jesster1228

This article on a Canadian site makes it sound like leather is standard in Canada but not in the US. "The sleek design theme is continued in the interior, where Lincoln has opted to use soft touch materials and leather (standard in Canada), to add to the luxury experience." http://www.autogo.ca/en/reviews/new-car-model/2015-lincoln-mkc-launched-in-nyc FWIW my previous C-class had "MBTex" vinyl and I'd say I almost prefer it to leather because it doesn't age as quickly. And more than once did I have a passenger say "ooh, leather!" The day I sold that car it still looked brand new inside. Unfortunately on really hot days it smelled a little bit like crayons.

I keep reading about the new steering wheel debuting in the MKC that will eventually be available in all Lincolns. It looks the same as the MKZ's steering wheel. Is it a different diameter? Thicker in cross section? Different leather?

The Lincoln "welcome mat":

It's official: http://now.lincoln.com/2013/11/introducing-the-2015-lincoln-mkc/#prclt-PTvJ1uiH http://www.caranddriver.com/news/2015-lincoln-mkc-photos-and-info-news a few interesting features: 2.3 EB 275hp/300ft-lb illuminated door handles mirrors project the lincoln logo on the ground at night new higher quality "deep soft" leather $33,995 base price On display at the LA Auto Show.

My office is next door to LAX so I see MKT Town Cars daily. It seems like a perfect fit. When you look at any purpose-built taxi vehicle they always have odd proportions. Maybe MKT-TCs are slow selling because all the livery companies stocked up on Town Cars before they were discontinued?

Personally, I've owned 9 cars and every one of them (except the convertible) has had a sunroof that I pretty much open every time I'm in the car if it's not raining. I've driven the MKZ with the panoramic roof and was a rear passenger in an MKZ with the regular sunroof at the Hello Again, LA tour. The older couple that was with us said they felt like there was more headroom in the back seat of the glass roof MKZ than in the front of the regular sunroof model. The all glass roof makes the interior *FEEL* more spacious even if it technically isn't.

Just got back from the Hello, Again Los Angeles Tour. What a disappointment. After watching videos online of the HA tours in DC & Miami I was looking forward to what we were going to see. Well, we saw nothing. The Lincoln "Hub" in the other cities was set up in artsy warehouses with MKZs on display. In Los Angeles (Santa Monica really) the hub was in a vacant space in the mall. There were little displays on the artists & companies we were going to visit: a high-end furniture company, LSTN headphones, a homemade jam & pickle company, a restaurant that only serves organic cereals, and the local museum. Due to whatever circumstances out of Lincoln's control there were no stops. I guess Saturday's tour was worse because Santa Monica had their "Glow" beach art party and all the streets were shut down and they couldn't even offer test drives. There were only 4 MKZs, an MKX, and an MKS to drive and there were way too many people registered for the event. I ran to the first MKZ (ruby red 2.0EB AWD with glass roof) before anyone else could claim it. Because of the number of people that were there we had an older white-haired couple riding with us. They complained about the AC anytime I tried to turn the temperature above LO and they seemed frightened whenever I floored the pedal to feel what kind of power the 2.0EB has. The drive was about 20 minutes through Venice Beach to Marina del Rey where we switched cars. I was looking forward to getting away from the old couple but somehow during the swap all the cars were claimed and we ended up as their passengers in a 2.0H. It was awful. The woman was a horrible driver. Fast, slow, slam on the brakes, straddling the lanes, almost hit a bus... My friend got so car sick. The old couple were unimpressed. They preferred their Lexus. I on the other hand was very impressed. I don't get why everyone is complaining about the interior plastic. It looked & felt fine to me. The only part of the interior that looked cheap to me was the way the rear corners of the padded armrest don't seem to meet up with the trim below. It's more noticeable in the cars with the Light Dune interior. The power of the 2.0EB however was unimpressive but overall the MKZ is a nicer drive than our MKS. And the start/stop of the hybrid takes getting used to. When we got back to the hub one of the reps asked how the drive was and I guess I was cranky because I went off about how poorly this event was planned and how it was nothing like it was explained online and how disappointed I was to drive over an hour to the event and my friend who was also registered didn't even get a chance to drive. Then there was a line to get the free gift (a $20 Visa gift card or a jar of homemade jam) and of course I was last in line. After I filled out the survey the Lincoln rep pulled me aside to apologize. He invited me back for a Thursday or Friday drive that would include the advertised artisan stops and offered me (2) $20 gift cards, a jar of Strawberry-Rose jam, and a pair of LSTN ear buds (a $50 item). BTW that's me in the pic getting my finger bit by the white puppy at the driver switch.

