[Andrew L]

So I brought the MKZ to the dealer today to get the recalls done. I made an appointment and was told to bring it in at 5 today I get there and they tell me they can't do the door handle recall cause they don't have the parts... why even tell me to come in when that's what I asked for?
I still have them take care of 3 others that are needed I will do the door handles another time. The guy was going over my paperwork and saw that this MKZ is a CPO and said "Oh I didn't realize this is a CPO please come with me" We walked to another counter and I was given keys to a loaner and his card.... Hey this ain't so bad
The woman comes around in a 2014 red MKS (I didn't have to walk out to it another nice touch). I get in and instantly it doesn't feel right. I make adjustments to the seats and mirrors and it still feels awkward. I sat in the previous gen MKS and drove one but this felt weird for some reason I think it was the height of the dash compared to the MKZ. The shifter was sticking up too high and the center console felt higher also. It also felt way bigger for some reason. I took it out on the road and opened it up a little it was quick but not EcoBoost quick so it was definitely the 3.7 still not bad. The paddle shifters were surprisingly quick. I started feeling around and the interior is just filled with hard surfaces. Sure it's leather wrapped but it is still hard and the panels around the center console were loose and rattling.
The brakes are downright pathetic. They were extremely mushy and reminded me of my Sable's brakes (which were disc up front and drum in the rear!).
Steering wasn't bad but could have been a lot better.
The center console is surprisingly shallower than expected considering its size.
Overall it reminded me of something Infiniti made in the mid 2000s trying so hard but falling short in a lot of aspects. The MKZ feels worlds newer than this car in every aspect. The MKZ is way more nimble and feels more confident ESPECIALLY the brakes!

I started really thinking to myself after driving this for a few mins. Imagine you are new to Lincoln and you bring your car in for service and the service manager says well we will have your car back in a few days enjoy this upgrade in the meantime and in reality the MKS is no upgrade at all except maybe the 3.5 EcoBoost. The MKS is everything Lincoln is in my mind trying to get away from and rightfully so. The Continental doesn't have to try so hard to upstage the MKS but it CANNOT be a halfassed attempt. I have the car till tomorrow if you have any questions. Here are a few quick pics.

 

[Andrew L]

Also as an LOL moment. I just went to park it in my garage. Note this is not the cars fault but more my tiny garage.

like a glove :-(

Oh yea and front park assist was no help at all. It flat lined when I still had about a foot and a half. I had to keep getting out and checking.

 

[2b2]

TY for recounting your "adventure", Andrew :joyous: :thumb:

...I get in and instantly it doesn't feel right. I make adjustments to the seats and mirrors and it still feels awkward. I sat in the previous gen MKS and drove one but this felt weird for some reason I think it was the height of the dash compared to the MKZ. The shifter was sticking up too high and the center console felt higher also. It also felt way bigger for some reason...

have you figured out why the S feels odd?
( it doesn't have 'action-motion' seats, does it? I've read that they feel diff & not good-diff )
wonder if driving a Focus for a while influenced your perceptions?

 

[DetroitBORG]

The MKS interior is extremely bizarre, this also goes for the Taurus. It feels like the floorpan of an SUV and the roof of a sedan, so legroom is cramped up front and you can't get the height to find a comfortable seating position for such a short footwell and high cowl. So what I have to do is lean back and reach for the steering wheel and it's an absolutely miserable car for me to drive. I've had quite a few as a loaner and owned one briefly when it was a new model. The interior packaging of the MKS and Taurus is just terrible all around unless your legs are short (36" inseam here), I've never seen anything quite like it. The Ford 500 and Monetgo with the 'bubble car' greenhouse worked much better for that platform...but it also looked terrible.

The MKZ, although a bit claustrophobic for my height, fits me like a glove.

 

[Andrew L]

TY for recounting your "adventure", Andrew :joyous: :thumb:


have you figured out why the S feels odd?
( it doesn't have 'action-motion' seats, does it? I've read that they feel diff & not good-diff )
wonder if driving a Focus for a while influenced your perceptions?

I can't put my figure on it just yet. The Sable felt good, the MKZ feels close to where the Sable was in terms of seating position and such everything in easy reach ect with the MKZ winning for total comfort. The LS was IMO perfect... layout, buttons/switches, shifter location however the MKZ seats are more supportive. The Focus was OK the shifter on the Focus was way too low but everything else was right. This MKS the FLOOR shifter is too high the center console is too high and the dash feels close... maybe it just feels too claustrophobic now that I think of it. It just doesn't feel as comfortable as it should.

The MKS interior is extremely bizarre, this also goes for the Taurus. It feels like the floorpan of an SUV and the roof of a sedan, so legroom is cramped up front and you can't get the height to find a comfortable seating position for such a short footwell and high cowl. So what I have to do is lean back and reach for the steering wheel and it's an absolutely miserable car for me to drive. I've had quite a few as a loaner and owned one briefly when it was a new model. The interior packaging of the MKS and Taurus is just terrible all around unless you're short.

