2011 Lincoln MKZ Hybrid: Bossy Mama Review

August 27, 2011 - Carol McBee

 

My week of driving Lincoln’s MKZ Hybrid has come to an end.  When I was asked to drive the Lincoln MKZ Hybrid…I was quite excited to finally test a hybrid vehicle.  I have always been intrigued with the hybrid technology many of the automakers use today.  This is my second Lincoln test drive and I thoroughly enjoyed the MKX and was excited to give the sedan a try.

The week passed and when it was all said and done…I enjoyed driving this vehicle along with doing my part for the environment and in an environmentally friendly vehicle.  While there was some upside for the hybrid technology, I did experience some downside as an overall family sedan.

 

First Impressions

I picked the vehicle up and was only slightly enjoyed the look of the exterior.  The traditional Lincoln grill and front end looks nice, however the rest of the exterior was styled fairly traditional to most mid sized sedans.  I felt like I should probably put on some light jazz and head home to work on the daily crossword puzzle from the newspaper.

 

Once I got in the vehicle my attitude started to change.  I was impressed with the overall interior appointments.  The seats were comfortable, however lacking a bit of head room. The instrumentation cluster and center console included a large LCD touch screen and were nicely done with Lincoln’s move toward ensuring their vehicles are loaded with luxury and the latest technology. 

When I first saw the rear seat and put in the car seat, I found it to be lacking in size for a family sedan.  I did however take 3 women on an hour drive to a nearby lake over the weekend that I had the vehicle, and they all found there was ample room for their fairly small frames.  If you were to have 4 tall men driving the vehicle, they might think differently.

As I mentioned above, this is the first time I have driven a hybrid vehicle.  When I began the test drive, I turned the key, then turned the key again.  It wasn’t until I turned the key for a third time that I noticed the “car ready to drive” light that came on.  Since the vehicle is a hybrid, there is no turn over; the vehicle started running on battery power and was ABSOLUTLY QUIET.  It seems that it have been more logical to have a push button start for this vehicle.  Turning a key without any audible engine turnover seemed a bit strange. 

Within my first couple of kilometers, I found the steering wheel controls to be fairly standard and the center radio controls extremely easy to use.  Nice big, easy to reach buttons and center screen had 3 quadrants of information.  Half the screen was the navigation system and the other half was divided into the radio information and the climate information which was a nice alternative to the standard full screen navigation.

 

This Vehicle is for you if…

You are looking for a Hybrid in a package of luxury comfort and a more traditionally styled sedan.  You would like to step into hybrid technology without looking like the “stereotypical” hybrid driver…if you know what I mean! 

This Vehicle is Not for you if…

You are a family with younger children.  The rear seat room was limited and trunk capacity is limited and will not hold much of your cargo needs, like strollers and large grocery shops. 

If you are on a budget, this will most likely not be a vehicle to consider for your hybrid purchase.  I would lean towards the Lincoln MKZ Hybrid, however a nicely equipped Ford Fusion Hybrid which uses the same hybrid technology and platform will be much more reasonable for most families. 

Women will like…

Women will like driving a hybrid in a more presentable sedan package. Women will also enjoy driving with all of the interior luxuries from a luxury sedan from heated and cooled seats to navigation and Bluetooth.

Women will not like…

Women will not like the trunk size or the lag in the switch from battery to engine.  When you press on the gas pedal there is quite the delay in power moving from battery power to engine power.  This vehicle was challenging to quickly accelerate onto a busy road or freeway.  The power was there…it just took the vehicle a few seconds to give me the power.

  

 

Moms will like…

Moms will like moving to a hybrid and saving money on fuel purchases.  With the ever increasing fuel costs currently and in the years ahead, moms will like going much longer on a tank of gas.  Especially in the winter…the longer mom’s don’t need to stop and get gas the better.

Driving Impressions

As I have already mentioned this is not your typical hybrid.  This is the direction many automakers are taking of wrapping hybrid technology into a more traditionally sedan with some luxury appointments.

This vehicle didn’t just have the luxury appointments…it had everything a driver could want.  While not all families will want the sticker price of the fully loaded model I drove, I did enjoy driving the Lincoln MKZ Hybrid 

I wasn’t overly impressed by the screen based garden that grows with the driver being more fuel-efficient.  I did think it was a nice feature to have added into the vehicle for some of the “hybrid” people.  This is the same plant graphic as in the Ford, however Lincoln added flowers to their plant graphics.

After experiencing some of Lincoln and Ford’s other vehicles…I felt a key fob and start button, especially in a hybrid, would have been a nice feature.  The vehicle did have the driver seat memory feature, however the technology of the vehicle recognizing the driver by the key fob should have been on this vehicle as well.

The Lincoln MKZ Hybrid is fitted with the same Gasoline-Electric technology found in the Ford Fusion.  The MKZ Hybrid is powered by a 2.5 Litre four-cylinder gas engine along with the electric motor and provides a rating of 41 mpg in the city and 36 mpg on the freeway.

It took a little getting used to, but putting in the key and starting the car with no engine turnover really enforced that I was in a hybrid vehicle and do my part for the environment.  Not to mention the waste of gas we all experience while the car is running and we are putting kids in the car or  loading up our grocery or shopping purchases.

The vehicle can be set to operate in electric-only mode at speeds up to 47 mph.  I thought this was such a great feature.

 

Exterior Notes and Favorite Feature

The Lincoln MKZ Hybrid has the standard Lincoln grill and front end styling with fairly traditional sedan styling.  I did like the look of the vehicle and the overall styling, however while the vehicle is somewhat different to its Ford’s counterpart, it still reminds me to much like a Ford Fusion with some Lincoln badges.

My favorite exterior feature is the Lincoln grill and front end styling which Lincoln uses to differentiate their line of vehicles.

Interior Notes and Favorite Feature

The Lincoln MKZ Hybrid remains consistent with Lincoln’s goal of ensuring their vehicles are appointed with all of the luxuries you would expect from a luxury sedan competing in this market sector. 

I was happy with the overall interior appointments.  The seats were nicely sized and comfortable, however lacking a bit of head room.  The instrumentation cluster and center console with a large LCD touch screen were nicely done with Lincoln’s latest technology.

The Blind Spot Information System was a nice feature.  A light comes on the rear view mirror when someone is in your blind spot.  Add in the reverse and cross traffic sensors along with the ever popular back up camera and the driver is fully aware of their surroundings (outside of the screaming or sleeping children in their car seats of course).

I found the back seat and trunk to be undersized for a true family sedan.  There was not much leg room behind my driver’s seat for passengers and leg room for passengers behind my 6 foot 4 husband…no chance.  There was just enough leg room once my daughter was in her car seat, however the lack of rear seat room made it difficult to get her in and out of her car seat.

The trunk being undersized was my biggest concern.  While I didn’t actually put a stroller in the truck…looking at the overall size, I didn’t even want to try.  You should be ok with the weekly grocery store trip, but I would not risk this vehicle to bring home my monthly Costco adventure.

My favorite interior feature was the Heated and Cooled front seats.  You can’t go wrong with big comfortable seats that are heated for the winter and cooled for the summer.

 

Final Summary

Overall, I enjoyed the week of driving the Lincoln MKZ Hybrid.  For the driver…this is a nice luxury hybrid mid sided sedan.  However as an overall family sedan, I felt the average family might be challenged with much of the vehicles downside.  After finally driving a hybrid I found it very encouraging the direction Ford and Lincoln have taken towards providing a hybrid option in many of their vehicles.

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