2011 Lincoln MKX Reviews

When it comes to midsize crossover vehicles, shoppers are opting for General Motors' (GM) Cadillac SRX over Ford's (F) Lincoln MKX by a margin of better than two to one, and the Lincoln continues to lose ground. Personally, I find the situation hard to understand. The MKX is a tightly built vehicle with a roomy, attractive cabin, excellent fit and finish, as well as decent handling, acceleration, and fuel economy. I actually prefer it to the SRX.

However, the numbers don't lie: Cadillac SRX sales soared 31 percent to 4,236 in January, and 152.5 percent to 51,094 for all of last year. MKX sales plunged 29.7 percent to 1,574 in January, and only rose 2.3 percent to 21,932 in 2010.

Why is the MKX faltering? Price is probably the main reason. The MKX only comes in one trim line with one choice of engine, at a starting price of $40,225. Never mind that that price includes a raft of standard equipment that costs extra on the Cadillac, including a power lift gate, backup parking sensors, and heated and ventilated power adjustable front seats. The base model SRX starts at just $34,705, more than five grand less than the Lincoln. And even the Lexus RX 350, which also comes well-loaded with standard equipment, starts lower than the MKX ($39,250 with front-wheel drive).

Consumers also apparently aren't factoring in the excellence of the MKX's standard engine—a 3.7-liter, 305-horsepower V6 that has 40 more horses than the engine in the previous MKX and the base engine in the SRX, and 30 more horses than the only engine offered in the Lexus RX 350.

To get roughly equivalent power in the Cadillac SRX, you have to pay extra—a lot extra—for a turbocharged 300-hp V6. That engine comes standard with all-wheel drive, driving up the Cadillac's starting price to $50,790, nearly nine grand more than the all-wheel-drive Lincoln MKX. Little wonder that only a small percentage of SRX buyers opt for the turbocharged engine.

I also suspect the MKX's styling works against it. Aside from its distinctive Lincoln grille, the MKX still looks too much like the less expensive Ford Edge, on which it is based. I suspect a fair number of potential MKX buyers end up opting for the Edge Sport, which has the same engine as the MKX and starts at $37,335, three grand less than the Lincoln. (With a smaller, 285-hp V6 engine, the Edge starts at just $28,220.)

Fuel economy is a strong point for the MKX, which is rated at 19 mpg in the city, 26 on the highway, for an average of 21 with front-wheel drive, and 17/23/19 with all-wheel drive. That's competitive with the Lexus RX 350, which is rated at 18/25/21 with front-wheel drive and 18/24/20 with AWD. It's a tad better than the Cadillac SRX, which is rated at 18/25/20 with front-wheel drive and 15/22/18 with a turbocharged engine and AWD.

Though the Cadillac's sales are growing much faster, Toyota's (TM) Lexus RX 350 is the leader by a wide margin. Sales of the RX (which also include the hybrid RX 450h) rose 3.3 percent to 95,790 in 2010, and 3.4 percent to 5,881 in January.

The MKX makes no pretense of being genuinely sporty. Ride and handling are improved in the 2011 model, but are still calibrated more for comfort than performance. The MKX's suspension is softer than in, say, a BMW (BAMXY) X5 or Audi Q7. There's a manual shifting function, but it's operated by a little toggle switch on the side of the shift lever, which is not a setup designed to give the driver a feeling of putting the car through its paces.