This right here! Thanks Borg! :thumb:

 

[2b2]

I'd recommend the tennisball thingie but it doesn't look like you have even that much wiggle room...

...maybe hang a mirror at 45° like a reverse periscope?

...The MKS is everything Lincoln is in my mind trying to get away from and rightfully so. The Continental doesn't have to try so hard to upstage the MKS but it CANNOT be a halfassed attempt...

I'm confident the better packaging inherent in the CD4+ will cure the major SHORTcomings you've mentioned
but
overall I'm still worried cuz imho the Conti needs to be a whole size-class larger than the China-Taurus (which is shorter in length than the MKS)
thus
I really REALLY want them to correct their decade-OLD mistake** of not providing 2 cars to fill 2 niches with very different needs
+
it wouldn't surprise me in relatively short order for Lincoln to discover they could delete the regular MKZ - esp with('if' for some) LincStangs
:angel


** ref: D385-vs-E386

 

[Dequindre]

I haven't seen any complaints about interior packaging in any CD4 vehicles thus far, so I honestly think that the packaging will be improved.

The Continental also looks like it will be longer than the MKS, so that may help as well.

 

[Andrew L]

The Continental also looks like it will be longer than the MKS, so that may help as well.

Looks like I will need a bigger garage then! :lmao:

I'd recommend the tennisball thingie but it doesn't look like you have even that much wiggle room...

...maybe hang a mirror at 45° like a reverse periscope?

The previous owner of this house had that and I took it down cause it didn't work for the LS. Parking the LS was fine and same with the MKZ I have just enough room to park and still squeeze behind the car and the garage door. I was tempted to get the mirror I sometimes use for shaving in the bathroom actually :lmao:

 

[2b2]

...The Continental also looks like it will be longer than the MKS, so that may help as well.

AgreeButImhO, that leaves a gap...where money trickles out

really think the Conti and MARK^ may have imprinted themselves into Lincoln's DNA

 

[SP1966]

The MKS is and always has been a joke of a car IMO. Sure there are things about it that are nice, but as a whole it was a terrible effort on Ford/Lincoln's part. Both it and the Taurus were handicapped by the desire to share the basic platform with the tall wagons, Flex and MKT which is why what are otherwise nice designs ended up looking ridiculous. Combine that with their somehow managing to fit only a mid-sized interior and you have the worst of old Ford! Who buys a big car but doesn't expect an equally big interior? Every month when the sales breakdowns are released I'm shocked that anybody actually spends money on either when the Fusion/MKZ have as much usable space for less money.

Looking at the new Taurus and Continental it is amazing just how far Ford/Lincoln have come given they're still joined at the hip!

 

[Andrew L]

Every month when the sales breakdowns are released I'm shocked that anybody actually spends money on either when the Fusion/MKZ have as much usable space for less money.

Not many buy it as it is and I am guessing a large number are livery. I remember talking to a limo driver I knew from the Taurus Club and he said the MKS was a terrible replacement for the Town Car now I kind of see why.

 

[Adam79]

Does it have a power deck lid like the MKZ? I was always kind of impressed that the current-gen Z has that feature.

 

[Andrew L]

No it does not and the trunk lid is heavy to close. I love that feature too!

 

[LincolnFanFl]

Yeah, I hear you, Andrew!

Initially (many years ago when I was 'new' to Lincoln and the current MKZ wasn't out), I was quite interested in the MKS. Now - even if they would cost the same - switching from my MKZ to an MKS would actually feel like a downgrade. Also, IMO, the MKS got less attractive with each face-lift applied....

 

[Andrew L]

Yeah, I hear you, Andrew!

Initially (many years ago when I was 'new' to Lincoln and the current MKZ wasn't out), I was quite interested in the MKS. Now - even if they would cost the same - switching from my MKZ to an MKS would actually feel like a downgrade. Also, IMO, the MKS got less attractive with each face-lift applied....

Now that I am back in an Lincoln we should get some shots of our Z's next to each other by the beaches or something! :thumb:

 

[Logans Run]

Now that I am back in an Lincoln we should get some shots of our Z's next to each other by the beaches or something! :thumb:

Just be sure to include a few bikinis.

 

[LincolnFanFl]

Now that I am back in an Lincoln we should get some shots of our Z's next to each other by the beaches or something! :thumb:

Sure! September would be great - once I got the Black Label...:thumb:

Just be sure to include a few bikinis.

Usually, I only wear those on special occasions...:lmao:

 

[Andrew L]

Sure! September would be great - once I got the Black Label...:thumb:



Usually, I only wear those on special occasions...:lmao:

haha gotta upstage me huh?

 

[LincolnFanFl]

haha gotta upstage me huh?

Haha...well, that's another way to put it...:tongue:

 

[Ed753]

So what do you happens when someone has a MKS in for service and they are given a MKZ for a loaner?