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
1. 5 - 2,927
2. E - 2,264
3. MKS - 1,958
4. M - 1,186
5. S80 - 844
6. GS - 721
7. A6/S6 - 717
8. STS - 630
9. RL - 234
10. 9-5 - 111
It is a buyer's market right now but I am waiting for the Ecoboost. My LS will turn 10 years old in May and I would like to celebrate by replacing it! It has been an excellent car, though. Until the Ecoboost MKS arrives, there really isn't another Ford product that I like as well.
As for a replacement for the LS, if I wanted the same size, nimbleness, etc., I would have bought a 2006 LS a couple of years ago at a low-ball price . I am ready for a larger, somewhat softer and more luxurious car than a CTS. The MKS suits me fine except for the current mundane engine. About the only thing I don't like about the interior is the low-rent looking console and center stack. The aftermarket has products to fix that, though.
Why did I buy this car? Check out the bang you get for the buck.
-the 12 position front seats adjustments, I love the high seating position which is similar
to a SUV or mini van and give you a commanding view of the road. So much more
comfortable on long trips then having to sit low with your legs stretched out.
-the 8” high resolution navigation system screen (that can be adjusted on the run),
-the Microsoft SYNC (voice recognition system) that allows you to perform many
operations such as operating the navigation, audio, phone, media, climate, display and
voice settings by speaking certain commands rather then being distracted by having to
move the control knobs, buttons or touch the screen.
-the Bluetooth feature that connects to two different cell phones and includes connection
to both phones’ contact lists. So all you have to do is say the contact name
using the SYNC system and it will call the number,
-the superb THX audio system,
-the high resolution wide angle rearview camera system,
-the forward and reverse parking sensing system,
-the auto high beams,
-the adaptive headlamps that move the beams in the same direction as the steering wheel,
-the rain sensing wiper system,
-the dual panel moon roofs,
-the front heating and cooling front seats,
-the headed rear seats
-and the wrap around lower door sills that keep your pant legs clean when you exit or
enter your car in muddy or snowy weather,
-the softest leather seats you can find and much-much more.
-a surprise bonus is getting 27mpg on REGULAR gas when driving at 74mph on the
freeway and using the Adaptive Cruise Control. The Adaptive Cruise Control is an
option a person might not add to their purchase but something they would find is one of
the best features in the MKS. For those not familiar with this option it is much like
normal cruise control, only this radar based system is designed to automatically adjust
your speed to maintain a proper distance between you and the vehicle in front of you in
the same lane.
Compare this fully loaded luxury sedan to the other manufactures comparable models that offer similar space, similar features and then compare the price of ownership considering they all run on premium fuel. (Examples: MB E350 - $66,000+, BMW 535i - $67,000+, Caddy STS V6 - $56,000+, Infinity M35 - $56,000+ and the Lexus LS460 - $70,000+) and higher insurance rates. Next drive them before you make up your mind. Don't reject the Lincoln MKS because of what you read from people’s comments since in most cases they have never even sat in one much less driven it. As for the test drive articles in many magazines the main complaint appears to be the fact that the MKS falls short on horsepower and lacks the firmness at high speeds on winding back roads or on a track. Although it may fall a bit short in horsepower against some of its European and Japanese luxury competitors it has more torque in most cases for passing on highways or entering a freeway. To me this is more significant then pickup from a stop light. Though it might lean more at high speed on winding roads you can’t complain about its ride at sensible speeds on all types of roads.
They did the best they could given the platform limitations. It's not where they want to take Lincoln - Mulally already said so - but it takes a lot of cash for new platforms and they can't afford that right now.
There is NO import car that competes with the MKS in the same size and price point. For the same price you get a smaller vehicle with less features. For the same size and features you'll pay at least $10K more.
It's a well executed vehicle with only a few minor complaints - gauges and center stack come to mind.
They'll get there - but it will take a few more years.
And if Ford doesn't survive, Lincoln doesn't survive. That's why Mulally has focused on mainstream Ford vehicles first. Ford needs to be profitable in the U.S. before it can afford to develop an all new world class RWD platform for Lincoln.
Ford has the management team in place to make that happen and as long as the economy doesn't get worse Ford will be fine.
Why not look at the positives? The MKS has the highest quality interior, the most technological features including AWD and the most power (340 hp in a few months) of any Lincoln in the last 30 years. Seems like a huge step in the right direction to me.
It's quite simple - to build the car you want requires a new, sophisticated, expensive RWD platform that simply doesn't exist right now. Lincoln has plans to build it but first they have to get through this economic crisis. What more can they possibly do RIGHT NOW?
