Lincoln comes up with a sharp-looking flagship meant to recapture the brand’s golden era. Has it succeeded, or is the MKS yet another badge-engineered Ford?
Nitish Ramanujam

How times change. Lincoln, once a proud brand that slugged it out with the likes of Cadillac for elite class favour, has been in recent times nothing more than blinged-up Ford products. Of course, the ancient Town Car soldiers on, survivor of a bygone era that still finds the odd traditional buyer here and there. With American car companies all but evaporated into the noxious fumes of the global financial crisis, there couldn’t be a better time for FoMoCo to introduce a fresh line-up of cars catering to a much younger generation. Shown as a concept at the North American International Auto Show in January 2006, the production Lincoln MKS is dubbed the flagship of the company, though it’s not the biggest.

Joining the MKX crossover and stylish MKZ four-door, the MKS bridges the large gap between the latter and the huge Town Car. It’s no little feat, but this is no little car either, boasting a length that’s just a squirrel’s hair shy of Toyota’s massive Sequoia. Ford’s global D-platform is shared with the Taurus as well as the Volvo S80, which translates into good interior room and, unlike a few earlier Lincolns, you would be hard pressed, if at all, to find any modest Ford underpinnings in the spanking new MKS.

Being the first vehicle to embrace Lincoln’s new design DNA, the MKS features nicely proportioned lines and taut styling. Visually, it’s the front end that catches you attention, especially the split waterfall grille, infused with flavour from late great Lincolns like the 1941 Continental. It sweeps up into jewel-like wraparound headlamps and forms a sharp crease that defines the high beltline. A blink-and-you’ll-miss-it kick-up over the rear wheel also harks back to classic Lincolns, ending in a rather sedate rear end. Overall, it’s a very restrained design except for the futuristic visage, which I’m impressed with, and could be too bland for potential buyers, something a future styling exercise can easily make right.

The interior is first-rate, though not the kind you would have seen in German luxury automobiles. Like the exterior, the cabin does not fall victim to current design fads, making do with clean, uncluttered lines and well-laid out controls. Space is abundant - typical of many American cars - and Lincoln has nicely dressed up the innards in leather, wood, aluminium and chrome accents. The hides, by the way, are supplied by Bridge of Weir Leather, the same company that provided hides for the Concorde and the Burj Al Arab!

Equipment levels are good, including adaptive headlights, rear-view camera, rain-sensing wipers and Adaptive Cruise Control. Luxury buyers will also be happy with the THX-certified audio system with 5.1 Surround Sound and SYNC, a hands-free, voice-activated hands-free in-car communication and entertainment system. Another neat feature is the geeky SecuriCode Keyless Entry Keypad, which utilizes heat-sensing touch-sensitive technology similar to the iPod and iPhone, and lets you unlock the doors without keys. Simply press your finger to the glossy black B-pillar, and a series of five glowing, red numbers appear for you to enter a five-digit unlock code. Sounds amazing and works well, unless the keys are securely locked inside and a sudden bout of amnesia hits you.

Globally, the MKS is available in front- and all-wheel drive guise, while we have to make do with the former variant powered by a responsive 3.7-litre V6. The 273hp motor features variable valve timing and similar technologies to deliver increased torque lower in the rev range, in order to improve standing acceleration and passing manoeuvres. Matched to a smooth 6-speed automatic transmission with manual override, the engine allows for decent progress, and is complemented by tidy handling – well, it’s no BMW, but the MKS tries pretty well not to remind you too often that it’s a big FWD car.

In most respects, the MKS is a car that does many things well and none too bad. The only issue is that it’s competing against hugely respected rivals from BMW and Mercedes-Benz, a daunting task considering that the Germans are available for similar dough as the Lincoln. Perhaps, what we really need here is the newly available 3.5-litre EcoBoost engine with twin turbochargers and a strong 340hp. Up 70 ponies on the one we drove, that ought to silence the competition.