. Maybe some people might find some if they are doing 100 MPH, but during the drive the MKZ was as straight as an arrow under hard acceleration.
Now I can fully understand what people are talking about when they complain about the wide turning radius. It is way to wide !!! During the test drive I had to do a U turn in a gas station to return the car to the mall. The radius was so wide I had to stop; back up; turn the wheels and complete the turn in order to complete the U-turn. Well that's might be a small detail. I know if I was in my old Escort I could have made that turn no problem.
At the end of the drive the lady showed me the trunk and it was a lot bigger than I thought it was going to be. I really really think that Lincoln has a hit on there hands and I think they've got a winner. All I have to say is I had my heart set on the Fusion/Milan I might have to save a few extra pennies and get a MKZ. If the MKZ cannot impress people enough to make them think that Lincoln can run with Lexus I do not know what will. MKZ is a wonderful car. One would have to be a complete fool to not seriously look at this car. And to make things even better The MKZ is $100 cheaper than the Zephyr
If the driver pushes down on the accelerator about 1/4 inch the MKZ will easily jump about 10 MPH just like that. Even when the MKZ is going up a hill. The interior of MKZ is wonderful. It is, one of the most comfortable cars I've ever been in. The front seats have so much room. Even for my 6'3" frame with the seat pulled all the way back. I had to bring the steering wheel towards me so I could comfortable reach the wheel. While at the same time the lady in the back seat had plenty of room in the back seat. I know somebody who has a 99 Town car and that MKZ put's that car to shame. The test drive lasted about 15 minutes as the lady guided me around downtown ATL.
I went over some pretty nasty pot holes and the MKZ soaked up the holes like they weren't even there. Also, some genius left the A/C seats on full blast and I froze my butt off. I couldn't figure out why I was so cold but I didn't have the main car A/C on. Also, the MKZ had 0 torque steer. Maybe some people might find some if they are doing 100 MPH, but during the drive the MKZ was as straight as an arrow under hard acceleration.
Now I can fully understand what people are talking about when they complain about the wide turning radius. It is way to wide !!! During the test drive I had to do a U turn in a gas station to return the car to the mall. The radius was so wide I had to stop; back up; turn the wheels and complete the turn in order to complete the U-turn. Well that's might be a small detail. I know if I was in my old Escort I could have made that turn no problem.
At the end of the drive the lady showed me the trunk and it was a lot bigger than I thought it was going to be. I really really think that Lincoln has a hit on there hands and I think they've got a winner. All I have to say is I had my heart set on the Fusion/Milan I might have to save a few extra pennies and get a MKZ. If the MKZ cannot impress people enough to make them think that Lincoln can run with Lexus I do not know what will. MKZ is a wonderful car. One would have to be a complete fool to not seriously look at this car. And to make things even better The MKZ is $100 cheaper than the Zephyr
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Comments
The MKZ FWD model starts at $29,890 without heated seats. That the MKZ is only a few hundred more than the Zephyr is great news, especially given the better engine. Not much of an increase, but still an increase.
NVH? Excellent except on rough surface aggregate paved roads but still light-years better than the larger Avalon SLR and even the Lucerne CLX-8.
Gas mileage...Uh! Next subject!. I only got 24 mpg(below the 27mpg advetised) on fairly flat roads keeping it between 55 and 65...I did gun it a few times up to 90 mph. Third, it's got all the bells buttons and chimes you could hope for. Conclusion: It seems to be a great bachelor/couple car. If you are a larger family, go to the last old Merc Grand Marquis LS 2007..like driving your living room and Ford is practically giving them away this Fall.
And your Lincoln purchase may be a smart move, if you love the car and plan to keep it a long while. But as re-sale is already showing, the Lexus will net a person thousands more on re-sale, even many years later. So part of it is how much you want to lay out. If you really want to save some $$, consider a loaded AWD Milan--same basic shape, nice interior, almost as much exclusivity and better mileage.
Rocky
Rocky
Even though it had better leather than a Fusion or Milan, the interior has a lot of cheapness to it. The steering wheel and buttons looked and felt cheap. I actually scraped my hand on the wheel when the edge of part of it spun during a u-turn.
The satin-look plastic metal trim all around the car looked cheap. A fully loaded 2WD MKZ at around $38K is not competitive in refinement with other cars of that price range (ES350, new G35 etc.). It is only competitive on paper where you can say it has "X" and "Y" feature on a checklist of feautures.
The MKZ dashboard seemed way too high even when I raised the seat to the point where my head was touching the ceiling. It just didn't drive that nicely at all. Very awkward and old feeling.
I then drove a V6 Milan that was optioned to a $23K price point and that at least seemed like it would be somewhat competitive with a Camry of the same price range except for fuel economy (4 cylinder).
I drove a loaded RWD MKZ for 3-4 hours. Getting to 90 MPH on the interstate was fast and easy--although I noticed 0-35 was kind of pokey. 35-90 very , very fast. Little or no wind or road noise-even at the high speeds. Handling was better than average. For highway driving-I'd give it a solid A-, especially with the wonderful THX stereo cranked up. What a fantastic sound system (even satisfied my 14 year old's need for deep, deep bass!).
I liked it almost as much around town. Quiet, smooth, and fairly comfortable. But please, please change the Tilt/Telescope wheel to power. I'm 6'3", and while I can find a reasonably comfortable position behind the wheel--power would help a lot. Another BIG issue around town--the nearly 40 ft. turning radius--only car I've drive that's as bad--Volvo's S60.. it's almost bad enough to make me take the car off of my list. Parking this car is not fun.
Heated and cooled seats are nice. Not the most comfortable--but good. The 10-way power passenger seat is nice and rear seat room is a nice compromise between the Lexus ES-350 and Toyota Avalon. Another bonus, the rear seats fold flat--expanding an already generously sized trunk.
My test drive was in a car with the light tan interior--my wife hated it--she also hated the retro-looking dash. It's large and very high. I didn't mind it at all-but the black interior is much more attractive.
All of the controls are easy to reach and work well. The afore-mentioned sound/NAV system is exceptionally well designed-a pleasure to use.
Over all the MKZ is very, very good car. But is it good enough to compete with the ES-350, Toyota Avalon, BMW 3 and/5? Maybe--but probably not until next year. A few more refinements (Bluetooth integration, power tilt/swivel, auto trunk open/close, window shades, etc..) and it will be there.
For me it makes my buying decision very difficult--I had narrowed my considerable list to just a few 2005 530i, 2007 Avalon Touring, 2007 ES-350--now, before I part with $30k+ I'm going to have to seriously consider the MKZ.