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New Lincoln SUV is improved but not remarkable 2007 Lincoln MKX: Good, but not great, crossover
Filed under: Crossovers, Lincoln, SUVs, SUV
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Remember when cars had names? Real words that one could remember—and not this new bowl-of-alphabet-soup style of naming? Lincoln seems to have forgotten its heritage of naming cars using nouns, because now we have the Lincoln MKX, which is the Ford Edge decked out in a stylish new night-at-the-opera suit. (Check out the bling on that grille!)
Originally, the word from on high at Ford Motor Co. was that model names beginning with MK were going to be pronounced as “Mark” and reclaim the heritage name of previous Lincolns, such as the Mark III, the Mark V, and all those other Roman numerals. That proved too complicated for people (“How do I say it out loud? As “Mark,” or spell out the initials?”), so Ford gave in and told everyone to spell out the letters, instead. However you spell or pronounce it, the MKX (the “X” stands for “crossover,”) is a worthy addition to the growing segment. As reviewed by the Washington Post, the MKX performed quite well in its stated mission of hauling “people and their stuff safely and comfortably over long distances.” One of their staff, in fact, reported that she was not looking forward to a long car trip with three rowdy teenagers—but found that the MKX’s ride was so smooth that her charges were soon lulled to sleep. And when the kids weren’t sleeping, there were plenty of ways to keep them entertained, including video screens in the back seats and other electronic pastimes. One feature that the teenagers enjoyed was never having to fight over who got the heated seat—a plus in chilly winter weather—because the MKX’s rear seats are also heated. (Most other crossovers only provide heated seats to front-seat occupants.) It's when you stack the MKX up against its competition such as GM’s upcoming Buick Enclave, Saturn Outlook, and the recently released GMC Acadia and that you discover that passenger and cargo space is lacking in the Lincoln. All of the GM crossovers can hold eight passengers across three rows of seats, whereas the MKX only manages five across two rows. If you fold down the second- and third-row seats in the GM vehicles, you get 117 cubic feet of cargo space in its maximum configuration; contrast that with our upmarket Ford Edge sibling, which tops the cargo space measurements at only 69 cubic feet. And as far as its Far East competitors go (Acura’s smiliarly-named MDX, or the Lexus RX 350), it doesn’t have quite the same élan or “panache,” as the Post’s reviewer put it. If hauling lots of passengers or cargo is not your primary purpose for purchasing a crossover vehicle, the MDX can be recommended for its luxurious ride and appointments. But if you need to carry over 5 people and up to 117 cubic feet of cargo (though not at the same time!), you might want to make an appointment at another dealer.
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