Lincoln MKX Review

[Sherminator98]

http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/?p=2516

 

Hmmmm

 

Though this statement is total BS:

 

Overlook the neglected Town Car (since it's still the top breadwinner even without promotion) and there isn't a single Lincoln that wears unique sheetmetal. After a few months’ fleet sales, profit-killing rebates and sweetheart lease terms, corporate spinmeisters will proclaim MKX's sales "increased market share and conquest sales by such-and-such percent.†But Lincoln's progression from absolutely nothing to almost nothing will hardly be a triumph.

[DCK]

http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/?p=2516

 

Hmmmm

 

Though this statement is total BS:

No one should ever defend Lincoln.

 

Let's be real fro a second they have become nothing but a pathetic joke in the luxury marque, there whole line is almost just trim level Ford's. I hate TTAB but they are right on the button here, Lincon has fallen into nothing from a sales point to an image point and of course the mkx will boost sales but like TTAB said they will only be going from nohing to almost nothing.

[igor]

No one should ever defend Lincoln.

 

Let's be real fro a second they have become nothing but a pathetic joke in the luxury marque, there whole line is almost just trim level Ford's. I hate TTAB but they are right on the button here, Lincon has fallen into nothing from a sales point to an image point and of course the mkx will boost sales but like TTAB said they will only be going from nohing to almost nothing.

 

 

says who? you? and you are?

 

oh yeah NO ONE ..

 

 

I liked the review - they are free to feel the way they want to feel - but yes - the sentence quoted by SilvrSVT was load of BS in usual TTAC fashion of trying too hard to be controversial.

 

If all of you ostriches just realize, that behind the criticism of Ford's corporate strategy (which is valid) - there is a positive review of a Ford product ..

 

PS: While I am sure Infinity makes more profit than Lincoln - Lincoln has been outselling Infinity this year ..

 

 

Igor

Edited October 26, 2006 by igor

[johnnyb82]

I thought the MKZ shared only 35% sheetmetal w/ the Fusion?

[pcsario]

yes - the sentence quoted by SilvrSVT was load of BS

 

 

 

And yet no one is saying why, funny how you just need to call something "BS" to make it true.

[Michael Reynolds]

After a few months’ fleet sales, profit-killing rebates and sweetheart lease terms, corporate spinmeisters will proclaim MKX's sales "increased market share and conquest sales by such-and-such percent.†But Lincoln's progression from absolutely nothing to almost nothing will hardly be a triumph.

 

I do believe those were the same rumblings when the Zephyr made its way to the market.

 

Oh and I love how Lexus is held to such a gold standard, when the current RX is essentially a retouched version of the model that made its debut back in 1998 (as a 99 model).

 

BTW every damn car on this planet does not require an f'n V-8 powerplant. Had Ford offered the option they would have been criticized for the poor fuel economy, and last I checked I don't see people falling over one another to snatch up V-8 SRXs.

 

I hate reading reviews that focus on the writer's issues (whatever the hell they may be) over facts. Typical BS from that outlet, typical.

[Sherminator98]

Some quick research shows that only 10% (or roughly 1000 Zephyrs) went to fleet/rental usage...hardly earth shattering. Even the vaunted MB C Class had a similar fleet % for the first 6 months of this year. The statement in the article was just a senseless dig at Ford/Lincoln with very little to back it up.

 

 

 

And yet no one is saying why, funny how you just need to call something "BS" to make it true.

 

 

But the thing is that its true, Robert Fargo contacted me after I attacked the riddled with errors Edge review they put up. He asked me to write for him to boot.

Edited October 26, 2006 by silvrsvt

[pcsario]

If you take out the "fleet sales" from that, where's the BS on this?

 

After a few months of profit-killing rebates and sweetheart lease terms, corporate spinmeisters will proclaim MKX's sales "increased market share and conquest sales by such-and-such percent." But Lincoln's progression from absolutely nothing to almost nothing will hardly be a triumph.

 

People love to compare Lincoln with the rebadges from Honda and Toyota. I just don't see the point even in that defense.

 

Concept to production rebadges, or their way of doing flexible manufacturing:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Now Ford's way of doing it 90% of the time:

 

 

You might not like his comments, but what he said is far from being BS, and is the reason why "Lincoln's progression from absolutely nothing to almost nothing will hardly be a triumph". He was also right on the fire sales and similar tactics for the Zephyr.

 

They need less MKX's and MKZzzz's, and more stuff done like the MKS.

Edited October 26, 2006 by pcsario

[johnnyb82]

Your post might be more effective if you showed the Fusion in your comparison.

[pcsario]

Your post might be more effective if you showed the Fusion in your comparison.

 

Sorry, couldn't add more pics.

 

The triplets and the crossovers are nothing but the same car with different front and rear ends.

 

Yeah I know, someone's thinking about saying "Bububu new interior".

 

They're missing the point.

