CNET editors' review
-
CNET editors' rating:
stars
Very good
Detailed editors' rating
- Reviewed on: 09/06/2007
The 2007 Lincoln MKX brings in all the luxury qualities we would expect from this make, but despite the fact that it's a crossover, the MKX won't edge Lincoln into any kind of youth demographic. The MKX has stately lines and a big chrome grille with the Lincoln badge front and center. Although it shares a platform with the Ford Edge, the two cars are very distinct, even down to how they drive.
Our test car in particular, with an exterior color called White Chocolate and a beige interior marked by blond wood accents, would appeal only to the most straight-laced youth. The MKX has overpowered steering, making the wheel very easy to turn, but the suspension isn't too soft. Its V-6 and six-speed automatic deliver smooth, although not overwhelming, acceleration.
Like its segment, the MKX's cabin tech is thoroughly modern, with Ford's standard navigation system. Better yet, the MKX gets its own version of the THX certified stereo system that so wowed us in the Lincoln MKZ. The only thing it lacks is a hands-free cell phone system, but Ford's adoption of the Microsoft-developed Sync system will change that in the coming year.
Test the tech: Seattle tour
Nothing tests the tech in a car like trying to navigate around unfamiliar terrain, so we used the Lincoln MKX for a trip to Seattle. We picked up the car at the SeaTac airport and loaded the address for the place we would be staying into the navigation system, an easy task given the touch-screen interface. As we set out, the navigation system began issuing its orders, and we were delighted to hear it pronouncing the names of streets. Text-to-speech functionality is an advanced feature in nav systems, and it can be very amusing with street names that are difficult to pronounce.
At one point, traveling under the shadow of the elevated Highway 99, the navigation system became confused as to which road we were on, and for a significant amount of time the map showed us on a parallel road about 1,000 feet away. But we were going in what seemed like the right direction so we didn't let it bother us, and after awhile the GPS recalibrated and showed our true location. Our relaxed mood under these circumstances might also have been because of the excellent sound of the music playing through the THX stereo off of our MP3 CD.
The MKX got us to our destination without incident, and in quite a bit of comfort. Over the next few days we drove all around Seattle, sometimes using route guidance and sometimes navigating by the map display. On one run we picked up a friend at the airport, and our local guide noticed the odd directions the navigation system gave us. We got into the settings menu and saw that route guidance was avoiding freeways, which turned out to be a boon that evening as there was serious traffic on Interstate 5. As it was a muggy couple of days in Seattle, we appreciated the seat-cooling fans in the MKX, and our passengers also enjoyed the view out of the huge sunroof, complemented by a smaller moonroof over the backseat. There was also more than enough room for luggage in the cargo area, and no one complained about lack of legroom in the backseat.
In the cabin
The MKX uses the same navigation system we've seen in other cars under Ford's umbrella. It's a very usable interface with a touch screen and buttons along the sides of the LCD to choose system functions, but we would like to see Ford make it look a little more elegant for Lincoln cars. The MKX shouldn't use the same interface theme as an Escape.
But the real stand-out element of the cabin tech is the THX-certified audio system. This system uses 14 speakers putting out 600 watts from 12 digital amplifier channels. The system includes a subwoofer and speakers on the D pillars and in the doors, plus a set in the middle of the dashboard made up of a tweeter and two mids. This system uses a distinct configuration from that used in the Lincoln MKZ, showing that THX tailored the system for the MKX.
