2012 Lincoln MKT Ecoboost 3.5L from North America
Summary:
Graceful
Faults:
A few things have gone wrong. One issue (albeit a small one) is a slight squeak in the panoramic roof. It happens over bumpy roads and gets moderately noisy when the temperature is very low (32f and below).
The last issue was a leak in the "power transfer unit" (AKA, transfer case). It had a slight burning oil odor because the leak was flinging fluid onto some of the exhaust parts. This was fixed under warranty.
General Comments:
I put over 25k miles on the car in about 1.5 years and it is VERY COMFORTABLE. The big torque from the Ecoboost engine allows you to maintain very low engine revs, and it gives you a sensation of gliding along, whether in town or the highway. The MKT is also VERY quick! So if you need to pass or merge quickly onto the road, you will have no problems doing so.
Aside from the performance and comfort, it can seat 5 adults fairly easily. The 3rd row is essentially child or "very small adult" only. Getting in and out of the 2nd row is easy, whereas the 3rd row can be a bit tricky if you didn't know exactly how to get the seats to fold up.
Gas mileage can be good if you're on the highway. I did a 7500 mile road trip and averaged just over 24 MPG. Granted this was probably 95% highway, I can generally average 18-20 MPG with 50/50 highway and city. There is no getting around the fact that it's a larger vehicle with a substantially powerful engine, whether it's a V6 or not. If you like to zip around, expect no better than 17 MPG.
Handling on the vehicle is solid. Sure it's not a Corvette, but for its size body roll is minimal, and the car can move quickly around corners with few issues. The Ecoboost's AWD is also very handy in the winter, and I've been in incredibly deep snow without issue. The AWD system isn't complicated, but it's functional.
Build quality seems to be good. Door panels are sturdy, interior trim doesn't rattle, and the seats have held up very nicely. I've only done brakes and oil changes, but in doing those I've seen no rust on the underbody or drivetrain components (despite being in the rust belt).
If you can get over the hearse comments, get one of these! I think it looks more like a crossover/wagon than the Flex (which looks like a short bus), and the overall experience with the vehicle has been great. Also be sure to get one with a Lincoln certified pre-owned warranty, because there are a lot of great features with that package.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 12th August, 2015
18th Aug 2015, 23:17
Yeah it is sad there isn't even a decent car left on the market for the limousine or livery service. The new XTS and MKS (their names are even ridiculous) look plain silly as limousines. Kind of reminds me of those awful executive limousines Cadillac made from the DeVille in the mid-80s. I was thinking after I saw a Tahoe and an Explorer in police service, there aren't hardly even any decent sedans left for police service today. It is really sad Detroit all but killed the big car. Personally I would love to still drive a big comfortable car with distinctive styling, but until Detroit comes back to its senses, I will drive Crossovers or SUVs.
14th Aug 2015, 04:53
Now that the Town Car is shamefully discontinued, the MKT is the closest thing to a full size Lincoln outside of the truck based lineup.