Edited October 26, 2006 by pcsario

[kyle]

I agree with you 100%

 

I really like the Edge...no doubt going to be a huge success story for them...more than the fusion.....

 

but how many of us would spend the extra $4000 on the lincoln?

 

Kind of reminds me what cadillac did to the cavalier...what the hell was it called....

[Sherminator98]

Doesn't matter what we think...alot of us thought that the Zephyr was going to be a flop...and it wasn't.

 

Let the market figure it out if they want to spend that money or not. I sure as hell don't have a crystal ball and there are penetly of people here who can't look past their own special interests to be objective enough...

[RichardJensen]

I love idea that the Edge is going to overpopulate the local Ford dealer.

 

In production terms, there will only be about 3 Edges for every 1 MKX. Hardly 'overpopulation'.

 

I also love the "Its $4500 more" complaints that ignore the reality that by the time you've equipped the Edge with the stuff the MKX gets standard, you're close enough that the difference is pretty much the better materials.

[kyle]

so what are you saying richard...? I would pick out an edge anyday over the lincoln....and I happen to like the mkx but there is no way in hell that I would pay the price for the same damn thing.....

 

say what you want about the zephyr being a success but it is hardly that...the benchmark in that field is the G35 and Acura TL and they are not even in that league...hopefully they will learn from those mistakes and start to differentiate their vehicles.

[RichardJensen]

so what are you saying richard...? I would pick out an edge anyday over the lincoln....and I happen to like the mkx but there is no way in hell that I would pay the price for the same damn thing.....

 

say what you want about the zephyr being a success but it is hardly that...the benchmark in that field is the G35 and Acura TL and they are not even in that league...hopefully they will learn from those mistakes and start to differentiate their vehicles.

I'm saying you can't get the same nav system, the same stereo system, the same quality leather seats, cooled seats, or the same interior surfaces, etc., in the Edge. Hence the price difference. It's not the same thing.

 

Your indifference to the interior doodadery on the MKX does not prove that there exists no market for such equipment, especially since the MKX underprices the RX and MDX by an amount similar to the difference between the Edge and Murano.

 

Finally, the MKZ is a success, per Ford's expectations. Any other argle-bargle about whether it's a success is a waste of time. I'm sure that where the MKZ is a success to Ford execs, the G35 is something of a disappointment to Nissan, as G35 volume is down a not insubstantial amount year over year.

[Edgey]

The MKX is something more than a better equipped Edge, it has quite a few engineering tweaks to help improve its NVH characteristics. Of course, you could argue that it's just a better insulated Edge!

 

Lincoln is still a very traditional luxury car with the belief that luxury is something that is added to a car, not engineered into the car itself. That is what will always seperate Lincoln from the Japanese and European luxury products. Fortunately, Lincoln is affordable (if false) luxury.

 

And yes, I would pay more for an MKX. I will be test driving an MKZ and MKX tomorrow. Wish me luck! Both are on my shopping list.

[DCK]

Doesn't matter what we think...alot of us thought that the Zephyr was going to be a flop...and it wasn't.

 

Let the market figure it out if they want to spend that money or not. I sure as hell don't have a crystal ball and there are penetly of people here who can't look past their own special interests to be objective enough...

That is not even the point,

 

And let's be real the zephyr had like 3 grand in rebates on it from the dealer and factory combined.

 

I can't believe that anyone here who likes Ford would actually defend Lincoln. Igor why can't you be a little honest with yourself and admit you have your head up Ford's ass.

 

I mean seriously Lincoln is a pathetic fricking joke and same with mercury Ford let them die pretty much and they sell to people too old to garner further expansion. Ford absolutely destroyed the two brands because they simply couldn't put in the effort to ever compete and they won't even try. They think by giving them Ford's with a new interior than that will save them. Then we have moron's(and yes you really are if you use this defense) That Lexus has some Toyota based models. Just completely forgeting the whole line of Lexus only vehicles.

 

Like I said Lincoln has been pretty much destroyed by Ford and you can add Mercury in to that also. Yet we still dont see them even try to put their best foot foward and fixing the disaster they have become. Cadillac is an example of not caring and then to gain back success GM put their best foot foward and now they are prospering................Mean time I will wait for the brain dead to mention that cadillac is having an off year while absolutely forgetting the years of sale surges then mention lincoln with absolutly forgetting the 5 years of sales tumble with absolutely no new products.

[Edgey]

I have never known Lincoln to be a well tended brand overall. It has always had a very small handful of products, almost all of which were derived from Ford.

 

Indeed it is very unusual to see a car company still re-badging products in this way, but it is still working for Lincoln so Ford is saving big bucks while re-establishing Lincoln in the process. Lincoln has to start somewhere and I think we will eventually see more fully-realized followups to the MKX and MKZ. If GM can differentiated similarly priced sedans, surely Ford can do a better job with cars 5K more expensive.

 

I'm actually shocked to see so many bad reviews for the Edge and MKX, most of it seems erroneously tied to the perception that Ford can't do anything right so obviously these cars are completely off the mark.

