MM Test-Drive: 2017 Lincoln MKZ Hybrid

[mmcartalk]

IN A NUTSHELL: Competitive and (IMO) handsomely-styled, but quality of construction is not the best.

CLOSEST AMERICAN-MARKET COMPETITORS: Buick LaCrosse, Kia Cadenza, Lexus ES, Toyota Avalon, Acura RLX, Volvo S90, Hyundai Azera (I did not include any RWD vehicles in the class because the MKZ comes with standard FWD, though both the MKZ and some of the RWD competitors also offer AWD).


One of the features I signed up for at the D.C. Auto Show this year (besides some of the automotive trivia/quiz-events, loop-circuit test-drives outside the show, and the $50 Ford Test-Drive Mastercard offer at dealerships) was the Lincoln Test-Drive offer. This is similar to Ford's offer, except that, this year, Lincoln does not send out $75 pre-paid Mastercards like they used to.....they donate now, in your name, that same amount to your choice of one of some six or seven charities. That's fine with me.....if I can help out someone (or a legitimate needy group) with a test-drive..........let's do it.

And, of course, with Lincoln's Ford-Fusion-based, mid-sized MKZ sedan, now is a good time to sample one, both outside and behind the wheel. The MKZ line, for 2017, though not totally redesigned, has been given a significant mid-generation facelift that tosses out the old (and IMO awkward) wing-shaped grille for an almost identical version of the new Continental's classic front end. It also tosses out the old (and equally awkward) finger-slide electronic sensors on the lower-dash for some of the stereo and climate-control functions, which were a PITA on a bumpy road when your finger wasn't steady. In their place go more conventionally-designed chromed buttons/knobs/levers, though some of them are also not particularly well-marked or designed, either, and can be difficult to figure out at first. Out goes the old Ford/Lincoln MYTouch and SYNC systems (a major source of owner-complaints) for newly-designed ones somewhat more user-friendly, though still on the complex side for my tastes. New trim materials on the dash and door panels this year increase the interior plushness level some, though still some distance from the stunning new Continental's. The new partly-redesigned interior does look a little more plush than before on the surface, but, as with the compact MKC SUV, the MKZ's interior and doors seem to have a less-than-totally-solid feel to their construction. Even on the expensive, top-line, Black Label versions (which adds uniquely-styled interior trim patterns and special customer-perks), the interior, though nice-looking, doesn't quite have the carved-from-granite feel. The sharp seat bolsters on the Black Label versions are too narrow for big frames like mine....I just couldn't get comfortable in them (the optional 30-Way adjusters for the Continental's seats would have come in handy LOL). In addition to the interior and grille changes, Lincoln also claims to have reworked the suspension for better road manners (which is true...more on that below).

But, perhaps the biggest change for 2017 is under the hood, where, instead of a bread-and-butter, normally-aspirated V6, the engineers, on the upper-trim versions, fitted the Twin-Turbo 3.0L V6 with 400 (that's right....four hundred) HP, 400 ft-lbs, of torque, and AWD. This engine is also the top option on the new Continental, a substantially larger and heavier car. Base MKZ models, of course, continue with the ubiquitous 2.0L turbo in-line four, which itself is no slouch, though, of course, it is dwarfed by the new 3.0TT, and the MKZ Hybrid version remains, which IMO is a bargain because Lincoln does not charge any more for it than for equivalently-trimmed gas engine versions. Unlike Ford, Lincoln does not use the marketing term EcoBoost for their turbo engines (even though they are the same powerplants) because of the more refined, luxury-car image that Lincoln is trying to project. I personally wish, though (because I like this car and would consider one for a purchase), that Lincoln would do what some of its competitors do (and like on its own Continental) and offer a non-turbo V6, which IMO would fit this car perfectly.....sadly, they don't.

For the test-drive itself, the new 3.0TT was obviously a temptation, but the more practical streak in me felt that it was an excessive amount of power for a bread-and-butter Lincoln sedan of that size, and that it would probably find few actual buyers. (the classic rock/country song from the early 1970s also comes to mind...."Son, you're gonna drive me-to-drinking, if you don't stop driving that Hot-Rod Lincoln"). So, I chose a nice White Pearl Hybrid version, which combines the usual hybrid electric motor with an Atkinson-Cycle (for efficiency) version of the 2.0L four. The Hybrid version, as I mentioned earlier, is a bargain price....mine listed for around 46K, not bad at all for a luxury-hybrid sedan that size. The Hybrid, though, like most hybrids, (and unlike Kia's new Niro Hybrid, which I recently reviewed), comes with a CVT instead of the Niro's nice 6-speed conventional Select-Shift automatic. But the shift-buttons on the dash for the transmission (which recall the transmission push-buttons on 50s/60s Chrysler products) are, IMO, a big plus compared to the Lexus ES's zig-zag-pattern shift-lever and the Buick LaCrosse's annoying and confusing GM E-shifter.

Still, a lot of car for 46K....though the somewhat cheapish interior materials give one clue to the reason why.

On the road, the Hybrid has the usual engine start/stop systems at idle, power-flow-alternation between the two motors (you can watch that alternation in action on the video-screen if you set the screen up that way). The gas/electric couple/de-couple and idle/start systems work smoothly and seamlessly...smoother, IMO, than GM's much-boasted-about system that the new 2017 Buick LaCrosse uses for its gas V6. GM brags so much about that system that they don't even include an on/off switch for it, so you're stuck with it. There is enough power for sedate, moderate driving under most conditions, though this is clearly not the Hot Rod Lincoln from that old song. The Hybrid drivetrain has a very low noise level, even when the gas engine is running, and even on moderate acceleration.....the engineers have done a good job with noise control. They also have done a good job on controlling road and wind noise....part of what is expected on a luxury-brand sedan, though not all deliver on that promise.

Chassis-wise, of course, the MKZ is based on the highly-regarded Ford Fusion platform, though, in general, I was more impressed with the Fusion's road manners than than those of previous MKZ models I've sampled. This year (per Lincoln claims), the MKZ seems to offer a chassis/handling and ride-comfort level more worthy of the Lincoln nameplate. Ride comfort, even with low-profile 40-series tires, seemed fine most of the time, though I did not have the car on really bumpy roads most of the time, and tested it on minor-to-moderate bumps at most. Steering response was a little slower (perhaps because of the softer suspension this year) and there was some body roll, but well within what is expected in a car in this class. There is a driver-adjustable COMFORT/NORMAL/SPORT setting for the chassis....I couldn't feel much difference in any of the three modes, even though it is supposed to adjust both the suspension and steering-effort. The brake pedal has a nice feel to it.....most new hybrids today have lost the old, overly-touchy feel and too-quick response that regenerative braking systems used to have, just as it took engineers some years to work out the original overly-sensitive reactions of the original power-assisted drum brakes back in the 1950s and 60s. But the MKZ's brake pedal, like that of some other vehicles, was located too high and too far away from the gas pedal for quick, easy motion from gas to brake with big size-shoes like mine.

Overall, though, Lincoln gets a B+ on this latest mid-generation facelift of the MKZ...it competes well with most of its competitors (better than some of them), and the hybrid version, IMO, is a real bargain. It does need some work, though, in the solidness of a number of the interior materials (which look good but feel rather cheap), the solidness in how the doors close, more solid-feeling hardware on the exterior (such as the twin mirror-housings), better arrangement/labelling of some of the dash buttons/controls, and in the mounting of the brake pedal. Other than that....nice job, Lincoln.


And, as Always, Happy-Car-Shopping.

MM