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Posted February, 2007

Road Test: 2007 Lincoln MKX AWD

By Thomas E. Bonsall

The MKX is Lincoln's newest entry into the mid-sized, luxury SUV segment. It replaces the Aviator, a vehicle we liked quite a lot. The mid-sized, luxury SUV segment is fairly crowded. The competition includes the Acura MDX, BMW X3, Cadillac SRX, Infiniti FX35 and Lexus RX 350. That sure is a lot of capital letters isn't it?

Lincoln and Cadillac have both been switching models names that make sense — some of which have been around for decades — to confusing collections of capitals. Thus, the Lincoln Zephyr is now the MKZ, the Cadillac Seville has been transformed into the STS, and the Deville — which first saw the light of day in 1949 — is in the process of becoming the DTS . It's a sure fire sign of fear — if not outright panic — in Detroit when they start playing games with the names because it means they've tried everything else and nothing has worked.

On a more personal level, it makes it harder and harder for even veteran auto writers to keep track of things, and heaven help the poor customers. Worse, the MKX name is misleading. You might think that MKX stands for "Mark Ten," especially given Lincoln's long history of naming models Mark This and Mark That. But you would be wrong. MKX stands for "Mark X" as in the letter "X." Glad I could clear that up.

The MKX is powered by a 3.5-liter V6 engine mated to a six-speed automatic. Both performed well on our test vehicle. Objectively, the sort of performance and handling you would expect on a vehicle in this class was all there. The MDX is a vehicle that neither fails to meet expectations nor exceeds them.

Styling is another matter — and a highly subjective one at that. There is an attempt with the grille to invoke classic Lincolns from the past. In this case, the inspiration came from the 1961-64 Continentals. (A 1963 Continental shown below on the line at the factory at Wixom, Michigan.) Even that didn't come off very well, in my view, and I was unimpressed with the rest of the exterior design, too. The interior was better. There, overall design is functional and pleasing, and the wood accents are a nice touch. On the other hand, the satin-finish, silver-gray plastic trim, which is used extensively, looks cheap. Of course, this is my opinion (and that of my colleague at R&D, Kevin Lowery). Yours may differ.

The base price of the AWD edition is $35,770. Typically equipped ones you're likely to find at your nearest dealer will probably be pushing $40,000 and ours came in at $43,890, including destination charges. Major options included the Elite Package ($4,795): Panoramic Vista Roof, Satellite Radio Receiver, DVD Navigation System and THX II Sound System; and the Ultimate Package (#1,995): Heated and Cooled Front Seats, Power/ auto dimming side mirrors, 18-inch Duraclad Chrome Wheels, Reverse Sensing System and 8 Way Power Leather Bucket Seats.

Is the MKX worth it? We must admit that our test vehicle did everything we expect a mid-sized, luxury SUV to do and did it well. In the end, though, it just left us cold. If there is a statement the MKX is trying to make, we weren't receiving it. R&D