Edmunds dealer partner, Bayway Leasing, is now offering transparent lease deals via these forums. Click here to see the latest vehicles!
Popular New Cars
Popular Used Sedans
Popular Used SUVs
Popular Used Pickup Trucks
Popular Used Hatchbacks
Popular Used Minivans
Popular Used Coupes
Popular Used Wagons
Comments
The MKS had a somewhat bouncy ride, but better than my Azera. I did not detect a pronounced body roll as Edmunds reported, but there was a little.
The Genesis rode much rougher than either the MKS or my 07 Azera, but was not as bouncy as the Azera with brand new L460 shocks. This was on all three road types. The dash and console of the Genesis are much more impressive, especially with black leather instead of the brown. The MKS is larger inside and feels it. Even cruising at about 40 MPH, the Genesis was very harsh over moderate pavement irregularities. It was much worse than either the MKS or my Azera and had the feeling that if I pushed it hard on straights or curves, it would start heaving and wallowing severely.
I agree with Car & Driver and Automobile magazine that Hyundai needs to revisit the suspension on the Genesis.
the Genesis was $5,000 cheaper than the MKS and had better power.
The MKS performance was OK, except when you had to accelerate uphill to enter the interstate, it took more pressure on the gas pedal to get up to speed. The wood trim on the MKS impressed me much more than the leather on the Genesis.
I checked the gauge this time and it had a quarter of a tank. I did not notice the fuel gauge the other time.
For what Ford is asking for this car and what they expect it to do for Lincoln, they need to make it a little better. The dash/knobs/buttons could be improved to comparable with Genesis, Acura, Infiniti, etc. They just do not look that good. Edmunds edititors referred to them as too Fordish switchgear. Add some color to the dash and console. If you get the darker wood trim, it really is monochromatic.
Top Speed Review of the 2009 Lincoln MKS
With the current economic situation and with it to be going on for sometimes to come, all bets are off. Sales projections, modification projects, and other growth elements are on hold. Your statement tells me that the production cut backs explains why in the Detroit area a dealer only has a few MKS on the lots is any at all. Numbers are all over the chart now and nothing can be seen. This situation may be for sometime (5-6 years) to come. To sun it up, there was an article in the Sunday Detroit Free Press about the Ford Flex. The headline said “The Flex, great vehicle bad timing.”
You seem bent on instant success of failure on a product. True it has happened in the past but the pattern again is time. If the MKS outsells the others fine, but if it does, it won’t be this years or next. Maybe on it’s third years and forward. If the marketing teams are on the ball, they should have new commercials that point out the advantages of the MKS over its competitors. The last time I checked, Consumer Reports still had not fully tested the car yet. My purchase of the MKS is based upon my history with Ford and Lincolns. You are right the Flex is a vehicle you got to love or hate. I guess the experts got together and figured out that if they can make money from the ones who love it, then they may get the others over in time. I could see a fleet of taxi flex in a large city then maybe it will grow from there, who knows what those guys were thinking at the time.
The Taurus X may be the teaser car that they plan to slowly bring down to get people to move over to the Flex. Price and quality mean different thing to different people. The quality of the MKS has not yet been proven at this stage, so the numbers aren’t there. Throw in this economic situation and your guess (point of the quality) is just as good as anyone’s. Ford had proven to the critics that they could make a luxury vehicle (the LS) cheaper. The MKS has received many favorable comments, though not perfect; it may make it mark as well. Personally I like having a quality cheaper vehicle that few others have. The MKZ started out as the Zephyr and it took some time for that market to grow and in truth it was the foundation for the MKS and MKR concept. So for now lets give it time and see what happens. As far as president, I believe anyone who would want the job in this mess needs their head examined.
You seem bent on instant success of failure on a product. True it has happened in the past but the pattern again is time. If the MKS outsells the others fine, but if it does, it won’t be this years or next. Maybe on it’s third years and forward. If the marketing teams are on the ball, they should have new commercials that point out the advantages of the MKS over its competitors. The last time I checked, Consumer Reports still had not fully tested the car yet. My purchase of the MKS is based upon my history with Ford and Lincolns. You are right the Flex is a vehicle you got to love or hate. I guess the experts got together and figured out that if they can make money from the ones who love it, then they may get the others over in time. I could see a fleet of taxi flex in a large city then maybe it will grow from there, who knows what those guys were thinking at the time.
