2015 Lincoln MKC AWD Review By John Heilig

By John Heilig
Senior Editor
Mid-Atlantic Bureau
The Auto Channel

AUTO PAGE REVIEWED MODEL

MODEL: 2015 Lincoln MKC AWD
ENGINE: 2.3-liter Ecoboost I-4
TRANSMISSION: 6-speed automatic with paddles
HORSEPOWER/TORQUE: 285 hp @ 5,500 rpm/305 lb.-ft. @ 2,750 rpm
WHEELBASE: 105.9 in.
LENGTH X WIDTH X HEIGHT: 179.2 x 76.3 x 65.2 in.
TIRES: P245/45R19
CARGO: 25.2/53.1 cu. ft. (behind 2nd row, 2nd row seats down)
ECONOMY: 18 mpg city/26 mpg highway/23.9 mpg test
FUEL TANK: 15.5 gal.
CURB WEIGHT: 3,989 lbs.
STICKER: $48,770 (includes $895 delivery, $12,280 options)

BOTTOM LINE: The all-new Lincoln MKC is a very nice small SUV/Crossover with all the goodies, plus a touch of Lincoln luxury. It is comfortable on long rides as well as around town.

Lincoln’s new MKC crossover utility vehicle is an attempt to get the brand into the highly competitive and growing small luxury SUV market. As such, it will compete with several European manufacturers as well as a couple of domestic brands. It should do well.  

Powered by a 2.3-liter Ecoboost turbocharged inline four, the MKC develops 285 horsepower and 305 lb.-ft. of torque. This is enough to carry decent loads plus tow 1,000 pounds. We found the engine to be quiet and to offer very good acceleration. We drove it on one long trip as well as around town. On our around-town drives, we put grandchildren in the back seats. There were no major complaints from them about tight legroom, but I thought it was tight.

Front seats are heated and cooled and offer some side support. On our long trip, there was no hint of back aches

Walk up to the MKC at night and you find “puddle lights” (Lincoln calls them welcome mats) with the Lincoln logo to greet you by the two front doors. In addition, the headlamps, taillamps and door handles also light up to make entry easier, or at least more welcoming.

Sit behind the wheel, which is a new style for Lincoln that will be used in all future products, and you face a clear instrument panel. You also may wonder where the gear shifter is. Lincoln uses a pushbutton shifter located just to the left of the center stack. This frees up room both on the center console and the steering column. The pushbutton shifter takes some getting used to. Even an owner will find it takes 1-2 seconds longer than a console-mounted shifter, which can be operated by feel. You have to locate the gear you want by eye, knowing that if you hit the wrong gear you could be going forward instead of backward, or vice versa.

We drove the MKC in a weather range from below freezing temperatures to temperatures in the  mid-60s, and the HVAC system did a very good job keeping us comfortable.

Our tester had a sticker price of more than $48,000, but the base price for the MKC is $35,595. More than $12,000 in options jacked the price up a bit.

However, we have found that many of these options have become near-necessities. The biggest option package ($6,935) for example, included folding mirrors, a panoramic vista roof, voice recognition navigation, blind spot monitor, cross traffic alert, the hands-free liftgate and heated and cooled front seats.

The vista roof was nice, but I couldn’t figure out how to get it to open all the way. The hands-free liftgate only needs a wave of your foot under the rear bumper to get it to lift. Folding mirrors are nice, but not necessities. The others are. We have driven far more expensive cars that don’t have any of these.

Lincoln has been noted for their big Navigator SUV, which is a nice package. With the MKC, Lincoln is moving into new territory, but it is territory that Lexus, Infiniti, BMW and Acura have been in for a while and can do with some American competition. The MKC is a very good package and should give the imports a good run for their money.

© 2015 The Auto Page Syndicate