I got a chance to test drive Lincoln’s all new MKZ Hybrid Luxury Vehicle all around New York City. To be honest, I’ve never driven a Lincoln before and I always thought the brand was for, how do I say it, the generation ahead of mine. I will say, the style and perks with the all new MKZ were a pleasant surprise. See my thoughts below.
Likes:
Body
I was very intrigued by the style of the MKZ. It is slightly aggressive, yet refined. It also has “the car next door” look to it which means it is slightly unassuming. I think the style fits quite nicely because you don’t reek of pretentiousness after you open the car door to step out. One is also pleasantly surprised when he takes a peek inside to find leather seats and a smartly laid out dash.
“Smart Gauge”
This really came in handy as I drove around. It’s almost like an app for making sure you are being as fuel efficient as possible at all times. It literally delivers real time information on how much electricity vs fuel you are using. I could take a quick glance at the dashboard and make certain decisions based on that information to help ease the pain the next time I went to the gas station.
Fuel Efficiency
41 MPG! I didn’t try my luck and drive all the gas out – but I believe that number. After driving for a while I never felt anxious about how much fuel was left. If anything, I started to get maniacal about checking how much energy I was saving over on the battery meter on the Smart Gauge. This is a huge factor and can’t be understated especially with gas hitting around 4 bucks a gallon.
Sync
Not a huge amount to say here other than the fact that I really liked how simple it was to sync my mobile device to the car. I also synced my music and contacts to the car’s onboard memory and I could immediately call the last person who called me or who I had called. I could dial anyone I needed to or command my playlists – all via voice control.
Dislikes:
Lack of Opulence
So you remember earlier on in this post how I said “you don’t reek of pretentiousness when you open the car door?” Well, I kinda wish I did – just a little. Inside was very nice, don’t get me wrong, but I felt almost guilty about how down to earth the car was. I really would have liked some over the top items like TVs in the back or something. Everything was so useful. The rear parking camera, the blinky-lite every time there was oncoming traffic. It’s just so practical it made me a little nuts! Where was the Champagne dispenser?
Navigation:
I did have a little issue here. I tried on several occasions to get directions to certain areas around the city and found myself trying over, and over, and over again to make the computer understand what I was saying. Then I had to confirm my selections with the number associated with the place I had described on the dashboard which I found quite a bit more distracting than I would have liked. In the end, I just gave up and used my mobile phone’s map for directions.
Summary:
Overall, I was pleasantly surprised by how much fun it was to drive this vehicle. Saving money at the pump always puts a smile on face! It’s a car no one will make fun of you for driving, but it is a little unassuming. The sync interface is really good and I can’t wait for it to be updated so that it’s even better. You really get the feel that most cars will have some system like it standard in the next few years.
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