The luxury vehicle market today shares a very important characteristic with the market for more mainstream models. While enthusiasts may prefer the cars, especially sporty, performance oriented models, crossovers are where the big money is at. For all the strategic issues that Ford’s upmarket Lincoln brand has had over the past couple of decades, they at least seem to have recognized this truism. Thus instead of a BMW and Cadillac-chasing rear drive sports sedan or coupe, we have the new MKX midsize crossover and frankly that’s not an entirely bad thing.
While enthusiasts like myself have long clamored for a new hot-rod Lincoln based on the S550 Mustang platform, that now seems unlikely until the brand’s overall sales start growing consistently and probably the next-generation Mustang arrives around 2020. Lincoln’s new crossovers may well turn out to be just what the brand needs to become viable again. 2014 brought us the compact MKC which became Lincoln’s second best seller last year behind the MKZ sedan.
2016 Lincoln MKX
The second-generation MKX takes the design themes of its smaller sibling and applies them to the larger Fusion/Edge platform. Unlike the original MKX that shared glass and much of its sheetmetal with the Edge, all visible elements of the new model are unique to the Lincoln brand. The family resemblance between the two is unmistakable with the main difference being a bit more curvature to the fender creases on the MKX. One other element that remains exclusive to the MKC is the clamshell tailgate. The X retains a more conventional design with the cut lines on the rear surface of the body rather than around the sides.
The smaller MKC has a wrap-around clamshell liftgate, a design feature missing from the MKX
The MKX will be the last new Lincoln to come to market with the controversial split-wing grille that debuted in 2008 on the MKS sedan. The refreshed MKZ and the new Continental have both adopted a more Jaguar-style rounded rectangle grille and the crossovers will probably follow this direction with mid-cycle refreshes in the next year or two. Despite lacking the new face of Lincoln, this remains a very handsome machine that looks upscale without being ostentatious.
Inside the themes we’ve seen on other recent Lincolns also carry over with the former touch sensitive center stack controls being replaced by physical switches. These are much more functional and easy to use although I did find one minor flaw. If the headlight control is in the automatic position, the backlights on the switches remain in the dim nighttime mode regardless of the position of the sun in the sky. As a result, the labels on the two rows at the bottom of the stack (for climate control) fade into invisibility. Manually switching the headlights off, kills the dimmer making these buttons visible.
2016 Lincoln MKX
The eight-inch touchscreen is flanked by two columns of more clearly labeled switches with the transmission controls on the left and auxiliary controls for the park assist and surround camera on the right. The early-build 2016 MKX I tested still had the old MyFord Touch infotainment system but a running changing partway through the model year brought an upgrade to the much improved SYNC3. That’s a good thing in many ways including support for Android Auto and Apple Carplay.
This early build 2016 MKX still had MyFord Touch. A mid-year upgrade switched that to SYNC3
By the time this review is published any new MKXs should have SYNC3 and if you are considering buying one, I’d definitely recommend avoiding any leftovers with MyFord Touch. While MFT now has much improved performance and stability compared to the early iterations that debuted five years ago, there is still one fundamental issue related to the interface and hardware design. Most MFT applications have a screen that is recessed from the surrounding trim work in the center stack. Because MFT features touch points in the four corners to switch between phone, entertainment, navigation and climate functions, you have to squeeze your finger into the corners to hit these small touch areas which can be a bit awkward while driving. The redesigned SYNC3 interface eliminates this problem but I’d prefer to see the screen mounted flush with the surrounding bezel.
2016 Lincoln MKX
That minor quibble aside, the rest of the cabin is very nicely executed and the front seats in particular are both very comfortable and supportive. The standard driver’s seat has 10-way power adjustment while the optional multi-contour seat has 22-way adjustability including the lateral supports, thigh support and a rolling massage system in the seatback. Heating and cooling in the front seats keeps you comfortable no matter what the outside temperature is like and even the roomy rear seats get heating.
Click here to compare the Lincoln MKX to some of its competition
Two engine options are available in the MKX, the base 303-horsepower 3.7-liter V6 or the new 2.7-liter EcoBoost V6 with 335-horsepower and a sturdy 380 lb.-ft. of torque. If you are going to load up an all-wheel-drive MKX you’ll probably want to select the smaller turbocharged powerplant to move the 4,447-pound curb weight around. The MKX could definitely use some of the lightweighting action that Ford has mostly reserved for its big trucks to date. That said, the turbo engine is responsive and has a surprisingly pleasant although not too loud engine note when pushed hard.
The 2016 MKX is the last new Lincoln with the split-wing grille
The midsize platform that underpins the MKX along with the Edge, Fusion and MKZ was designed to provide a combination of excellent driving dynamics and supple ride quality. Since physics always wins in the end, adding 1,000-pounds and several inches to the center of gravity height compared to a base four-cylinder Fusion definitely shaves some of the precision off the handling. Nonetheless the MKX is still capable with a minimum of body roll and excellent control over nasty pavement. This is at least partly due to the Lincoln Drive Control system that combines the electronic variable dampers with automatically adjusted calibrations to the electric power steering when switching between normal and sport modes.
The optional 22-way power adjustable front seats are pricey but very comfortable, even massaging your back when needed
The electronics also extend to the driver assist systems which include adaptive cruise control, blindspot monitoring, lane keeping and active park assist. Unfortunately, the cruise control on the 2016 model I drove only works down to about 20 mph before disengaging so you won’t be able to use it in stop-and-go traffic. Since the 2017 Fusion is getting an upgraded system with full city stop capability, I’d imagine the MKX will also get this enhancement before long. Like the Edge, the park assist is the latest version that includes both parallel and perpendicular parking capability and it works reliably.
The AWD, turbocharged MKX carries EPA fuel economy estimates of 17 mpg city, 24 mpg highway and 19 mpg combined. During my week of mixed driving I averaged about 18.5 mpg. The base front-drive 3.7-liter MKX starts at $38,260 but adding options can quickly inflate the price tag. Maxed out as my tester was, the bottom line jumps to $63,735. That’s not out of line with the competition and certainly not crazy considering the levels of equipment in this machine. One feature that Lincoln doesn’t offer in the MKX at this time is a hybrid powertrain, something that has long been available in the segment leading Lexus RX. Last fall, Ford announced it would 13 new electrified models by 2020 and there is a good chance that several of those will be Lincolns including the MKX. In the meantime, gas remains cheap and will likely stay that way for several more years so the relative thirst of this vehicle shouldn’t be much of a problem.
Click here for full specs of the 2016 Lincoln MKX
