Recently, at Los Angeles auto show, Lincoln’s stand displayed nothing but its classic models from half a century ago and even further back. It was so sad. It’s basically like Lincoln is saying, “Look how beautiful I used to be. And look at the tired, wrinkly old me today… Does anybody have Dr Kevorkian’s number?” “Oh, he died last year did he? Just my luck…”
But there was a time when a Lincoln was as high a status symbol as a Rolls-Royce. If not higher, because before BMW beat Volkswagen to owning the marque, the Goodwood brand’s cars were rubbish. And Lincolns were stately, exquisitely built, made-in-the-USA rolling artworks, back when ‘Made in the USA’ meant much more than ‘Outsourced to China’. Presidents drove Lincolns, they signed treaties and answered red telephones in them, they lived and died in Lincolns.
One American president was even named after Lincoln. Or it could’ve been the other way around, I don’t know, but I suspect that today there aren’t many prime ministers left lusting after a Lincoln. I could go on forever about the depressing demise of a once-great brand, but I am here instead to test a car. The 2013 Lincoln MKS is, in a word, fine. It’s very fine, actually, and that’s because it’s also a Ford Taurus, which happens to be an excellent vehicle almost the size of a Mercedes-Benz S-Class.
Unfortunately that also means it comes with the SYNC interface, which during the time it spent with me decided to call it a day once, and the infotainment screen refused to switch on. When it did switch on, randomly, the system required a loading time of about 60 seconds before the display came alive. Then there’s also the slightly irksome bug, er, feature, which makes the screen remain off when you turn the car on, yet at other times turns itself on, together with the car.
Ford is aware of the system’s faults, and is commendably updating it constantly, but in my experience of numerous different cars with the technology, it’s simply not yet ready for the real world. Mechanically, since this MKS is identical to the Taurus, it gets the Blue Oval’s great 3.7-litre V6, here producing 304 horsepower and 366Nm of torque, which is more than enough.
There is a Sport button that adjusts all sorts of parameters to turn the MKS, dynamically speaking, from an oil tanker into an aircraft carrier. Leave that switch alone, because in truth there is only one suspension setting here, and it’s heavenly. Forget about handling or steering, and make sure that wherever you’re going is always straight ahead. The ride quality and cabin refinement are amazing — the 2013 MKS has adaptive damping and a long 2,868mm wheelbase in its favour.
This naturally aspirated motor, mated to an imperceptible six-speed automatic transmission, feels misplaced when you thrash it, because why would you thrash a Lincoln? Keep the revs down low, and venture as far as perhaps 4,000rpm, or the torque’s peaking point. You can have the 2013 MKS in one flavor only in our showrooms, which gets you sat-nav, 20in alloys, wood trim and leather.
It’s loaded with tech out of the box, with things like parking and lane-keeping assist, collision warning, and cruise control, plus the 2013 model gets a thorough design update and that identity-crisis mustachioed grille. It’s a fine vehicle, but the question remains if you should buy this or a Mercedes-Benz C-Class, entry-level Audi A6, or a decent-spec A4, Lexus GS, BMW 3 Series…
Another thing to keep in mind; the Lincoln MKS is sold in the UAE under the same roof as a similarly priced rear-wheel drive Jaguar XF. Maybe Lincoln can get a life-saving intervention, too.
