Test Drive: 2009 Lincoln MKZ car review; the look but not the feel

Somebody spent time looking through the history books. The 2009 Lincoln MKZ looks like a Lincoln, at least in the same way that the current Mustang looks how a Mustang should. Borrowing some from this generation and some from another, but still, what else but a Lincoln?

 

The MKZ’s interior, too, is Lincolnesque, leaning heavily on ’60’s Lincoln Continental themes. It looks like this one walked undiluted from the first designers’ sketches directly to the production line.

 

And things that should be are: Door handles feel solid, for example, and there’s a general quality heft to the interior. Attention to detail shows in soft touch materials being used in places seldom touched, such as the dash behind the steering wheel. Who but us would ever reach around? The center stack is plastic but it’s a good plastic.

 

In a way, however, the Lincoln MKZ is like the Jaguar X-Type. It’s a luxury marque that’s too much like its platform-mate, the Ford Fusion. We like the Fusion. We think it’s a good deal. But just like the Jaguar X-Type couldn’t leave behind all the Mondeo it was based on, too much Fusion remains fused to the MKZ. Platform sharing can be a good thing as long as not too much platform is shared between different market class levels.

 

For example, handling is good, certainly within expectations of a near luxury sedan, but ride quality loses not on firmness but rather by being too harsh. Lincoln says it has done a good job isolating the cabin from road noise. We say too much gets through.

 

The 3.5-liter double overhead cam V-6 makes an advertised 263 horsepower, certainly enough for this category of automobile, and the MKZ’s transmission is a fully up-to-date six-speed automatic. But run hard, the V-6 has a coarse edge, acceptable and perhaps endearing in a Fusion, but too raw for the MKZ’s class of vehicle.

 

The transmission is seamless as a spray-on bikini under most conditions, though we did unintentionally confuse it from time to time. Lifting off the gas just before or during a shift would elicit a momentary stumble and the microprocessors sorted out conflicting incoming signals.

 

The THX II certified audio system in our test MKZ was beyond reproach. It’s a car that could earn its keep simply by living in the garage and serving as an audio theater.

 

Yet it’s the contrast between the excellent laid over the good that’s disappointing, even more so when considering price. Our text 2009 Lincoln MKZ AWD had a base price of $35,220. Add the $4,495 Ultimate Package that includes the THX audio, special wheels, voice-activated navigation, HID headlamps and moonroof, and the $495 White Platinum Tri-coat clearcoat paint and $795 for delivery for a price north of $40,000. Standard on the MKZ, including the leather 10-way power adjustable heated/cooled front seats, but many standard features are available or standard on cars costing significantly less.

 

By sticking with the front-wheel drive version and foregoing the extra luxury packages, the Lincoln MKZ goes out the door at $33,535, plus delivery and less discounts and whatever the dealer is willing to deal away. But price should be an inducement only after the underlying luxury elements, particularly ride and road noise, are more finely tuned than on the MKZ.

 

The 2009 Lincoln MKZ has the right uniform and it knows all the plays. We’d just like to see more polish on the fundamentals. Perhaps then the MKZ could make some history of its own.