Yet as long as man is the source there will always be imperfections. Like beauty this is all in the eyes of the beholder. For example some say the pickup on the MKS is lacking. Others say due to the transmission design it is fine, while others are waiting on the ecoboost looking for speed. My old man use to tell me that the latest is not necessary the greatest, and what may seemed to be out dated, may still serve its purpose just fine. With all the latest computer languages that are used today, many banks still use the old language of Cobol due to its stability and low support cost. So the incorporation of the old and new in this vehicle was a balancing act indeed.
I have never seen the perfect car no matter what the cost. Like everything else it is a percentage decision. There are some things I do not like about the MKS, but my percentage of likes was higher than my dislikes, hence I purchased the vehicle. As we nick pick from out own worlds, lets take a moment to appreciate the overall intent of the engineers and designers for their effort to create a product towards the satisfaction of all no matter how impossible it would have been from jump street.
What does Hyundai have with the Genesis that Ford didn't? A new RWD platform.
We all agree that Ford should have developed a world class RWD platform years ago, but they didn't. In the meantime, the MKS is a very good vehicle, although not perfect.
Right now there is NO cash rebate on the MKS - only employee pricing plus 0% for 36 months with normal interest for 48 months and longer. That's a little over $1600 in incentives from Ford not counting 0% which most people can't take anyway. It doesn't matter to Ford how much the dealer discounts the vehicle off MSRP.
And if those aren't the right vehicles to compare, please post the ones that should be used and their November sales.
Because it requires a totally different front clip design and different transmission/transaxle setup. The D3 platform was already setup for AWD and could easily be modified to handle 340 hp. If they were going to the trouble of changing the engine orientation they might as well just make a new RWD platform.
Why doesn't Lincoln have the same sophisticated awd system as Acura or for that matter Audi? And It doesn't matter if the MKS is a larger car. It's not that hard to modify a system for other use. Why not have a full time awd option?
Ford's AWD system is not the same as the Volvo system. Ford's system can transfer up to 100% of the torque to the rear wheels by computer based on throttle and steering inputs BEFORE any slip occurs. This is a big advantage over the Volvo Haldex system especially in performance driving. I'm not saying it's better than Audi's system - quattro is pretty sophisticated - but it's no slouch either.
And the MKS does have a full time AWD system - it operates all the time. If you're talking about being able to lock the torque split front and rear then that's 4WD and you don't need that on a luxury sedan.
Does the DTS have 340 hp? AWD? Keyless start? Securicode keyless entry? Manumatic shifting? The DTS has less than 300 hp and gets 15/23. The Ecoboost MKS will have at least 340 hp with AWD and get better FE than the NA 3.7L model which is already best in class at 17/24. And the MKS has to handle better.
And you do know that a lot of the DTS sales are fleet - right?
I find it hard to believe that many people who are trying to decide between the Lincoln and the Caddy are going to be comparing individual features. A lot is image. And a lot is style. I've always considered the Lincoln a luxury car. But I've always wanted a Cadillac. The MKS looks great from the front, ho-hum from the back, and like about 5 other (cheaper) cars from the side. The interior looks to be the size of a STS (and there's a car you probably wouldn't want to put the MKS up against feature for feature) which is to say confining. And though at first glance the MKS interior looks great, on closer examination it doesn't look quite as lux, though it is an interesting contrast: 2009 exterior, 1970 interior. I think the car was a nice first effort. But personally I'm a bit disappointed in the overall package.
As for Sync - it's not Vista and it doesn't control the car. I hate Microsoft as much as you do, but if there was no sticker and nobody told you then you wouldn't know it was MS. It works great outside of some early USB hardware problems and phone incompatibilities (neither of which was the software's fault).
The AWD A6 is a lot more expensive than an AWD MKS, even though it's smaller.
Again - Ford is getting the most out of the platform they had. They've already updated the front clip to handle more torque, redone the rear suspension which also made it to the flex and updated the AWD system. It's just not cost effective to do anything else when they need a GRWD platform anyway.
When the 340 hp version appears go drive it and then tell us what's wrong with it. Or do you only like to do paper comparisons?
The sensors and electric steering are already there. All it required was additional software to use the sensors and operate the steering. And a button.
The base price for a S550 4matic is $92K. Why would you expect a car costing half as much to be just as good?
Thanks
A few 2008 Taurus owners have mentioned this and the fix is apparently to lube the strut bushings. Someone said their was a TSB on it but I can't confirm that. In any case, it would be a simple fix and it might be the same issue with your MKS. You could ask your dealer.
As for snow build-up, I imagine the tire/wheel combination is the same or very similar overall diameter regardless of whether one has the 19 or 20 inch wheels.
This is the one I have been waiting for. The Ecoboost engine will finally make the MKS something special - at least from my perspective. Based on some of the pics I have seen on various sites, they have addressed the cheap looking console/center stack, too. There are also some new colors for 2010.