The Taurus X may be the teaser car that they plan to slowly bring down to get people to move over to the Flex. Price and quality mean different thing to different people. The quality of the MKS has not yet been proven at this stage, so the numbers aren’t there. Throw in this economic situation and your guess (point of the quality) is just as good as anyone’s. Ford had proven to the critics that they could make a luxury vehicle (the LS) cheaper. The MKS has received many favorable comments, though not perfect; it may make it mark as well. Personally I like having a quality cheaper vehicle that few others have. The MKZ started out as the Zephyr and it took some time for that market to grow and in truth it was the foundation for the MKS and MKR concept. So for now lets give it time and see what happens. As far as president, I believe anyone who would want the job in this mess needs their head examined.
And your source for this is what? Motor Trend and Rumor Mills? Or do you have inside knowledge? I don't but I do know that you can't trust a lot of what's being reported because most of it is speculation (pun intended) based on limited comments from company executives that are being misintepreted.
As for me - my Ford sources are current and former Ford employees on several websites - public and private. I don't know why I have to explain that to you or what difference it makes, but if it makes you feel better......
People buy BMWs for 2 reasons - prestige and performance, in that order. The MKS has neither. It's a luxury sedan and Lincoln is still trying to build prestige. And people don't buy these types of cars based on price.
Here's the OTHER side to your sales coin: the MKS which has only been available for a couple of months, outsold the Lexus GS, Audi A6, Infiniti M35/45, Cadillac CTS and Jag XF. Please explain that.
You give Ford too much credit, The Taurus X is the Freestyle with a different grill and upgraded engine. Ford thought the conservative station wagon crossover would sell, and when it didn't thought giving it a more distinctive grill and a bit more power would juice sales. It was not one of their better ideas.
They then scrambled to get the Flex to market. Meanwhile, the X is still a very new design and it would be dumb to just dump it without giving it some more time for additional sales. And of course the Flex, a polarizing design that the X should have had (had Ford had any real thinking people in charge), arrived just at the wrong time. Besides, Ford is hardly the only company that has several crossovers for sale in the same showroom.
This mishmash within the American Ford brands, Lincoln included, is just ludicrous, but again hardly a Ford exclusive. Meanwhile the more integrated and better designed European Fords are still at least two years away. I wouldn't bet on the survical of an independent Ford--or the Lincoln brand at all.
The only Lincoln dealer in about six counties of a large SMSA only has one MKS and has sold everyone that came in within a week or so. On the other hand, he also sells Genesis' and those are beginning to build up.
The inventory of Lexus LS 460's in this area is really building up, so much so that they are now offering as much as $8,000 off whereas the normal discount is $2,000.
The only cars selling now are economy cars and even very few of those due to the credit crisis, the financial crisis and the fear that most people have about what is going to happen.
I took some phone pictures of certain areas at http://www.me.com/gallery/#100013. You can down load them to take a closer peek if you wish. Some things to note:
When I started the car the first time, the gas indicator computer said that it was 409 miles before E, but to get it to that point, you had to fill it to the brim. When I filled it up again, I got it up to 398 miles. Yes, I understand it will vary.
They sticker shows the cost of operating (gas cost) was estimated at $4.10 a gallon at $3,227 bucks a year. The lowest price I have seen in my area was $2.85 a gallon. Lucky me for now (till next summer when gas will hit $10 bucks a gallon).
I ordered the wood package and even though I wished they had done the center console, it still looks nice and accents the doors well with the wood on the dash. The rear doors are done as well.
I also order the 20-inch high polished rims for this car. There is a cost for that because you feel it a little more on bumpy roads. It is not much, but depending on the bump, it can be noticeable. Warning, they are supposing to come out with some chrome rims. My dealership said that if they do not come on the vehicle, do not order them as an accessory. The cost for the transfer to chrome is just not worth it.
