[Davisjl]

Surprised to be driving this Beauty as I was set to go buy a Mercedes CLA 250 (had the check made out and ready to go for Monday Morning), but my wife was looking for a car too and before we went to Cadillac to buy her car (she's been in love with the CTS since it came out in 2008) we took a look at Lincoln. My wife wanted to drive every car in our price range/class before buying the Caddy and Lincoln was last on the list (I didn't even consider it for me). Well she drove the car on Saturday and I came back on Sunday and bought it for me... over the Mercedes.



Here she is:


2014 Lincoln MKZ Hybrid
White Platinum metallic tricoat
Light Dune Leather seats
203a preferred package
Technology Package
Panoramic Skylight
Multi-Contour seats w/Active Motion (LOVE THIS)
Rear Inflatable seatbelts

 

[Davisjl]

sweet photo! how do you like it so far?

So far so good... it takes a bit to get used to at times with the hybrid, but nothing bad, just different.

The messaging chair is very nice and I love AC seats... Sync could be a bit better, but that seems to be a common complaint; however, compared to other system I've used I'd say it compares well and I'm not disappointed.

I find a bit awkward for me at times as I'm used to the Audi/BMW German car (where you FEEL/HEAR the road). This car is so quite and smooth that when I put it into a corner I expect it to roll and slide like a Big Old Boat car, but it really grips the corner and performs extremely well... you just don't feel it. That takes a bit to get used to coming from the cars I used to drive; however, I much prefer the softer/quieter ride.

 

[Davisjl]

What do you think of the hybrid power train? It costs the same as the petrol version so you must have chosen it over the petrol purely because you wanted the hybrid model. Love the picture and look forward to talking with you more in the future.

For me the Hybrid is found money. The only reason not to buy the MKz hybrid is that you want a zippy car, and even the MKz Gas version isn't very zippy compared to most of the cars in it's class.

As for the drive train itself... it doesn't feel like a typical hybrid from a stop. From 0-30 I really don't notice any difference in acceleration (for my driving style, obviously I'm not one to floor it off the line). Where I do see a difference is that 30-60 range. It is a bit slowish feeling compared to what I'm used to with a traditional transmission that downshifts and get's into the torque range to move that needle. It's not unreasonable in acceleration at all, just a bit to get used to coming from a zippy little A4.

For me it came down to Creature Comforts and interior design that won me over to the MKz, the hybrid at not extra cost was just a no brainer for my driving style. Most Hybrids upcharge and to recoup that cost takes years of gas savings if you can ever recoup the cost. For me, the MKz Hybrid has plenty of "power" to get up and go at from a stand still and to merge on the highway. It isn't the same as my previous A4 for sure, but I'm getting 40mph and over Mixed use driving and the A4 was at 24 mpg mixed use... at my 30,000 miles per year average that should save me a little over $ 2,300 dollars per year in gas. I wasn't in the market for a hybrid, but it just made sense when it came down the MKz.

 

[Davisjl]

Have you been annoyed at all with the all touch center console? Some people have said that its a bit hard to use when you are in the middle of driving without really feeling the physical buttons.

Not at all... it was one of the items that really sold me on the car.

I like a cleaner looking dash and all the buttons and knobs are not needed. I know some like the tactile feel of the button/knob... but 90% of everything I control is from the steering wheel where you have buttons... the other 10% is easily controlled by voice or if need by the touch panel. I know a lot of complaints have been on the MyTouch system... but I've drivien a lot of cars (Cadillac/BWM/Acura/Nissan/Audi) and I don't see any real issues with the MyTouch besides at times touch response time could be better. Compared to the all the cars I drove, it was one of the more complete systems and it preformed well compared to others. Is it perfect, by no means.. however, it's much better than a lot of other systems in the market and on par with the rest.

 

[Davisjl]

Massaging seats seems like such a ridiculous luxury. I would probably use it if I had it but it just seems a bit over the top to me. What package are the massage seats included in?

It's not part of a package... it's a stand alone option at 500 buck MSRP (400 invoice if I recall)... well worth the price if you sit in your car a lot. I was skeptical as I've had chair massagers you buy at Bed Bath Beyond and thought those were crap... however, this one is done really well... you can choose to either do you back/butt/or both... and it does a really good job of getting that stiffness out of your back or tiredness out of your butt... for me worth it, but I put a lot of miles on my car every year...

 

[Davisjl]

sorry may of missed it, but did you go with AWD? Really like the AWD setup for MKZ, brings it much closer to that german/japanese feel. Congrats on the new car, really you should be glad you went for MKZ over CLA, so much more kit for the money from Lincoln!

Non-AWD... no need for it here in Georgia.

As for bang for the buck... you'd be surprised what the CLA has to offer at a lower price than the MKz... however, the MKz seems much more polished in it's finish... the CLA is a bit small compared to the MKz.