2009 Lincoln MKS Lockhart TX
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Lockhart, TX
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Port Arthur, TX
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College Station, TX
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Stephenville, TX
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Spring, TX
2009 Lincoln MKS
November 3, 2009 By Mike Bumbeck, DriverSide Contributor
2009 Lincoln MKS
DriverSide Overview
The 2009 Lincoln MKS is an American luxury flagship that carries with it a combination of tradition and modernity. Design and style culled in part from the regal 1941 Continental and later slab-sided presidential versions of the sixties makes no apology for not looking like a European executive coach. A completely redesigned suspension leaves the wallowing ride of traditional American luxo-barges well and truly forgotten in the past where it belongs. Independent suspension on all four wheels is designed to meld the disparate worlds of luxurious ride and performance handling in the same motoring galaxy.
The Lincoln MKS also represents a departure from the traditional American formula of V-8 luxury powertrains by way of shedding two cylinders. Forced induction will soon be added to this V-6 formula to bring eight-cylinder performance to the Lincoln lineup by way of twin turbochargers. The evolution of American luxury car technology also carries through the interfaces required to better grapple with the data driven world we live in. Along with a level of interior refinement expected in a luxury car, this production version descendant of the Lincoln MKR concept car rolls with more technology and voice activated gadgetry than the CES show in Las Vegas.
What's to Like
Plush leather, and lots of it. A dual sunroof adds a light and airy feel to the well-appointed cabin. Reasonably punchy V-6 with optional AWD makes for entertaining stab-and-steer driving. Talking with a car can be fun, and SYNC plays well with all manner of communication and entertainment devices. Quiet interior provides sonic isolation in which to enjoy the THX sound system. Premium gasoline not required to hit rated 273 horsepower.
What's Not to Like
Headrest angled steeply forward to meet federal safety standards provides a sore neck at no extra charge. Chromed plastic that carries the sweeping genuine wood horizontal dash line onto the doors looks like chromed plastic. Optional 20-inch wheels might be stylish, but the low profile tires fight the luxurious ride over highway expansion joints and chuckholes. Added mass of the larger wheels adds unsprung weight, taxing the otherwise well-sorted suspension.
The Drive:
DriverSide Driving Impressions
With a special key fob in pocket the Lincoln MKS unlocks the doors by driver proximity. Plush leather invites entry. A pull on the door brings the sound of silence. Pushing the start button kicks the 273 horsepower V-6 to life. Out on the road the fully independent suspension telegraphs little to the cabin on the highway speed straights, yet still maintains a reasonably firm measure of control and feedback on winding roads.
The Lincoln MKS isolates the driver and passenger well enough to allow time getting familiar with the onboard technology while navigating quite possibly worst metropol...