Automotive
FORD HAS SMARTLY SHARPENED its product portfolio in the past few years, but the same can’t be
said for the Blue Oval’s supporting brands. Just this past June, Mercury was put out to pasture after decades of carbon-copy engineering, and Lincoln’s lineup su ers from virtually the same indi erence. For 2011, Dearborn delivers us two new crossovers—the Ford Edge and the Lincoln MKX—that hint at the future of Ford’s two remaining brands: meaningful di erentiation. The 2011 MKX is the fi rst of seven new or signifi cantly revised Lincolns that will arrive in the next four years. We’re told that the new models will bring genuinely distinctive bodies—not just fascias and soft points—on top of parts-bin mechanicals, much like Lincoln’s three-row MKT is to the Ford Flex it’s twinned with. The new MKX doesn’t deviate from the
old formula, but it does stand to build Lincoln’s visual identity by trading the old egg-crate grille for the brand’s signature winged waterfall. The Edge’s face-lift imposes a larger, more sculpted chrome grille and sleeker cat-eye headlamps.
Both of the outgoing models were weak in cabin design, so it’s no surprise that Ford spent more time and money changing things inside. Passenger room and cargo capacity were already competitive with other vehicles in the segment, so the dimensions remain unchanged, but everything one touches and sees has been completely redesigned to meet consumer expectations. In the Ford Edge, the appealing, soft-touch dashboard takes clear cues from the Fusion and the Taurus, with a colorful LCD instrument panel and a center console that gracefully fl ows down between the front seats. The Lincoln has similar organic shapes but tops the dash with leather, uses aluminum for the trim, and includes the buttonless MyLincoln Touch center stack as standard equipment (see sidebar).
MyFord Touch is optional on the Edge. Neither vehicle is the defi nitive style leader, but both are tasteful. The Edge easily sets a new benchmark for quality in its price range, while the Lincoln’s cabin is a pleasing fusion of Lexus quality with Cadillac modernity. To set apart the two cars mechanically, the Ford’s volume engine is a 3.5-liter V-6 now making 285 hp and 253 lb-ft of torque, while the MKX’s sole powerplant is a 3.7-liter V-6. That 3.7-liter is shared with the Mustang and produces 305 hp and 280 lb-ft. Edge buyers can have the 3.7-liter engine if they opt for the Sport model, a trim that previously was little more than an aesthetics
package. Along with the more powerful mill, the Sport also adds a tighter suspension, a piano-black grille, di erent lower bodywork, and twenty-twoinch wheels. In early 2011, Ford will introduce a third engine for the Edge, a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder that should produce about 240 hp. Both brands use six-speed automatic transmissions and o er front- or all-wheel drive. Predictably, front-wheel-drive models transmit a noticeable but palatable amount of torque steer to the driver’s hands under brisk acceleration.
A day of driving the six-cylinder models through some excellent if very damp back roads fi nds that the Edge
doesn’t set any brilliant new standards in terms of crossover driving dynamics. To wit, the class-leading power is largely o set by the class-topping curb weight. At nearly 4300 pounds in all-wheel-drive
form, the Edge is a tad heavier than a Nissan Murano and some 200 pounds chunkier than a Honda Accord Crosstour or a Toyota Venza. Still, there are a few pleasant surprises. New dampers and wider wheels, along with some adjustments to the rear antiroll bar and rear bushings, have tidied up the Edge’s body control
through sharp bends. Braking performance has been
improved by using the Flex’s larger rear calipers, but
the pedal is still di cult to modulate. For better or
worse, we weren’t able to notice much di erence in the
Sport model, aside from a bit more punch o the line.
And as ridiculous as twenty-two-inch wheels might
seem to be, they at least rode decently over wellmaintained
pavement.
To improve the formerly numb and vague steering,
engineers reduced friction in the steering gear and
swapped in a hydraulic power-assist pump from the
European Mondeo. The result won’t scare a BMW X5
but is nonetheless quite good for the segment, with
decent feel and consistent feedback. From a chassis
perspective, the Lincoln can claim only minor
di erences from the Edge, like a retuned powersteering
curve and slight suspension modifi cations,
but both changes are almost imperceptible. As such,
the MKX boasts a nice ride and better steering
than a Lexus RX350, but that Asian competitor is
lighter on its feet.
Taken as a whole, the MKX comes o as a
convincing luxury crossover—not a rebadged Ford, but
something that shows true sumptuousness inside, a
cosseting driving experience, and a bit of fl air on the
outside. This is Lincoln’s best product. And that speaks
to the quality of the Ford. The two brands still have a
way to go to create truly distinct vehicles, but when the
Ford DNA is this good, Lincoln has a solid starting point.
— Eric Tingwall (Automobile Magazine)
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