Edited October 27, 2006 by Edgey

[DCK]

I have never known Lincoln to be a well tended brand overall. It has always had a very small handful of products, almost all of which were derived from Ford.

 

Indeed it is very unusual to see a car company still re-badging products in this way, but it is still working for Lincoln so Ford is saving big bucks while re-establishing Lincoln in the process. Lincoln has to start somewhere and I think we will eventually see more fully-realized followups to the MKX and MKZ. If GM can differentiated similarly priced sedans, surely Ford can do a better job with cars 5K more expensive.

 

I'm actually shocked to see so many bad reviews for the Edge and MKX, most of it seems erroneously tied to the perception that Ford can't do anything right so obviously these cars are completely off the mark.

The problem is it isn't "still" working for Lincoln infact it has failed miserably, maybe because the last 5 years was trully murder on Ford behalfs.

 

Up until reallu the Zephyr last year Lincoln and Mercury were pretty much dead in the water, and instead of coming back strong they are simply providing them with minimal rebadged products. What get's me is why did Ford neglect them for truthfully almost a decade, I mean even if they were pathetically lazy and just didn't care they could of put forth the lackluster effort they are showing now with the MKZ and MKX. But no, they didn't even do that it is as if Ford wanted Lincoln and Mercury to slowly die.

Edited October 27, 2006 by DCK

[akirby]

Lincoln wasn't purposefully neglected. For one they had several plans started and then cancelled for various reasons. When the LS debuted in 99 there were at least 2 other new models in the works to compete head to head with BMW. Then they were kicked out of PAG and floundered with multiple leaders and no real corporate identity.

 

The end result was no new platforms or cars, but it was the end result of many different events along the way, not apathy.

 

Ford and Lincoln need to be profitable first - and sharing platforms makes that possible. There's no reason the MKZ or MKX should have unique platforms, just like the low end Lexus models share platforms with Toyota.

 

When you get into the higher levels of the luxury arena then they do need a new RWD platform, but that's a few years away. In the meantime the MKZ, MKX and (if they do it right) MKS will fill a void and turn a profit that Ford can use to invest in that new Lincoln platform.

 

The bottom line is making money, not making a bunch of car enthusiasts happy.

[StevenJ]

For all of you that are bitching about the MKZ, name one other vehicle in the same segment that makes 263 hp or more with AWD on unleaded 87 for just about $33,000. NAME ONE! I bet you $100 none of you can find one. When it was the Zepher, yeah that argument about being a rebadge held true but not with the new motor and AWD.

[waymondospiff]

When you get into the higher levels of the luxury arena then they do need a new RWD platform, but that's a few years away. In the meantime the MKZ, MKX and (if they do it right) MKS will fill a void and turn a profit that Ford can use to invest in that new Lincoln platform.

 

The bottom line is making money, not making a bunch of car enthusiasts happy.

 

Very well stated. You've accurately explained the current Lincoln strategy. I question if it will succeed, but Ford needs to make money, and soon.

 

I don't know if Lincoln will ever justify a unique, advanced, flexible chassis like Cadillac's Sigma, but it would go a long way towards credibility in the open market. But that costs money. The MK Z/X/S vehicles cost a mere fraction comparatively. As long as they'll sell and not sully the Lincoln name. That's the question.

 

Scott

 

Editted because I've lost all ability to write coherent sentences.

Edited October 27, 2006 by waymondospiff

[1999 White C5 Coupe]

I agree with you 100%

 

I really like the Edge...no doubt going to be a huge success story for them...more than the fusion.....

 

but how many of us would spend the extra $4000 on the lincoln?

 

Kind of reminds me what cadillac did to the cavalier...what the hell was it called....

 

 

The Cadilac Cimmaron..........

[Sherminator98]

And let's be real the zephyr had like 3 grand in rebates on it from the dealer and factory combined.

 

 

Maybe if you qualified for every single inventive that was available on the car...The most that a Zephyr had factory wise was a 1K rebate if you went though Ford credit.

 

Right now you can only get 2K back on Zephyr, and thats if your college grad and get the military discount(Very unlikely), in addition to the 1K rebate from Ford motor credit

[NLPRacing]

For all of you that are bitching about the MKZ, name one other vehicle in the same segment that makes 263 hp or more with AWD on unleaded 87 for just about $33,000. NAME ONE! I bet you $100 none of you can find one. When it was the Zephyr, yeah that argument about being a re-badge held true but not with the new motor and AWD.

 

The Mazdasped6 comes to closest, but still requires 91+ octane. Hopefully Lincoln will do a version of the MKZ that is similar to the Acura TL Type S. An MKZ w/AWD and 6 speed manual, tuned for premium with tight suspension, big brakes and a very mild body kit, would be very sweet. Same goes for the MKX. A sportier version of the MKX & MKZ (and the soon to be released MKS) would go a long way for Lincoln's image. Something like these...