2013 Lincoln MKS: Up Close
More 2011 L.A. Auto Show Coverage
Look close, and half of the upper and lower “inlets” give way to solid pieces behind. I get why Lincoln did it — more openings usually hurt aerodynamics, dinging your highway gas mileage — but form clearly led function, and most of the grille is faux show.
But the details still disappoint. Rapid-tap the temperature key to crank up the heat, and it adds a degree for every couple of taps or so. I still question whether a moving environment with shifting momentum — a speeding car — is the place for touch-sensitive controls. You can still change the temperature on a physical knob if you hit a speed bump, after all.
The Sync voice-activated system seems less magical by the year. Need directions to the nearest Starbucks? Tell your Siri-enabled iPhone, “Hey, I need directions to the nearest Starbucks” because Sync draws a blank.
The suspension refinements couldn’t come soon enough; the outgoing MKS rode choppier than some commuter cars. The improvement in gas mileage should draw more buyers, too. But the MKS has a lot of rungs to climb on the sales ladder if Ford wants parity with the likes of a Buick LaCrosse or Acura TL. We’ll see how this one does.
