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By Sara LaceyMother Proof
May 20, 2010
I first saw the MKT as a concept car at the 2008 Detroit auto show, so I was excited to finally get behind the wheel of Lincoln's first crossover. The 2010 MKT starts at $44,200 for the base model; my top-of-the-line test car cost $55,885. What I learned during my weeklong test drive is the MKT isn't sure it wants to be a family car. As I drove the MKT I hoped that ultimately it'd be a family-hauling hero, but it fell short. The MKT's interesting design, EcoBoost engine and three sets of Latch connectors are among the features that could make it a hero to some families. However, its big rear end, not-so-great gas mileage and problems getting to the third row were among the negatives that quickly stacked up as I tested this car. I did enjoy driving this crossover, and despite its large size it felt athletic. It accelerated like a crazed racehorse out of the gate; I even squealed the tires coming out of the pediatrician's parking lot one day. I drove the MKT to a friend's cabin at a very high altitude and there was never any sense that the MKT couldn't take whatever I threw at it. The brakes were responsive and the steering nimble. However, the turning radius was awful, and parking the MKT was tough because of it (and its length). EXTERIOR The MKT is one of those controversial cars that invites strangers to approach you in some random parking lot and say "That car is weird; what is it?" I concede that it's strange-looking and I attribute it to its big rear end. The back significantly hangs out over the rear wheels. It's also not tall like an SUV, but it's not as short as a wagon or sedan. This makes it easy for kids to get in and out of the MKT, but it ends up looking kind of like a hearse from the back.  While I wasn't crazy about its rear angle, the MKT looked great from the front. It has a huge, aggressive grille that works well with the crossover's size. It looks unique — in a good way. The MKT is more than an interesting face. My test car had the optional 355-horsepower, turbocharged 3.5-liter EcoBoost V-6. The MKT takes premium gas and gets an EPA-estimated 16/22 mpg city/highway. The MKT has a standard power liftgate and a good amount of cargo room for a seven-seater. It also has a standard backup camera with parking sensors. I'm glad these are standard because the rear visibility isn't great. The rear window is difficult to see out of because it sits so high up on the tailgate and the wiper housing juts up into the windshield, creating further obstruction. The MKT's available blind spot monitoring system was a necessity because of the rear visibility issues; the system made up for some serious design flaws in the MKT. I had a hard time seeing out the vehicle's rear quarters and relied on the mirrors and the monitoring system a lot more than I'm comfortable doing.  IT'S THE LITTLE THINGS THAT COUNT Storage Compartments (Puny, Fair, Ample, Galore): Ample Cargo/Trunk Space (Puny, Fair, Ample, Galore): Ample INTERIOR The MKT has plenty of luxury features, but there were so many that I felt like I had feature fatigue. I got tired of struggling with them. The first feature to confound me was the driver's seat that slid back automatically whenever the car was turned off. I know this is a feature to help me get in and out of the MKT easily, but it slid too far back, making it difficult for me to start the car when I got back in. To start the car I had to depress the brake pedal, but I couldn't reach it. I had to scoot far forward on the front seat, press the brake pedal and the ignition button, and then wait for the seat to come up to meet me. That's a lot of unnecessary effort to start a car.  The MKT has Lincoln's Sync system; it was frustrating for me to set up, but cool once my husband and I figured it out. I got out all the brochures that were supposed to walk me through the process to connect my cell phone to Sync. For some reason, it didn't work for me. Then my husband says, "Let me try." Tap, tap, tap. "Weird, it's connecting the device through the aux jack, but we have to go through the Bluetooth command on the screen first." Then I zoned out, but I tuned back in when he said, "Oh, there we go." Instantly the music on my iPhone starts streaming via Bluetooth. Every time I got back in the MKT the song picked up from where it left off, leaving me nothing to do but rock out. There are cupholders in the second row, but they're on the back of the front row's center console. This works for kids in booster seats and older, but kids in convertible seats won't be able to reach the cupholders. The second row also has footrests that look like little ramps, but they'll only work for teens or adults who can reach them. For kids who want to ride in the third row, there's a lot of manual unfolding and refolding of the second-row seats to get back there. Yes, there's a switch on the passenger's side to automatically fold that seat forward, but it doesn't return the seat back to its original position. Villainous MKT, you tease us parents mercilessly! After awhile my kids just climbed over the second row to the third row instead of waiting for me to mess with the seats. The third row has a 50/50-split folding bench that my kids found comfortable. When I sat back there the legroom was tight, but not nightmarish. Would an adult want to sit back there for a cross-country road trip? No. But it might work for a short jaunt to the mountains with my gal pals. SENSE AND STYLE Family Friendly (Not Really, Fair, Great, Excellent): Greatish Fun-Factor (None, Some, Good Times, Groove-On): Good Times SAFETY My test car had seating for seven and three sets of Latch connectors. It had a standard three-seat bench for the second row (optional bucket seats cost $995 and make the MKT a six-seater), with two sets of Latch connectors in the outboard positions; the third set of Latch connectors was in the third row. You can't get to the third row without folding part of 60/40-split second-row bench. This is a problem for families with child-safety seats in both Latch positions. Unless you remove one of the car seats in the second row, you can't properly fold the second-row seat to get to the back. If you think it's tiring reading about it, just think about doing that every day. Yes, there's a power-folding seat in the second row, but it only folds forward, not back. What a hassle. The Latch connectors are somewhat difficult to find because of the stiff seat cushions surrounding them. The tether anchors are at the base of the bench seat, which is difficult to reach when kneeling on the bench seat. Although it was difficult to install a forward-facing convertible seat because of the stiff seat cushions, there was plenty of room for a rear-facing convertible and infant-safety seat. A high-back booster seat fit well in both the second and third rows. The MKT has standard antilock brakes, electronic stability system with Roll Stability Control, rear parking sensors and backup camera. It also has standard front- and side-impact airbags and side curtain airbags for all three rows. The crossover has an optional blind spot warning system and Collision Warning with Brake Support, which works with the adaptive cruise control. If the adaptive cruise control system senses that traffic is slowing but you're not, the system will warn you with a bright red LED display on the windshield. If you don't slow down the vehicle readies the brakes for an aggressive stop. Get more safety information about the 2010 Lincoln MKT here. .jpg)
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