I did order an additional key bob, wheels locks, and the MKS weather floor mats. I was not impressed with the floor mats and I believe an off market brand would be better.
I am still learning all the features of the navigational package but I have learned quite a bit already. You can also dial on the screen to any number you wish. The gas price feature is cool also, but remember not all gas stations participate.
I will have to agree the operational buttons in the center console are kinda small. For those who work on a laptop most of the day you may not notice the difference. Others, it may take a little getting use of the difference.
Trunk is deep and the opening does question what you can put it in. More on that down the road.
On the highway I was impressed with that 3.7 engine. It moves and does not play. It is very quite inside and sometime I had to struggle to hear the engine. On the flip side the 20-inch rims really give you control on the road. I believe it really assist on the responsiveness side.
Even though I ordered the ultimate package and everything, the rear shade cover was not on this vehicle. I do not know why at this time.
I have not done the Ipod thing yet and used the hard drive (other than installing my phone book) so I will provide more on this later. I will say the large screen is nice and the rear camera is great also when backing up. I did find myself struggling to trust it and looking at the mirrors mostly and using the camera as a double check.
Well that’s it for now, If you have any questions, I will do my best to answer them for you. Thanks All :shades: :shades:
I feel very badly for this brand. 10 years ago, it was poised to really make waves. Now, we have to wonder if it will survive. Sad. People in control in almost all arenas (not just cars) made some very bad moves in th epast decade, and apparently learned nothing from the dot.com downturn and Worldcom and Enron. Ford made it through the depression. I hope they can do it again.
The Lexus is twice the money the MKS is - of course it's better made. But IMO, the MKS is a good car for the money, and very pleasing to drive.
More HP and better fuel economy than the 3.7 base engine - if true, the Ecoboost can't get here soon enough.
Maybe they could change the MKS to Continental or Mark ??
OH MAN, I wish they would...., or Cosmopolitan, or Premier, or........
Currently I have a MKS with AWD and it is running between 18.3 and 18.6 in the city. I can see an ecoboost 3.5 doing about 19-21 tops if that.
Direct Injection should help FE somewhat and the fact that the Ecoboost is slightly smaller in displacement could also help. I would not be shocked to see EPA ratings better on the Ecoboost 3.5 than on the base 3.7. I guess we wait and see.
"Estimated fuel economy for the MKS with an Ecoboost engine is 25 mpg on the highway. This is only 2 mpg better than the current 3.7-liter V-6 with all-wheel drive, but there is also an extra 67 horsepower under the hood. An all-wheel drive STS with a V-8 is rated at 22 mpg on the highway, and the all-wheel drive Infiniti M45 is rated at 20 mpg. "
kickingtires blog entry
Interesting when you call or visit a dealer and ask about MKS, you have to repeat it a couple of times so they do not think you are talking about one of the other MK's.
Still, I like the car better than I do it's competitors even if it is underpowered in some circumstances.
Drive the MKS back to back with an STS, RL, or ES350 and it just feels lethargic in comparison. There is also a bit more of a labored sound to the engine than I find acceptable in this class. For those who don't care about that, the MKS base engine is fine.
Sounds like it's working as designed. :confuse:
Underpowered implies having to step on the gas all the time just to get adequate performance. Sounds like it is adequate but you both would simply prefer a bit more power.
Some magazine reviews have even stated it is underpowered. Wish it wasn't so because I think it is an excellent car otherwise. Bit pricey for an American car compared to Japanese and Korean competitors though.
If you only have to go > 50% throttle every once in a while and when you do the performance is there, I don't call that underpowered. The fact that you don't like to drive that way just means that you prefer more power, which is fine.
I'm not saying it couldn't USE more power, especially when compared to the competition, I just don't agree with saying the power level is inadequate.
This is one of the more negative reviews I have read.
Also, I think many people would love the remote start in the winter so they don't have to scrape ice of a cold windshield before they can begin driving. If you leave the front defrost on when you last get out of the car at night, you can have the heater clear your windshield for you, with out stepping outside. Or at least warm up the glass so the ice comes right off, instead of having to chip away at it for 5 minutes.