2007 Lincoln MKX - Review

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2007 Ford Edge by Bengt Halvorson (10/30/2006)
Ford builds a bridge between the Country Squire and Mustang.

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You need utility, but a new upscale SUV seems stale, done, “so 1996.” So you’re probably shopping for a ritzy crossover vehicle then, something like a Lexus RX or a Nissan Murano — something front- or all-wheel-driven, something with nice luxury touches, something not too expensive.

Add Lincoln to the list, while you’re at it, because the new MKX takes on those crossovers with a dash of American style covering a well-conceived cabin, a strong powertrain, and good road manners. It’s in some ways identical to the new Ford Edge — mechanically similar, mostly — but in terms of style, it’s a cut above.

The mid-size MKX is Lincoln’s first crossover. It replaces the Ford Explorer-based Aviator, which never sold well and as TheCarConnection said, looked too much like the larger Lincoln Navigator. The MKX joins the also-new MKZ sedan and ’07 Navigator as an integral part of Lincoln’s three-pronged strategy to get back into the thick of the luxury-car catfight for customers — a fight it’s been sitting on the sidelines of for at least the past couple of years.

The MKX is a much more appealing vehicle than the gussied-up Explorer/Aviator ever was. It offers five-passenger seating, a standard 265-horsepower V-6 (among the most powerful in this price and class; it also runs on regular 87 octane unleaded), a six-speed automatic transmission and a dramatic, panorama-style Vista Roof. It comes in either front- or all-wheel drive, just like its target competitors from Lexus and Nissan.