2013 Lincoln MKS Review & Price
It has dawned on Lincoln that it needs a whole new bunch of 50-year-olds to buy its cars if it wants to progress in the current automobile scenario.
There is no point in catering to 65+ buyers who are the main customers of the MKS. To achieve the aforesaid, Lincoln is coming out with four new/upgraded models in 2014/15, and this will include a new entrant in the C-segment.
The 2013 Lincoln MKS will not be one of them, but it represents a move in the right direction the company is taking. The new MKS is not only a mid-cycle update but also represents a more elaborate change.
2013 Lincoln MKS Features
Looks
On the exterior, everything in front of the A-pillars is new, including the sharper grille panels, thinner HID headlights, a new hood, which has a prominent fin running down its center and having on its either side bow wake detailing.
Photo Credit: Worldexpensivecar.com/2013-lincoln-mks-ecoboost-redesign.html
At the rear, there is the new fascia while the decklid’s shape has been changed so to lower the height of the trunk lift over to make it easier to load things into the boot.
Interior
There are wood-tone accents which stretch across the width of the dashboard and replace the wide swath of aluminum. There is a new central stack which features larger and more intuitive controls for the MyLincoln Touch system.
The instrument binnacle has been upgraded with multi-color liquid crystal displays on either side of the speedometer and controlled by 5-way buttons on the steering.
Photo Credit: Familycarguide.com/photos/lincoln_mks_2013#100370880
The noise level in the cabin is lower which is thanks to more sound-deadening material being used in the hood, trunk, front wheel wells and shock absorber towers.
Powerplant
You will be familiar with the powerplant under the hood of the MKS if you have read the test of the Ford Flex, Taurus and Taurus SHO. The base model 3700cc V6 gets variable timing on both camshafts and some other tweaks, which increase the horsepower by 28hp to 304hp, while the peak torque rises by 3lb/ft to 279lb/ft.
The EcoBoost twin-turbocharger direct-injected 3500cc engine has been upgraded and now it makes 10hp more for a total of 365hp, however the torque remains the same as before at 350lb/ft.
Photo Credit: Carrohoje.com/2011/11/17/lincoln-mks/
The MKS also uses an active noise cancellation system, which works through the speakers of the stereo system to cancel some frequencies produced by the engine and enhance the pleasurable ones when you select “S” or sport mode on the transmission.
It’s not only the engine’s note that the S mode changes. The new Continuously Controlled Damping (CCD) setup keeps a watch and adjusts the suspension setting according to three preset modes: normal, comfort and sport.
In this segment, only Lincoln offers this system as standard.
The electric power steering has been improved on the MKS by fitting the steering rack quite rigidly to the subframe and also making the steering ratio quicker to improve the feel.
The braking department also sees an upgrade, with the brake master cylinder enlarged, improved brake pads, retuning of the power booster and enlarged boosters. The rear brakes have become vented too. This has improved the performance, which was not the strongest point of the outgoing car’s.
There are more high technology goodies on the Lincoln MKS in the 2013 model year than ever before and these include: lane-keeping assist being new, while lane-departure departure was already available on the previous model. When the system senses danger, it warns the driver by vibrating the steering wheel.
Sum Up & Price
The 2013 Lincoln MKS starts at a price of $50,670, which is just a few hundred dollars off the asking price of the Audi A6 3.0T Quattro and the Mercedes-Benz E350.
So, how do these three cars compare? The MKS accelerates faster than the Mercedes, while in the sport mode the body of the car is more tightly controlled than the other two cars, though the ride comfort isn’t that great. The MKS also has more room than either of the German cars.
