Article Comments - 2009 Lincoln MKS First Drive / Full Test

154 messages, Last post on Nov 17, 2008 at 2:21 PM

You are in the Lincoln MKS Forum. Your Hosts are pat & karens

What is this discussion about? Lincoln MKS, Sedan

First Drive: 2009 Lincoln MKS - First Impressions: The world's most completely equipped Taurus/Taurus X/Sable/Volvo/Flex, which turns out to be not such a bad thing. (more)

Full Test: 2009 Lincoln MKS AWD - Bottom Line: A luxury sedan for the Ford faithful, but all others would be advised to look elsewhere as there are far better luxury sedans for the price. (more)

Outline

Messages Page 10 of 16: 1; ...; 7; 8; 9; 10; 11; 12; 13; ...; 16; Prev; Next; Last

#85 of 154 Re: Lincoln MKS [detroitlover] by pmerk28 Aug 28, 2008 (6:09 pm)
Replying to: detroitlover (Aug 28, 2008 3:56 pm) This forum is rarely wrong when it comes to a cars prospects in the marketplace. The MKZ is now an also ran just as this board predicted. My intial enthusiam for the interior has been tempered by a second tour inside the car. There is some visible cost cutting and the switchgear and gauge cluster are not up to Lexus/Infiniti/Acura or Volvo S80 standards. The ride and handling has gotten mixed reviews but appears that this car suffers from the same ailments that have afflicted domestics for what seems like forever: too much weight which leads to lower MPG than the competition. It's not with joy that I predict failure.
#86 of 154 Looks like a Mitsubishi by fretbuzzer Aug 28, 2008 (6:30 pm)
Anyone else think this thing looks like the Mitsubishi Diamante before it's plug was pulled?
#87 of 154 Midsize? You gotta be kiddin' me! by dodgeman07 Aug 28, 2008 (7:26 pm)
This is a FULL-size car. It has 124 cu.ft. of interior volume. It is worlds bigger that the CTS/ES350. Edmunds missed on this comparo. DTS/LS460 are in the size class of this car. P.S. It's NOT supposed to be sporty.
#88 of 154 by varadarcop Aug 28, 2008 (10:46 pm)
Wow, Edmunds really shows that its payroll comes straight from Japan with this report... Obviously the writers had their mind made up before they even gave the car a chance... They conveniently slam Lexus for being boring, then talk about how it's such a "prestigious nameplate"?? What does THAT have to do with anything?? Any why does every luxury car HAVE to be a SPORT car too? Can't a luxury car JUST be a luxury car?? Not every idiot in town "slams" the accelerator at every green light, or drive 90mph on PCH in Cali. Clearly, these idiots have NO ability to do anything fairly and objectively, so I will not listen to a damn thing they say. Replies to this message: pmerk28 (Aug 29, 2008 4:28 am)
#89 of 154 Re: [varadarcop] by pmerk28 Aug 29, 2008 (4:28 am)
Replying to: varadarcop (Aug 28, 2008 10:46 pm) Clearly, these idiots have NO ability to do anything fairly and objectively, so I will not listen to a damn thing they say Tell us how you really feel.
#90 of 154 Re: Edmunds review [akirby] by gregg_vw Aug 29, 2008 (5:25 am)
Replying to: akirby (Aug 28, 2008 1:50 pm) I'm not talking about the 535i - why do you keep bringing that up? Because the 535 is a direct competitor of the E350. Ok, use the E350 for comparison, but you aren't being rational about it at all. The 535 and E350 are 191" long and are both mid-size rear drivers. The ES350 is 191" long and fwd...it has more in common with the MKS than the E350 does. Even a 61 mph slalom beats the MKS, and with rwd likely does it with more aplomb. Anyway, you just don't get it. All the guys who react so defensively on this forum are happy with the MKS...with its quiet, its comfort, its interior. They don't care about slalom speeds. Compare the MKS to cars like it (DTS, Lucerne, Acura RL [midsize again], Azera, Avalon) and it will look great. Put it up against RWD premium sedans, and there you have more articles that will look like to some people here that the reviewers are on the payroll of Germany or Japan (never mind that the all American CTS is always seen as one of the best). Why is the American CTS so good? It is not a compromise car. At the same time, many here have no interest in it because it is too small or too edgy. For many owners and potential buyers here, a luxury car need not be sporty at all. Otherwise a lot of models wouldn't sell, including the fairly well regarded Lexus ES350. To call people idiots because they point out the obvious is idiotic too. The MKS is terrific for what it was designed to do. But Ford-Lincoln opened themselves up for criticism by pushing the price up into territory where the cars can be far superior machines. I have to think that Lincoln knows what it is doing here (otherwise its survival is questionable at this critical stage). But Audi built its prices up by first undercutting BMW and Mercedes by a lot. Lexus did the same thing. Hyundai is doing the same thing. Its another strategy with a proven track record. And a track record of any sort is something Lincoln hasn't had in a long time. Replies to this message: brucelinc (Aug 29, 2008 6:30 am)
