ANTAUS Posted February 21, 2008 Share Posted February 21, 2008 I had the experience of driving an new '08 MKX for the week. A Black on Black, FWD version. LOVE The Sync system...it's a bit quirky at times pertaining the phonetics of it. It could confuse "Play artist ABBA", with "A-Ha!", among a few other things. But I did notice myself looking at the screen quite a bit, or searching my brain a bit for specific artists that I THOUGHT my Iphone already had loaded into it's iPod. Other than that, once you get used to it, it's a blessing. Center armrest bin is quite deep, and creative in it's arrangement. You can fit pretty much anything in there and I appreciated that. I APPRECIATE Click the unlock button, and the headlights turn and stay on for a bit (GM's do this a bit-whereas in most other words you just have "approach lights under the side mirrors, but no headlights stay on) Glad they are moving to this..I can find the car easier at night without hitting the panic button on a crowded lot. Rear parking assist button is integrated into the trip computer, instead of needing a button of it's own. Loved the actually feeling of the seat and particularly the headrest, its in the perfect position for me. Interior leather is similar to what Lexus uses..same grain feel, wonder how it'll wear during time. Interior materials in general were quite good. Many soft touch panels and sort of hard to decipher between the hard and soft ones. DISLIKED The IP look is totally medicore for a luxury vehicle. I've seen some Ford IP's from the 80's, that looked better. Adding a chrome ring around the square tach/speed doesn't impart a feeling of luxury. The blocky short stubby needles make it look cheap, and whats worse, it's the same color as the rest of the instrumentation which is whitish...takes a extra second to make out your speed when looking at it. Again, they should be red, should be skinnier and pointier to impart an aura of quality and luxury. I'm still not sold on the white instrumentation lighting. It washes off on certain twilight times, or if the sun is directly hitting it in certain angles. A few times I had to ask "Whats playing" because I couldn't make out the screen on the stereo...which itseld isn't really white, rather a touch of blue onto the display. As if they TRIED to match it, but failed. They could have gone with a totally different color and succeeded. Rear hatch requires some muscle to pull down if you don't have the Power Liftgate option. Torque steer is definately present at higher RPM's. I had to fight a bit with it to get it pointed where I needed it. More work needs to be done to dial it out...wonder how much worse it'll get when the 3.7L gets phased in with 300HP.... DRIVING EXPERIENCE The vehicle felt quite composed, and very quiet overall. Certainly feels much better than a friends RX350 he just bought. Better response at the limit, quieter in taking care of bumps overall, and quieter at higher speeds, nearly silent at lower speeds expect a buzz from the engine after 3500rpms. The engine gets dramatically loud at 5-6K Rpm, and don't wish to use the worst thrashy, but maybe some muffler work might cover the noise a bit. It does sound better than the Duratec30 by far, and much more refined at lower speeds. Loved the instant midrange response, and it's quite the revver. The transmission does a great job on keeping it alive, and it's smooth to shift as well. For my taste, I didn't appreciate it after 60mph, the vehicle felt a bit wallowy, yet comfortable. As if a vehicle I felt invisible in, but afraid to push it beyond that because it felt quite soft overall. Not a bad thing, it's just personal preference that I "feel" something going on with the road. Maybe some more feedback thru the steering wheel would fix that. Overall I think this is a great product overall. Pretty surprised at how well Ford designed the vehicle for what most will be seeking in this price range. Some tweaking along the way and I'm sure it'll continue to do well in sales once the word gets out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Reynolds Posted February 22, 2008 Share Posted February 22, 2008 Yeah someone over at Ford needs to learn what a true Sport Package is and start applying them to the bulk of Lincoln's vehicles. A stiffer suspension, improved steering response, seats that hug you and maybe a change to the transmission wouldn't hurt (nor would it cost that much money). I absolutely hate Lincoln's instrument clusters, they have got to be some of the worst for a luxury make. These cars should have at least a complex LCD communicating car functions in addition to a better speedo. Lincoln's current setups remind me of the 80's, and that's not a good thing. I don't mind the white lighting so much though. I drove an MKX not too long ago (helping a friend car shop). I thought the interior quality was up to snuff, I too was impressed with SYNC and overall material quality. The 'stitched' door panel areas where you rest your arms could use a tad more attention to detail, but overall the changes are VERY attractive. One thing that should have been changed on the Lincoln is the rear center armrest. I think it's cheap in the Edge, and it is totally out of place here. Ford needs to learn that a badge does not constitute a price hike, and that the little things count. I think the noise is truly associated with the exhaust, and a better setup back there should quiet things down just a little bit. As heavy as those cars are you really shouldn't hear much of anything. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sizzler Posted February 22, 2008 Share Posted February 22, 2008 I had the experience of driving an new '08 MKX for the week. A Black on Black, FWD version. LOVE The Sync system..It could confuse "Play artist ABBA", with "A-Ha!", that I THOUGHT my Iphone already had loaded into it's iPod. ... Is this really information you want to share? :shades: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Reynolds Posted February 22, 2008 Share Posted February 22, 2008 Is this really information you want to share? :shades: LOL.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomServo92 Posted February 22, 2008 Share Posted February 22, 2008 Is this really information you want to share? :shades: Uhhhh...Play artist Disturbed!!!! :P Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ANTAUS Posted February 22, 2008 Author Share Posted February 22, 2008 I have no problem sharing..."Sharing means caring" BTW, when I asked for "Play Track, "ME SO Horny", it gave me everything BUT...guess "Horny" is not in their context. I forgot to add, I did about 15.2MPG with about 90% city Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Edstock Posted February 22, 2008 Share Posted February 22, 2008 BTW, when I asked for "Play Track, "ME SO Horny", it gave me everything BUT...guess "Horny" is not in their context. Maybe next year's model will auto-dial an escort service? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mettech Posted February 22, 2008 Share Posted February 22, 2008 Thanks for the the good review. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
suv_guy_19 Posted February 22, 2008 Share Posted February 22, 2008 I APPRECIATEClick the unlock button, and the headlights turn and stay on for a bit (GM's do this a bit-whereas in most other words you just have "approach lights under the side mirrors, but no headlights stay on) Glad they are moving to this..I can find the car easier at night without hitting the panic button on a crowded lot. Any Ford with auto lights does that...they have..well...for a long time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ANTAUS Posted February 22, 2008 Author Share Posted February 22, 2008 My 00, 03, 05 LS's, 05 Mustang, 05 Mountaineer, have not had that....you just get the approach lights under the mirrors to light up. And all those had the AutoLamps except the Mustang. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomServo92 Posted February 22, 2008 Share Posted February 22, 2008 My 00, 03, 05 LS's, 05 Mustang, 05 Mountaineer, have not had that....you just get the approach lights under the mirrors to light up. And all those had the AutoLamps except the Mustang. My '07 Fusion is my first Ford to do that. My wife's '02 LS doesn't do it. Neither did our '05 Escape. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
suv_guy_19 Posted February 22, 2008 Share Posted February 22, 2008 My 00, 03, 05 LS's, 05 Mustang, 05 Mountaineer, have not had that....you just get the approach lights under the mirrors to light up. And all those had the AutoLamps except the Mustang. Really, Our 05 F150 and one before it did that...oh well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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