Ford and THX representative brought the new Lincoln MKS by our offices to give us a preview of its tech, which includes a hard drive-based navigation system and a THX spec audio system. The MKS will be Lincoln's flagship sedan.
The Town Car model has long anchored Lincoln, giving it a strong stake in the luxury segment but keeping the brand locked in to fleet sales and the twentieth century. The MKS represents a design for the new century, along with a raft of electronics that update the car's amenities.
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The MKS shows off Lincoln's new styling language, headed up by its double-wing grille, which, according to Lincoln, is a design cue from the 1941 Continental. The roof and side window lines present a modern look, similar to European sedans.
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Lincoln compromises between power and fuel economy with the MKS' 3.7-liter V-6 engine, which incorporates some innovative fuel-saving tech such as rapidly decreasing fuel flow when the driver's foot comes off the gas, such as heading onto a freeway off-ramp. The engine also uses a two speed fuel pump, which goes to its lower fuel-saving speed whenever possible. Horsepower is 273 and torque is 270 foot-pounds, both respectable numbers.
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Cabin tech includes the new hard drive-based navigation system along with the Microsoft Sync system, which brings voice-activated cell phone and MP3 player integration to the vehicle. The MKS can also be had with adaptive cruise control, and comes with auto-dimming headlights and rain-sensing windshield wipers.
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The navigation system integrates Sirius Travel Link, a data service of Sirius satellite radio. Weather information is one feature of this system. On the day we looked at this weather map, Hurricane Dolly was spinning up over the Gulf Coast, as can be seen by the yellow icon.
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Another feature of Travel Link that should come in handy is the gas prices list. The system can find all the nearest gas stations and show you the per gallon price. You can even sort the list by cheapest gas.
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Travel Link also shows movie times and sports scores. With a paired phone, you can call a movie theater right from the interface.
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The audio system is very impressive in the MKS. You can rip CDs to the car's hard drive or hook up an MP3 player through Sync. The music will play over the THX sound system, which uses 16 speakers, 12 channels, and 600 watts of amplification. The result is an excellent listening experience.
