Lincoln has been updating its car line up for a few years now, they seem to be having some success, but in my opinion, they need a halo car. The new Continental Concept (now set to be built) might just be that car, but only time will tell. Anyways, this post is not about the Continental, it’s about the all-new second generation 2016 Lincoln MKX cross-over.
The Lincoln MKX competes with vehicles like the Acura MDX, BMW X5, Lexus RX etc. The Lincoln MKX places an emphasis on a comfortable ride, while the competition is trying to compete with BMW and are producing sporty cross-overs. Personally, if I was buying a vehicle that’s sporty, I’d just buy a sports car or a sports sedan, not a large SUV.
In Canada, the 2016 Lincoln MKX has a starting price of $46,250 for the 3.7 liter V6 engine equipped cars and $54,300 for the turbocharged 2.7 liter V6 EcoBoost equipped cars, both of these trims come with AWD. Prices can creep upwards of $68,000 with all the options.
Our review 2016 Lincoln MKX had a sticker price of $65,090 plus $1,800 destination and delivery. Options included Equipment Group 102A ($5,100), which includes heated rear seats, heated steering wheel, rain sensing wipers, and interior mirror with camera. Cargo utility package ($350), Technology Package ($1,100), which includes Active Park Assist, front park aid sensors, and 360-degree camera. Driver Assist Package ($1,950), which includes lane keep assist, adaptive cruise control/collision warning, and collision avoidance. 2.7 L EcoBoost Package ($2,950), which includes 21” wheels and I assume the EcoBoost engine? Luxury Package ($5,500), which includes AM/FM single CD and satellite radio, adaptive headlamps, and Revel Audio. Trailer Tow Package ($500), and 22-way power adjustable driver seat ($1,175).
The 2016 MKX is the second generation of this mid-sized SUV. The previous generation MKX was in production from 2007 to 2015, with design tweaks over the years, and was basically a Ford Edge with different lights and grill. The 2nd generation MKX is also based on the Edge, but now it’s distinctively different inside and outside, and that’s a good thing.
The interior on the MKX has a very modern design with minimalist approach, the design looks similar to the rest of the Lincoln line up. The interior features lots of little spaces to store your stuff. The materials used in the cabin are soft touch and look to be high quality. The 2016 MKX also features the new, generation 3, MyLincoln Touch system. This new system responds much quicker to the touch and features cleaner graphics, I personally had no problems with the older systems and the new system is just as easy to use but made even better.
Besides the large touchscreen, Lincoln has placed buttons for the shifter, like in other Lincoln vehicles, I’m personally not a big fan of this layout, but it does free up extra storage space where the gear lever would’ve been.
The interior is very room for the front and back passengers, and is a very comfortable space to be in. Our test vehicle came with the optional 22-way power adjustable driver seat, which can be customized in more ways I thought possible. Not only are the front seats very comfortable, they also come with heating and cooling, and they massage you!! I thoroughly enjoyed a massage on every drive I went on, the massage seats not only massage your back, they also massage your “bottom”, and have two intensity settings. The rear passengers only get heated seats.
Buying any luxury vehicle nowadays means you’re offered a lot of optional packages when it comes to technology. The Lincoln MKX is no exception, it comes with all of the tech features we’ve come to expect from Ford/Lincoln. On top of items like Bluetooth connectivity, voice command, front and rear cameras, and parking sensors, the MKX is also equipped with 360-degree cameras, adaptive cruise control, collision warning/mitigation, lane keep assist, blind spot monitoring, semi-automatic parrallel and perpendicular parking, no touch automatic rear door, and a few other goodies. Head on over to lincolncanada.com to see all the tech available on the 2016 MKX.
The exterior on the Lincoln MKX keeps the the family resemblance at the front, there are some very nice curves on the bodywork, which look really good in silver color. The back three-quarters view has some very nice looking European luxury vehicle lines,
The 2.7 liter EcoBoost V6 engine has loads of power, this heavy SUV is very quick off the line and just keeps accelerating. Passing slower cars on the highway is a breeze. Due to the high amount of sound-deadening material and active noise cancellation, you barely hear the engine inside the cabin, under normal driving conditions. The acceleration is smooth in normal driving, however, I did find the throttle to be a little hard to manage at very low speeds, for example, when you’re in a tight spot and you’re going between drive and reverse, the MKX wants to lunge when you only want to go a forwards and backwards, a few inches at a time.
According to Lincoln, the 2016 MKX AWD with the 2.7 liter EcoBoost engine should consume 14.1 liters/100 km in city driving, 9.7 l/100 km on highway driving, and combined consumption should be 12.1 l/100 km. For our week-long review, the on-board computer showed 14.2 l/100 km, in mixed city/highway driving.
Overall, the 2016 Lincoln MKX is a pretty impressive vehicle, it comes with a lot of technology, it’s very luxurious, and very relaxing to drive. The MKX offers a very quiet ride and lots of space for passengers and all their stuff. It is competing in a tough market with competition priced in the same range, so at the end of the day, you have to decide what you’re looking for in a mid-sized luxury SUV.
