Photo: Lincoln
As you’re well aware, conventional body styles such as the good ol’ and elegant sedan are no longer that hot with the U.S. public. Few markets, including the People’s Republic of China, still have an overwhelming demand for this type of automobile, and to this effect, Lincoln saw fit to increase the appeal of the MKZ.
So what did the luxury division of the Ford Motor Company change for the 2019 model year? First things first, there’s a lot more technology in the offing as standard. Dubbed Lincoln Co-Pilot 360, this suite of active safety and driver-assist adds automatic emergency braking, adaptive cruist control with stop & go, pedestrian detection, blind spot warning, and lane departure warning with lane-keep assist. Price-wise, the least expensive MKZ retails at $36,900 including destination.
The second change that should be mentioned is the limited availability of the twin-turbocharged V6 engine option. The “Lincoln-exclusive” six-cylinder powerplant with Ti-VCT is now available only on the Reserve trim level, bringing 350 ponies to the tally. Opt for all-wheel drive, and the output is cranked up to 400 horsepower.
Speaking of the Reserve, this gets us to the third change. Black Label used to be the most luxurious trim level, but now it’s gone, leaving the Reserve as the new king of the hill. Even though the option is available on the MKC and Nautilus for the 2019 model year, it appears that Lincoln couldn’t make a case for it in this application.
To this effect, the lineup consists of the Base, Reserve I, and Reserve II. Quite a difference from the previous Premiere, Select, Reserve, and Black Label, isn’t it? At the end of the day, however, something had to give considering how hard the MKZ is to sell in this day and age.
Cars Direct reports that Lincoln delivered 9,675 examples of the breed from January 2018 to June, translating to a 32-percent drop compared to the first half of the previous year. If this keeps on and as we wait for the Fusion to be discontinued around 2020, could it be that the MKZ will be phased out altogether in the coming years?
Come on Matthew McConaughey, do your best and save the MKZ from extinction! Or don't, because nobody actually cares about the MKZ in the first place.
The second change that should be mentioned is the limited availability of the twin-turbocharged V6 engine option. The “Lincoln-exclusive” six-cylinder powerplant with Ti-VCT is now available only on the Reserve trim level, bringing 350 ponies to the tally. Opt for all-wheel drive, and the output is cranked up to 400 horsepower.
Speaking of the Reserve, this gets us to the third change. Black Label used to be the most luxurious trim level, but now it’s gone, leaving the Reserve as the new king of the hill. Even though the option is available on the MKC and Nautilus for the 2019 model year, it appears that Lincoln couldn’t make a case for it in this application.
To this effect, the lineup consists of the Base, Reserve I, and Reserve II. Quite a difference from the previous Premiere, Select, Reserve, and Black Label, isn’t it? At the end of the day, however, something had to give considering how hard the MKZ is to sell in this day and age.
Cars Direct reports that Lincoln delivered 9,675 examples of the breed from January 2018 to June, translating to a 32-percent drop compared to the first half of the previous year. If this keeps on and as we wait for the Fusion to be discontinued around 2020, could it be that the MKZ will be phased out altogether in the coming years?
Come on Matthew McConaughey, do your best and save the MKZ from extinction! Or don't, because nobody actually cares about the MKZ in the first place.
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