#91 of 154 Re: Edmunds review [gregg_vw] by brucelinc Aug 29, 2008 (6:30 am)
Replying to: gregg_vw (Aug 29, 2008 5:25 am) As we have said before, this car is hard to classify. I agree that comparisons to smaller RWD sport/luxury cars like the CTS totally miss the point. I do think that ES 350 buyers should cross shop the MKS and see how much more car they can get for the money. My guess is that many DTS or Lucerne buyers might find the ride too firm for them and the back seat a bit short on leg room. It might compare somewhat favorably to the Acura RL but it is short on power and engine refinement in that comparison. Pat Bedard of C & D was pretty complimentary but he is a bit of an old fart compared to some of the others on the C & D staff. The Edmunds review was the most negative I have seen on this car and in some ways was totally contrary to what other professional reviewers have written. However, there are some remarks with which I agree. The car is too heavy to provide a sweet ride/handling balance. It is stiffer riding than a Taurus but due to the weight, it doesn't appear to handle any better. It is larger than a Taurus but has less interior and trunk room as well as the smaller trunk opening. I think the interior assembly quality is first rate but that console looks like it belongs in a $25,000 car. Thankfully, the aftermarket has already stepped up to the plate with wood inlays to cover up the flat black plastic. The seat bottoms are too short. The engine does sound a bit labored as it attempts to pull all of that weight and the AWD system. I think the Ecoboost will really help define the MKS in a more positive way. That technology (and performance) will certainly help me forgive some of the other shortcomings.
#92 of 154 Just looked at one... by mtpete Aug 29, 2008 (10:06 am)
While it looks like the team that designed the exterior of the 2002 Mercury Sable was given the assignment of designing the replacement for the 1996 Lincoln Continental, I have to admit that the car looks really good in person. It's big, surprisingly tall, very round, and curves away from you no matter how you look at it, which I like. The interior gets high marks from me for being straightforward and clean. But I have to wonder, and agree with some of the points of the review. It's expensive for what it is - how can this be TWO Fusions in price? How much 'better' is it than the Taurus? I also think that there's a lot of opportunity here with this car. Perhaps they will do a 'sport' option package with the suspension everyone seems to scream for, and the ecoboost V-6, and blacked out chrome, etc. Ford seems to put the cars out before the appropriate powertrains are ready. I could live with the 3.7, if the mpg were class leading. We'll see how it does I suppose. The review was pretty negative. It needs a diet, a price chop, a sport package, and some good marketing. Why don't reviews ever talk about a car being comfy, quiet, easy to get in and out of, and pleasant to drive?
#93 of 154 Cowardly editors? by docrw Aug 29, 2008 (10:14 am)
I find it very curious that this thread is now 5 pages long and Ed Hellwig, the editor who wrote the review, has not taken one second out of his time to answer any of the posts. I guess its much easier to write a harsh review that basically directly refutes what has been previously written about a car than it is to defend those remarks. Lets face it the track numbers are what they are, until the ecoboost comes along the MKS will be a nice family-sized luxury car, with little to no pretensions of being sporty. However, Mr. Hellwig's comments about the suspension, engine noise and overall quality of the car are not quantifiable and are purely subjective comments. Subjective comments are perfectly fine as long as there is some criteria, or reference points, used to justify them. Mr. Hellwig did no such thing, and this forum would be the perfect place to do just that. I wonder if he will take this opportunity or does he consider it beneath him to answer to us poor miserable denizens of Edmund's own forum?
#94 of 154 Re: Full Test available! [KarenS] by nvbanker Aug 29, 2008 (2:08 pm)
Replying to: KarenS (Aug 28, 2008 11:02 am) Edmunds just hates Ford generally, don't they? Replies to this message: akirby (Aug 29, 2008 4:15 pm)