2009 Lincoln MKS Road Test Ratings

A mixed bag of great luxury features (especially the optional Travel Link) and parts bin economy. Good ride, but subpar handling. It's tough to make a compelling argument to choose this alternative in the entry-luxury segment.

3.7-liter aluminum V6 engine makes 273 hp and 270 lb-ft of torque: it's underpowered for this heavy vehicle, it's not particularly smooth and doesn’t sound pleasant at higher revs. Transmission has some abrupt downshifts and a delay on some upshifts. Soft brake pedal feel and long stroke, both on the road and on the track; stops OK during normal driving. Steering has slightly dead off-center feel and is too heavy at parking speeds. Some body roll and understeer and there's a delayed yaw response in most maneuvers. There's little fun here, but it is a good highway cruiser.

The ride is firmer than expected, but still comfortable -- well-controlled with good damping. It's very quiet: there's little road and wind noise. Very comfortable standard heated/cooled front seats with 12-way power adjust, but the power lumbar creates uncomfortable pressure; very aggressive non-adjustable headrests may be uncomfortable for some. Big, comfortable rear seat with plenty of legroom and nice bolstering. Standard two-stage rear heated seats. Great steering wheel, shape, feel, and materials. Tilt wheel doesn’t telescope far enough; high seating position gives a good view of the road.

Sophisticated adaptive front lighting (swiveling) projector HID lamps with auto highbeam. But the swiveling system is quite sensitive to small steering wheel inputs. Front visibility is very good with thin pillars; rear visibility is poor with a small window opening and big rear headrests. There is noticeable veiling glare from the windshield defrost vents on the windshield. Instruments' fonts are easily legible, but the speedometer is a bit cluttered. Audio and climate controls have very simple switches plus easy to use touch-switches within the nav screen. Door map pockets are small and difficult to access. Inside center console are 12V outlet, aux jack, and USB iPod input. Trunk size is good, but the opening is small and the liftover is high and deep. Just two non-adjustable different-size cupholders in front, two in the rear center armrest.

Very nice front fascia which conveys Lincoln heritage, but the door panels are quite tall and the rear end looks a bit pinched. The interior design is good and subdued. The wood strip across the dash is very nice as is the no-seam bezel around the Navi screen. But the center stack, cupholder, and center console areas are plain and don't convey a luxury feeling. Some good-quality materials such as the dashboard leatherlike covering with simulated stitching, wood dash trim, and Navi-bezel, but there are many cheap interior plastics such as those on the center-stack and overhead console. The HVAC and audio switches have excellent feel. The overall fit and finish is generally good, but there are some gaffes including sharp edges and not solidly mounted plastic panels (early production sample tested).