2013 Lincoln MKZ Review

A 3.7-liter V-6, with 300 hp and 277 lb-ft of torque, makes the strongest case, literally and figuratively. When ordered with all-wheel drive, it gives the MKZ the character of a sports sedan. Although a 0-to-60-mph time of 6.3 seconds and 0.85 g on our skidpad are respectable test numbers, we found the MKZ less rewarding on the street than those numbers might suggest. Yes, it’s quick in a straight line, and the engine roars appropriately, thanks to a system that enhances the sound of the engine by way of the car’s audio system. But you have to push the MKZ quite hard to get the all-wheel-drive system to send power rearward, and by that time, the car is pushing just as hard as you are. Certainly, the idea behind offering all-wheel drive here is as a benefit in inclement weather, just as on the Fusion.

What the Fusion doesn’t get, however, is Lincoln Drive Control, marketing speak that refers in part to the car’s semiactive, electromechanical dampers. Drivers have a choice of Comfort, Normal, and Sport modes. Steering feel, throttle sensitivity. and transmission aggressiveness can likewise be dialed up at the touch of a button. That button sits at the bottom of a line of them—labeled P, R, N, D, and S—that flanks the 8.0-inch MyLincoln Touch screen on the dash. Yes, the MKZ has a pushbutton-controlled transmission, an idea that was novel even when it last appeared during the Eisenhower administration.

And more to the point, the MKZ does go, steer, and stop better than any other Lincoln in recent memory. That’s enough to make it a good car, but not a good luxury car, as the MKZ never recedes far enough from the driver’s awareness to become secondary to the driving experience. That’s a necessity in the entry-luxury arena, even in the sportiest entries; to put it in cinematic terms, the car doesn’t generate a suspension of disbelief. Movie fans will note that this Lincoln never, in fact, becomes a vampire hunter.Unlike some driver-selectable Sport modes, Lincoln Drive Control actually produces noticeable changes in the car’s performance and ride, although not all are positive. In every mode, chassis motions are well controlled, as would be expected of a car with the bones of a Fusion. Our test car rode tolerably with the suspension set to Comfort, yet with Sport mode selected, its optional 19-inch wheels shod with 40-series tires made freeway control joints feel like divergent tectonic plates. Making matters worse, the MKZ’s narrow, hard front seats produce enough discomfort in their own right. At least the MKZ has an acceptably linear steering feel, although, as is par for the course these days, it’s too numb, even when it’s on the sportiest setting. The brakes have just one setting—mushy—but there’s adequate power to stop the car from 70 mph in 169 feet, which is better braking than that of a BMW 528i or Lexus GS350.