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Lincoln luxury hybrid leaves little disappointment

By Will Chamberlain the Washington Times 3 min read

For consumers looking for a luxury sedan that’s easy to maneuver, can hold four adults very comfortably, has eye-catching design and will also achieve mileage numbers between 35-45 mpg, Lincoln has your vehicle.

The 2014 Lincoln MKZ Hybrid sedan is a sleek and absolutely stunning car that combines the benefits of a turbo engine and hybrid drive system to provide a unique and satisfying driving experience.

The MKZ Hybrid is driven by a 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder gasoline engine mated to a hybrid electric engine producing 141 horsepower and 129 lb-ft of torque. That power is pushed through the front wheels via an electronically continuously variable (e-CVT) transmission. As in most hybrid vehicles, the power is delivered from the gas engine or the electric motor, depending on the load and speed. What makes the Lincoln different is the car acts much more refined and less choppy.

On the exterior the MKZ is a real looker. Smooth body panels that extend lower than most sedans make the MKZ appear lower to the ground. The sedan is full-bodied with LED accents everywhere you look from the full-LED adaptive front head lamps to the full-LED rear tail lights in a thin row stretched across the tailgate.

Inside the quality and sophistication continue with an elegant dashboard that flows between the front passengers. Gone is the traditional gear shifter or even a rotary knob to select drive or park. The MKZ features buttons to select park, reverse, neutral and drive. Similar to Cadillac, Lincoln has eliminated the majority of the dashboard buttons with touch surfaces where the buttons used to be. I found these touch sensors work very well and I was able to learn the sensitivity fairly quickly.

The interior is a luxurious place to spend time and also very roomy. The front passengers enjoy endless legroom and I was able to latch my kid’s car seats in the back and not have to worry about my 2-year-old kicking the back of my seat. The interior space is above average for this type of vehicle.

On road the MKZ is luxurious and provides adequate power. The combination of the electric motor and the turbo 4-cylinder really complement each other and allow for a satisfying burst of power when needed. You won’t win any quarter mile races and most 6-cylinder cars are a little quicker, but you won’t be left in the dust by any means.

I really enjoyed the MKZ because it was roomy, luxurious and had tons of exterior appeal. Also, when cruising through Beaver or another small town, the car is silent and just glides along. I wasn’t too keen on the initial acceleration noise. When leaving a dead stop quickly the gas motor revs up and sounds very much like a lawn mower … not cool. Once at speed, the noise dies down, but that initial burst of noise is very unpleasant.

Lincoln claims a combined mpg of 45, but I was able to manage an average of 36-38 mpg during my road test. MSRP for the MKZ Hybrid model is $43,420.

Will Chamberlain is a local freelance automotive journalist and can be reached at wchamberlain@pghcarguys .com.

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