Test Drive Review: 2015 Lincoln MKC – Part 1 (Exterior)

The 2015 Lincoln MKC is a completely new model in the Lincoln family, which went on sale in May. It’s been 6 months, but to this day it is still very difficult to see a Lincoln MKC on the street. The Lincoln MKC’s sales volume simply matched that of the BMW X3, but the Lexus RX and Audi Q5 lacked by a factor of up to 5 (the MKC’s sales figure is only about 1/5 that of the Lexus RX).

On paper, the 2015 Lincoln MKC has beautiful specs, and its shapes and styling look good in advertisements. In our test-drive review, I’ll try to explain why the MKC doesn’t get better recognition from the consumer.

The exterior shape of the Lincoln MKC is very similar to that of the Ford Escape, because they share the same platform and some of the trims even share the same engine and transmission.

How about the wheelbase of the 2015 Lincoln MKC?

The MKC has a slightly longer wheelbase of 106.9 inches (compared to 105.9 inches for the Ford Escape). MKC with similar options weighs about 170 pounds more than the Escape, due to the longer wheelbase and larger body in almost all dimensions. In addition to this, there are additional noise-damping materials throughout the cabin, which also contributes to the additional 170 pounds of weight.

Our test car is the top-of-the-line model fitted with the firm’s latest 2.3L EcoBoost 4-cylinder engine, which can also be found in the 2015 Ford Mustang EcoBoost (but with higher horsepower). When the 2.3L engine is selected, Lincoln will also offer AWD as standard.

There is a major build quality issue on the outside. The rear tailgate spoiler has two downward-extending tips on each side. And guess what? They only stick to the glass with something like double-sided tape or some other type of adhesive. Obviously, that cannot withstand the harsh external environmental conditions, and also the wind forces generated during high speed driving. So our almost new test car already has those two separate tips from their location.

Although the Lincoln MKC is based on a front-wheel drive platform, it has a relatively short overhang at the front. Due to the short length of the 4-cylinder engine in cross-mount configuration.

Our MKC test car has the standard 235 / 50R18 tire on all four corners. Compared to other available options (P235 / 45R19; P245 / 45R19; P255 / 40R20), the standard tire size offers cushioned driving comfort and good linear acceleration.

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