First Impressions: The new Lincoln MKC Launches in Canada

Text and photos by Don Halliwell

In an increasingly crowded and competitive luxury compact utility vehicle (CUV) segment; the Lincoln MKC needs to quickly forge a path out of the shadow of industry rivals and into Canadian driveways.

While the economy continues its upward trajectory, more car buyers seem comfortable exploring vehicles in the emerging luxury segments. A yet-to-be coined phrase: entry-level-luxury is all the rage in the industry as automakers have their sights set on a younger, wealthier buyer. Lincoln’s first foray into this market faces some stiff competition hailing from Bavaria, Japan and even Detroit. Below I’ll walk you through my first hands-on look at the vehicle and share my first impressions. 

As I first approached the Lincoln MKC at it’s exclusive unveiling in Waterloo, Ontario two design elements stuck out for me. First, I was impressed with its presence. For a vehicle that shares a platform with the new Ford Escape, the burly MKC appears to stand stronger and more confident than its cousin. The second thing that stood out — from any angle this is clearly a Lincoln — borrowing styling queues from across the lineup.

The grille is bold and flanked by LED headlights, standard fare in the luxury segment. The side profile flows nicely into the back end which, like the front is polarizing in design.

While I didn’t mind them, others in my party had trouble getting over the edge-to-edge strips of light that form the markers. It’s a matter of taste, but to me they’re both sharp to look at, bright and functional in terms of safety. 

Moving to the inside of the vehicle, it was plush and “actually really nice,” as my wife so eloquently put it. She enjoyed the real wood, stainless steel and leather-adorned interior. Her hands gripped the sporty (read: smaller than expected) steering wheel as she craned her neck to explore the rest of the car.

To her delight, and mine, this MKC was equipped with a panoramic moonroof. It, along with the interior LED effects, kept it feeling bright and light inside, a nice contrast to the heavy, dark and  luxurious finishes. The dash features a variety of knobs and toggles with a large touchscreen display powered by Sync with MyLincoln Touch; a long way of saying a re-skinned version of Microsoft’s Ford Sync.

It gets the job done, but I’ve heard mixed reviews, often from folks who find it clunky and confusing to operate.  The trunk seemed adequately sized for the segment; couples, retirees and small families will have no trouble escaping for a weekend getaway. 

Speaking of escape, I recently had the opportunity to drive a 2014 Ford Escape. For two vehicles that share a platform, they couldn’t feel more opposite. While the MKC is engineered to be a mere 9mm wider than its counterpart, the team at Lincoln has done a lot to ensure this vehicle offers much more than a re-badged Ford Escape. From bumper to bumper this is a well-built step-up luxury vehicle, and it couldn’t feel more different from the plastic, flimsy-to-drive Ford Escape… and I would expect nothing less at close to double the price.

 

Lincoln tells me that the MKC will be priced starting around $41,000 and that this one was equipped at around $49,000. There are many popular vehicles in that range and the rep from Lincoln didn’t hold back, telling me they’ve got their sights squared on the likes of the Acura RDX, Audi Q5, BMW X3 and the soon-to-arrive Lexus NX.

While those may have a different pedigree in the minds of the buyer, for me here’s the bottom line: If you’re in the market for one of these vehicles, the Lincoln MKC should not only be on your radar, it should be on your short list.

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Don Halliwell is a PR Manager & Social Media for BlackBerry and #TeamBlackBerry leader at large. A PR Professional at heart. Based in Waterloo. Currently working for major mobile wireless solutions company, BlackBerry. Focused on amazing communications, delicious food and enjoying life. Also passionate about all things automotive.