The navigation system has all the latest bells and whistles, reading out street names for you under route guidance, showing multiple map views, including 3D, and dynamically changing the route if there are traffic obstructions. Entering destinations is easy with either the touch screen or voice command. Particularly impressive is that the voice command does a good job of understanding street names, meaning you don't have to spell them out one letter at a time. Traffic, weather, and gas prices are provided by Sirius Travel Link, and well-integrated with the navigation system, as are ski conditions, movie times, and even sports scores. Our only complaint about this navigation system is that the points-of-interest database isn't quite as full as some competitors, lacking some retail locations.
Any point-of-interest location with an attached phone number can be called at the touch of a button when you have a phone paired to the MKX's Bluetooth system. This phone system works as well as any competitor's, able to download your entire phone book to the car, so contacts can be found on the touch screen. But a couple of things make this system superior. For one, it can also receive text messages and read them to you. Unfortunately, the list of phones compatible with this feature is short. It also lets you use voice command to say the name of anyone in your phone book to make a call, something no other car system currently does.
Similarly, with an MP3 player you can use voice command to specify artists, albums, and song tracks you want to play. This system consistently amazes us by recognizing the most obscure song names. Also impressive, this system integrates with a variety of MP3 players, where most cars only offer iPod integration. You can also plug a USB drive full of MP3 tracks into the system, and it will index it like an MP3 player. Other audio sources include the hard drive, mentioned above, Sirius satellite radio, and a disc player, which can read MP3 CDs and DVDs.
The THX audio system produces excellent audio quality through 14 speakers, with a full 600 watts of power. Along with a subwoofer, there are center speakers on the dashboard. The staging makes most of the audio seem to emanate from a point just above the center of the dashboard. Unlike on the MKS, though, we noticed interior panel rattle when we played heavy bass tracks or just had the volume up loud.
Under the hood
Although its cabin tech outstrips other luxury crossovers, the driving experience isn't quite as refined as its competitors. The engine, a 3.5-liter V-6, has enough oomph to get the MKX moving, even fast when you need it, but it makes a somewhat rough sound when running, fortunately largely damped out by the well-insulated cabin. This engine has variable timing on the intake camshaft, helping it achieve 265 horsepower at 6,250 rpm and 250 foot-pounds of torque at 4,500 rpm.
That power gets to the wheels through a six-speed automatic transmission, which contributes greatly to the bland driving experience in the MKX. There is no manual shift mode, just Drive and Low for going forward. It shifts smoothly enough, but isn't particularly fast to downshift when you stomp on the gas. The transmission defines the MKX's overall driving character--you turn it on and go, with no drama or engagement.
Likewise, the steering and handling seem designed for cruising. The steering is nice and direct, which is good, but you're not going to do any performance driving in this car. Our car had all-wheel drive, which should help out in snowy or icy conditions, but the base model is front-wheel drive. The ride quality in our car was decent, but not as soft as we would expect from a luxury car. We definitely felt the jolts and bumps, but the hard edges were absorbed by the shocks.
Mileage is rated at 15 mpg city and 22 mpg highway, but our combined city and freeway driving produced a tank average of 14.9 mpg, not a very good number with wildly fluctuating gas prices. It's a good thing the MKX has gas prices available in the navigation system. Ford is promising new, gas-saving systems such as electric power steering, but that hasn't hit the MKX yet. On the plus side, the car qualifies as a ULEV II, better than the minimum emissions rating from California's Air Resources Board.
The MKX has some nice safety features, including adaptive headlights that swivel with wheel turn, a canopy airbag, and an electronic stability program.
In sum
The all-wheel-drive 2009 Lincoln MKX has a base price of $39,185. Navigation in our car, which includes the THX audio system, adds $2,990 to the price, while a few other options bring our total up to $44,615. Add on the $850 destination charge, and the total rings up to $45,465. You could get the Infiniti EX35, with some pretty interesting cabin tech and driver aids, for a couple thousand less, but we think the MKX's cabin tech is better. Likewise, the Acura MDX, with definitely inferior cabin tech, will run you about $4,000 more.
The Lincoln MKX earns a top rating for its cabin tech, as it has features not available in other cars. But we would like to see some kind of driving tech in the car, like a backup camera or blind spot detection. Performance is fairly average--the car goes all right but turns in poor mileage. Its onscreen interface helps it earn design points, as the menus are functional and aesthetically pleasing.
What You'll Pay
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