2010 Lincoln MKT: Big rig, bigger luxury

Cars

2010 Lincoln MKT: Lincoln MKT is an all-new three-row premium luxury utility vehicle that combines class-leading performance and fuel economy with impressive arrays of standard and available customer-focussed innovation and technology. (6/26/09)

By Bill Visnic, Motor Matters

Last update: November 13, 2009 - 3:51 PM

Start getting used to seeing unusual vehicle designs, such as Lincoln's formidably sized 2010 MKT crossover.

As the auto industry scrambles to figure out what to give versatility-seeking customers - now that large SUVs are just so environmentally incorrect and many think of minivans as uncool - exterior styling will push the envelope.

But then there's a wrinkle: the luxury factor. Minivans have never been in luxury territory, so Lincoln didn't have to worry about that. The 2010 MKT is Lincoln's idea for a luxury utility vehicle that isn't an SUV - it's more of a crossover vehicle.

With each successive generation of crossover vehicles, the definition of "utility" gets murkier. Vehicles like the MKT - and Mercedes-Benz's R-Class, which more or less pioneered this niche - are more about people-carrying than outright hauling.

The MKT is big, too. Its wheelbase is only a couple inches shy of a Dodge Grand Caravan minivan - and the MKT's 17-feet-plus of total length actually is five inches longer than the Chrysler Town & Country minivan, which isn't necessarily a bad thing if you are hauling lots of folks.

But any concerns about size and weight slip away when you hit the MKT's adaptive cruise control and the highway miles glide away so effortlessly passengers might think they're in a private jet. The MKT is quiet, too. There's a special sound-dampening windshield with most noises reduced to an oiled hush.

Like most of the new breed of crossovers, it's the second-row passengers who get the real rock-star treatment. There was so much opulent legroom in the MKT with a middle row configured for two that Lincoln supplies footrests. You'll find separate climate controls and both bucket seats have power-reclining backs. There's even an optional refrigerator.

Forward of the second-row lounge, the cockpit design may be conventional, but the level of fit-and-finish is the best we've seen in a domestic car of any price. The leather is plump and inviting, and one outstanding touch is where the sweeping, raised lip of the passenger-side upper dash artfully overhangs a rich wood strip that blends into the door panel. The instrument lighting and the ambient lighting come via gorgeous LED glow. Additionally, the second and third rows fold completely flat to create a Hercules-class cargo hold.

The MKT's husky 3.7-liter V-6 is surprisingly effective in moving all that metal. Add all-wheel drive to get mid-range MKT. Go to the final level for the MKT with EcoBoost, which features a twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V-6.

EPA fuel economy:

City: 17, Highway: 23

Base Price:

$44,200 (as tested, $52,180)

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