The new Lincoln MKC quietly entered the market last fall with actor Matthew McConaughey’s Lincoln television ad. After the commercials were spoofed by comedians such as Ellen Degeneres, interest in this compact luxury crossover caught the attention of people across North America and sales took off much to the delight of Lincoln executives. The luxury CUV market is on a roll right now as consumers buy up very small crossovers that provide all the bells and whistles, ride comfort and luxury features in a vehicle that is easy to enter and exit, park and sips fuel. The potential buyer can be seniors who no longer want a larger vehicle and may have downsized to a small home or young newlyweds that desire a small vehicle capable of many tasks that is well optioned and economical as they settle into home ownership with perhaps children to follow. The MKC is built on a modified version of the Escape platform. But it's massaged enough that appearance wise it bears little resemblance to its Ford cousin. Inside very few bits and pieces remain from the Escape. Lincoln designers did a commendable job to the interior with tasteful execution of vinyl, plastic, leather and strips of real wood. The seats are well bolstered and more than supportive for long distance travel. If a child car seat needs to go in the back seat, the fit is a little snug depending on how far back the front seats have been positioned. On the outside styling is kept low-key and devoid of any unnecessary curves and lines. The rear hatch is a clamshell design adding a little more length to the MKC and a styling touch to set it apart from its cousin the Escape. The downside to the MKC is what lives under the hood, an optional 285 horsepower, 2.3-litre EcoBoost four-cylinder engine mated to a seven-speed automatic transmission. Lincoln claims the engine (which resides in a number of other Ford vehicles) is capable of very good fuel consumption. I’m of a different opinion. Using almost three-quarters of a tank of fuel from Edmonton to Calgary wasn’t what I was expecting. While on the highway at 120 km/ph the MKC's trip computer indicated the MKC was getting around 9L/100 km. When I fuelled up in Calgary and calculated actual fuel consumption it worked to 9.8L/100km or just under 30 mpg. I have a 12-year-old midsize German sedan with a normally aspirated six-cylinder engine capable of the same fuel consumption at the same highway speed with the same amount of luggage and two adults. Need I say more? EcoBoost is Ford-speak for turbocharging. Turbocharged engines aren't usually known for outstanding fuel economy. A cruising range of less than 500 kilometres, not impressive. I guess the key perhaps is to stay under 110 kilometres per hour.
The base MKC comes with a 2.0-litre, 240 horsepower turbo four-cylinder and perhaps it’s better at sipping fuel. Incidentally the smaller engine pulls 305 lb.-ft. of torque. Now that’s impressive! Not surprisingly it comes with a higher towing capacity (3,000 lbs. versus 2,000 lbs.) than the 2.3-litre engine.
The MKC is heavy on electronics. Transmission selections are strictly by push button on the centre stack. Not sure I like that setup because if the brain of the MKC goes down in the middle of a busy street, can you shift to neutral to get the vehicle from blocking traffic? On a related subject I know some journalists feel MyLincoln Touch feels dated, but I’m fine with it. An updated system is coming and besides the MKC has a good array of knobs and buttons to help with audio, navigation and climate control.
There is a long list of options to personalize the MKC; heated and cooled seats, a panoramic sunroof, hands-free liftgate that opens when you sweep your shoe under the bumper, adaptive cruise control, self-steering systems that can keep the MKC in lane or pull into and out of parking spaces. There are also three audio system upgrades. Base price for the AWD version I drove started at $39,940. $14,230 in options later the price tag ballooned to $54,170.
Overall I like the MKC inside and outside although in my opinion the White Platinum Metallic exterior paint is too plain for this vehicle. I’d definitely choose something bolder.
Garry Melnyk is a St. Albert resident and lifelong car buff who has written about new cars and trucks for radio and print publications since the ’70s.
