Ecoboost V6 was touted
to provide V8
performance with V6 fuel
economy. Somehow,
Lincoln managed to get
16 MPG city and 22
highway (on the USScale). With a commute
of about 50 MPH average
for a half hour, I get an
unimpressive 17-18 MPG
average. Luckily, at the
gas pump, the car can
take regular 87 octane
gasoline (91 RON), if the
owner’s manual is
correct. I haven’t noticed
any issues. Speaking of
the fuel pump, trips will
be frequent, as the tank
is only 18.6 US gallons
(per Edmunds.com).
From the inside of the
car, yes, it feels
somewhat nimble. But
the car also seems to be
somewhat
noisy. Edmunds claims
that the noise level for a
70 MPH cruise is 60 db
(about 10 sones). That is
supposed to be the noise
level of a non-quiet
restaurant. But due to
wind, it seems to be a lot
noisier to me. There is a
little more engine noise
that comes into the cabin
than I would like, which
makes me question how
much Lincoln paid
attention to sounddeadening. The
transmission is
okay. With how easily
the car revs to 3500
RPM, it seems as though
the gear ratios are
short. But it’s not as
smooth as it should
be. The car has a
somewhat noticeable jerk
during gear
changes. Using the
steering wheel mounted
paddles (pull/push either
paddle to
upshift/downshift) does
not really improve the
smoothness, and
downshifting with them
makes it worse. But fuel
economy could improve,
since the system allows
for shifts at 2500
RPM. The mirrors are
adequate, but the
available blind spot
monitoring makes lane
changes much
easier. The blind spot
lights are located on the
mirror, and the system is
quite sensitive. When
passing, the light
basically remains on until
the other car is a good
distance behind, which
should encourage safe
lane changes. However,
the can be truly
appreciated when
backing out of a
spot. Yes, the parking
camera works well, even
at night. But the car is
also equipped with crosstraffic alert. Thanks to
good sensitivity, it alerts
the driver well before a
car crosses from
behind. It makes a world
of a difference. For citydwellers, the active park
assist can parallel park
the car. The system
controls the steering
wheel and gives
instructions to the driver
controlling the
pedals. The system
relies on the rear parking
sensors, and for the most
part, it works. In many
instances, the car will
even avoid touching low
curbs. Unfortunately, I
could not use this during
my driver’s test. Not like I
needed it, anyway.
Conclusion
My overall thoughts on
the car as a petrolhead: I
love the power, and the
handling is
impressive. The car
could possibly be taken
to a Cars ‘n Coffee meet
without apologizing (but
an explanation is
probably
recommended).
My thoughts on the car
from a normal
standpoint: It’s definitely
comfortable. The second
row, thanks to the second
row console, is a lot
better than the first
row. It would be nice if
there was a remote to
control the navigation
system from the
rear. Noise could be
better. The sound
system is good, although
it is best enjoyed with
Bluetooth, auxiliary, USB,
or CD audio (the latter
two being the