It is not often when I test a car that I have develop a love-hate relationship with it. The Lincoln MKZ is a vehicle, which I really enjoyed but it also had a few features that I really disliked.
My test car was the MKZ all-wheel-drive model, which came in real handy with the extremely cold, ice and snow conditions I encountered while driving the vehicle. All I can say is the car performed flawlessly, and was even equipped with performance tires. The MKZ’s all-wheel-drive system pulled me through with a confidence that was hard to match.
The heart of it all is a 3.7 L double overhead cam V6 with variable valve timing linked to a 6-speed automatic transmission. As you might suspect, paddle shifters were mounted to the steering wheel. Power output was more than enough with 300 hp and 277 lbs.ft. of torque, which scored well with a professional driver who tested the car.
Even on cold, dry pavement the MKZ was well planted and the active suspension system did a fine job of keeping the car level at all times, even hard cornering. And with snow, I could only break the rear section of the car lose for only a second or two.
Having the seating controls mounted to the side of the seat took some time to set right as there were so many controls, but once mastered the seats were very comfortable. Legroom in the rear was not that generous considering the size of the car. But, I have to say they were comfortable. Something that affected the rear seat room was the great trunk space; this cavernous area easily swallowed our weekly groceries and a bunch of very bulky paper items as well.
My only serious complaint with this Lincoln was the push-button gear change on the dash. Chrysler tried this in the late 1950s/early 1960s and drivers didn’t warm up to it then. The biggest problem was that you have to look at the dash to do any car movement. This becomes a real inconvenience when backing up, and after a week with the car I didn’t like it any less.
Despite the MKZ’s push-button gear change, the vehicle was a lot of fun to drive. Considering what comes standard on this car and how well it handles, the Lincoln MKZ is well worth looking at.
HIGHLIGHTS:
Base Price: $42,355 (AWD Tested)
Motor: 3.7L double overhead cam V6
Horsepower: 300 @ 6500 RPM
Torque: 277 @ 4000
Gearbox: 6-speed automatic
Layout: All-Wheel-Drive
Fuel Economy: 11.6 city/7.8 hwy (Litres/100K)