I've signed up for the Hello, Again Los Angeles tour in 2 weeks. Anyone know how it works? It says it's an hour experience but has a list of 5 artisan shops to visit. All of them are in the Santa Monica/Venice Beach area but I can't see driving thru & parking in those neighborhoods within such a short time period.

It's actually the grille from the V6 Pony Package.

Every time I've seen a pearl white car the metal parts are a slightly different color than the plastic parts. I was told it had to do with an "additive" that is used on flexible parts. I had a friend who fought Toyota over the same issue and after tons of complaining they repainted her bumpers and personally I thought it looked awful. They seemed even more mismatched than they were originally.

That's a much better dealer-customized MKZ than what I found online. This has got to be the worst pin stripe job ever. I'm surprised they didn't put a carriage roof on it.

http://www.caranddriver.com/news/2016-lincoln-mks-rendered-news

"Guys like luxury, and women like imports when it comes to new-car buying, according to a study by Kelley Blue Book. Five out of the 10 brands men were most likely to shop for were domestic, with Lincoln topping the charts." Who knew? http://www.autoblog.com/2013/08/26/men-women-brand-shopping-habits/

I won't comment here on Black Label since there's already a thread elsewhere. However... I'm not a fan of the new wreathless & stretched Caddy logo. If you squint it looks like a Chevy bowtie - which fits perfectly on that front end with the grille & domed hood that are too reminiscent of the '14 Impala.

It won't be available until model year 2015. The website barely has model year 2014 info. Also, Black Label is not just the colors & materials. It's also supposed to be an experience from ordering, sales, service, etc... They haven't announced exactly what those experiences are yet probably because the infrastructure is not yet in place at the dealerships. That would make sense as to why Black Label is still more than a year away.

FYI: According to the Bloomberg article, the bright blue is called "Notorious". http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-08-15/ford-s-lincoln-channels-lauren-with-black-label-features.html

Anyone notice the 6 Black Label colors are on the presentation boards next to each MKZ on display in the Autoblog pictures? So it's basically black, red, white, off-white (or maybe it's silver), brown, and a really bright blue. Bright blue only on Indulgence. http://www.autoblog.com/photos/lincoln-mkz-black-label-monterey/med/#photo-577082/

Pebble Beach Jim Farley interview: http://video.foxbusiness.com/v/2612370926001/lincolns-black-label-line/ Note that he says that there will be a Focus-sized Lincoln C-segment vehicle. Is that the MKC or another model below?

In case you haven't seen them yet, these are the new 2014 MKZ colors: Sunset Metallic, Platinum Dune, Dark Side, and Sterling Gray. *I do not own these images. All photos were found online.

In the pic out the MKZ rear window - is that a new dome light above the rear seat? Aren't the lights back there hidden behind the headliner on the 2013?

Absolutely agree. That said, I don't think it's totally unattractive.

My infatuation with a refreshed Navi continues:

Last year a friend of mine bought a Subaru Outback. None of the LA/Orange County dealers had the model & options in stock so we checked online and found one in Bakersfield - about an hour & a half away. She worked her entire deal ($500 over invoice - $36k for a Subaru!) through e-mail and they delivered the car to her office on a flatbed.

Caruso Lincoln strikes again. I got a phone call from them today to verify my service appointment tomorrow at 7am. Only problem is - I never made an appointment. Is this the new level of Lincoln customer service where they read my mind and tell me when I want to service my vehicle? When I asked who made the appointment they had no idea. When I asked what the appointment was for they also had no idea. So the guy tells me, "Well, you don't have to show up, this is just a reminder call. They probably scheduled your next regular service the last time you were in for routine service." Okay, except that we haven't even had the car in for routine service yet. I appreciate the courtesy call but don't make appointments for me. Does anyone find this kind of automatic service scheduling as a convenience? Pretty sure I can decide when I need to bring the car in for service, not you - especially when you're trying to get everyone to change their oil every 3000 miles. is this common practice at other Lincoln service departments?

Stumbled across this review today: http://mindovermotor.com/2013/07/12/test-driven-2013-lincoln-mkz-2-0-ecoboost-awd/