[quote_box_right]Up: Beautiful and all new interior and exterior.
Down: Can reach $50,000 with all the options.
Neutral: Lincoln has finally found a way to appeal to a crowd younger than 50.[/quote_box_right]Aside from the best beverage options available in any dealership, there is another secret at the Sioux Falls Ford-Lincoln dealership. And it’s a big one; a Lincoln that’s cool! That’s right. After walking through some hidden passages and signing our lives away, I was granted the right to drive the 2013 Lincoln MKZ with the 2.0 Eco-boost engine in it. Oh, and the redesigned interior and exterior are something of royalty.
Sliding into the driver’s seat I expected something like an out-of-date Cadillac. You know, old guy seats and retro gauges? What I found instead was a sleek, simple gauge cluster that was both digital and analog in design. The center console continued the simplicity. In lieu of a plethora of buttons, much of the system is controlled through a screen and a Microsoft assisted MyLincoln Touch system which is also voice controllable. Mario Curcic, our extremely helpful dealership representative, took time to explain to me the many standard features in the MKZ.
I pushed the drive gear selection button and pulled out of the lot. This is about the third time I’ve interacted with the new Eco-Boost engine put out by Ford and it suits this car well. The MKZ is definitely not meant for speed but the car had enough go to accelerate easily onto the highway or off from a red light. Although it would have been nice to drive one with the 300 horsepower 3.7 liter V6, the turbo’d inline-4 was quiet and not underpowered. With the Lincoln EPAS (Electric Power Assisted Steering) system, it was comfortable and easy to steer on bumpy roads as well.
The MKZ did feel a bit large though when aiming to park. There is definitely the same large presence that is found in some of the older Lincolns which can make it a little daunting to maneuver through dealership lots. Still, with the rear-view camera that projects your trajectory based on where the wheel is spun and dual-view rear view mirrors, it wasn’t impossible to move the vehicle into tight spaces.
After a quite unexpected experience, I think that both myself and Chris walked away from this test drive pleasantly surprised. If you would have asked me two days ago what I thought about Lincoln, I may have told you it was an out-of-date brand with no real soul. The impeccable design and pin-point detailing on the 2013 Lincoln MKZ really appealed to my OCD nature. After this test drive, I won’t be surprised if I find myself looking to buy one of these bad boys some day (with the larger engine of course).
