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2017 Lincoln MKZ shows the new face of progress

No one can accuse Lincoln of failing to keep to the MKZ modern after the latest, comprehensive upgrades for the refreshed 2017 model. The sedan goes on sale next spring and features significant changes to the design, powertrain, and available technology. The designers give the luxury sedan's face an aesthetic overhaul with a mesh grille that's inspired by the Continental concept, and the company also offers LED adaptive headlights as a further improvement to the front end. That said, it looks a little derivative – many staffers are comparing it to similar Jaguar and Kia designs, not that that's a bad thing. Inside, the center console moves away from capacitive controls in favor of actual knobs and buttons. Huge changes happen under the hood, too. The all-wheel-drive MKZ is available with 400 horsepower and 400 pound-feet of torque from a 3.0-liter twin-turbo V6, and the mill is exclusive to Lincoln for now. The optional Driver's Package on these models should further improve the handling thanks to a torque-vectoring rear differential derived from the Ford Focus RS. The same V6 makes 350 hp in front-wheel drive trim, and customers can also order a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder or hybrid powertrain. Lincoln has a load of safety and driver assistance tech for the MKZ, too. The adaptive cruise control system can deal with stop-and-go traffic and even hold the sedan in place without the driver using the brake pedal. Pre-Collision Assist can also help avoid accidents by automatically activating the brakes. Related Video: Quiet Luxury: Intuitive Technology, Effortless Performance and Distinctive Design Drive 2017 Lincoln MKZ Suite of cutting-edge intuitive technologies including available adaptive cruise control with stop-and-go, auto hold, Pre-Collision Assist with Pedestrian Detection and enhanced park assist help ease the new Lincoln MKZ driving experience Effortless performance enabled by available new Lincoln-exclusive 3.0-liter GTDI V6 engine, which creates a quiet, powerful ride, or popular hybrid option Distinctively redesigned from the inside out, including three new Lincoln Black Label themes available, plus two available Revel® audio systems delivering the height of Lincoln luxury LOS ANGELES, Nov. 18, 2015 – Discover your new favorite space. The new Lincoln MKZ combines intuitive technology, effortless performance and distinctive design to deliver an enhanced driving experience Lincoln calls quiet luxury.

Lincoln putting perfume on its sales

Lincoln has a scent. But unlike those from Mustang, Lamborghini or even Shark by Tara, you can't buy it and you have to visit a Lincoln dealership to inhale its notes of jasmine hedione, mate tea leaves and tonka beans. Essence of Lincoln - that's what it's called - is being piped through the ventilation systems at some showrooms to help "create an emotional connection between the luxury brand and its customers," and olfactorily promote the idea of "luxury and warmth." Where it's not run through the ducts, visitors can sample it on scent cards.
Master perfumer Rene Morgenthaler worked with aroma house SensoryMax to design Essence of Lincoln. Also including traces of Earl Grey bergamot and green tea, whenever you encounter it you're meant to enjoy "a feeling of belonging to an exclusive, forward-thinking group that values style and success." And then buy an MKC. There's a press release below with details and an image to explain more, if you're still having a little trouble smelling the orange blossoms.

How the Lincoln Continental Concept almost wasn't

That Lincoln Continental Concept that everyone is so excited about? It almost didn't happen. Speaking at the private reveal event for the concept yesterday, Ford Motor Company CEO Mark Fields revealed that when the design team started working on the vehicle that eventually became the Continental, the designers thought it was just another full-size luxury concept, and were turning in ideas to match. The problem, Fields said, is that this was an important vehicle to get right. "A full-size luxury sedan for a luxury brand is a very important marker that, I think, sets the beat for the brand and it creates a lot of awareness and favorability if you do it right," he said. "As we were designing this concept ... we reviewed with the designers the themes. The first couple of themes the team came with really didn't do it for us because we want to make sure that every vehicle that we bring out with Lincoln moves the brand forwards in a big way. So we went through the first couple of them and we really didn't get that kind of 'oomph' in the pit of our stomach." The team was stuck with an upcoming debut and nothing exciting to show for it, until the past was brought into the present. "In one of the design reviews, we were looking around at everyone and we mentioned, you know what, why don't we call this the Continental Concept? And I have to tell you, the body language was unbelievable in the design showroom. Everybody's head snapped up and you could see everybody's eyes widen and they started nodding and they said, 'now we get it.'" Aside from the Navigator, every vehicle Lincoln currently sells is simply named a trio of letters that start with M and K. Fields knew that the large luxury segment sedan is important for a company like Lincoln, with about 1.8 million units sold last year and an expected growth to around 2 million units by the end of the decade, he said. "When you think about where that growth is coming from, it's still a substantial segment here in the US, it's a very substantial segment and even more substantial segment in China. As a matter of fact, that segment grew by 17 percent last year and China is the largest market for full-size luxury sedans." Given the positive reaction to the Continental Concept thus far, bringing the name back from the dead might be just the thing Lincoln needed.