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Posts Tagged “

Mkx


news

To CUV Or Not To CUV, Part 1

That really is the question for soccer moms car buyers these days. Frankly, I don't have much experience driving the new car-platformed CUV's, leastwise on pavement and in inclement weather. But as an SUV owner, why would I want to? Having actually taken my four-wheel drive "cute bug" (ask Jonny Lieberman) off-road a few times, my level of confidence translates to on-road driving in lousy conditions. But then, I'm not the CUV's target market. Nonetheless, automakers are falling all over themselves to prove these new Car-UV's (like the General's trio of Lambda-platform vehicles, the Saturn Outlook, GMC Acadia and the Buick Enclave and Nissan's new Rogue) are not only capable in the wet, white wintry stuff, but can do it with without causing a chronic brain rattle. Sensing an opportunity, I thought I'd give it a test by taking the newest jellybean-ness from FoMoCo out for a spin. Sure, I could be hill-climbing in San Francisco, tailgating in Texas or clawing at the desert scrub of New Mexico, places where automakers traditionally show off their most steroided-up new models. But I won't. Instead, I'll be taking a Lincoln MKX to where it's most likely to see action — the highways and byways of this great nation. And I'll be doing it in the middle of the winter. In the middle of a snow and ice storm bearing down on the midwest and east coast. And I'll be traveling from the slippery speedways of Michigan to the fish-school streets of New York City. Sound like a great way to potentially get myself killed? Absolutely. Sound like fun? You bet. With that, here's my diary of the trip: More »

news

Deliver Them From Bankruptcy: Ford Starts Shipping Edge Crossovers

And Saint Mulally (with Sir LeClair and of course Sir Fields) raised the Ford Edge up on high, saying,
'Oh, Lord, bless this thy Ford Edge that with it thou mayest blow
thy enemies to tiny bits, in thy mercy.'

And the Lord did grin, and people of Dearborn did feast upon the lambs, and sloths, and carp, and anchovies, and orangutans, and breakfast cereals, and fruit bats, and large...and then the Lord spake, saying,
'First shalt thou take out the Ford Edge.
Then, shalt thou count to three, no more, no less. Three shalt
be the number thou shalt count, and the number of the counting
shalt be three. Four shalt thou not count, nor either count thou two,
excepting that thou then proceed to three. Five is right out. Once
the number three, being the third number, be reached, then lobbest thou
thy crossover utility from Dearborn towards thou foe, who being naughty
in my sight, shall snuff it.'"
More »

news

When Did "Consistency" Overtake "Quality" As Job One With The Ford Edge?

FoMoCo's still parroting the line that "the manufacturing process and the supply base aren't to the level of consistency and stability we'd like to see" as Ford's manufacturing boss, Joe Hinrichs, said to trade pub Automotive News when he was again asked what's up with the delay of the new Ford Edge. Yet AN's learned it's got more to do with the quality level of the parts coming in to the manufacturing center in Oakville, Ontario — as opposed to, you know the consistent nature by which those parts are coming in. Specifically, the parts they're having a problem with are outlined in: More »

news

Dream A Little Dream Of Lincoln: No Mr. Badge-Engineering, We Expect You To Die!

Of course, any event starting with the promise of shooting live ammunition and ends with martini's can't be all bad, and Lincoln's event to promote the latest ad campaign for FoMoCo's luxe nameplate didn't disappoint. Reilly Brennan, editor of the online-only magazine of the Road which is always Winding, and I had the opportunity to drive the new Lincoln MKX and MKZ, the badge-engineered kissin' cousins to the Ford Edge and Ford Fusion — in a day-long event Lincoln called Dirty Harry Day "My Dream is to be a Secret Agent". The event, as we explained yesterday, was a day of "danger" and "daring" — most of which had the potential to come from firearms-related injuries at the hands of auto pundits given large guns without any sort of training. Luckily, no one was maimed or injured, well, except for maybe the ego of Detroit News's Bryce Hoffman, who appears to be cowering in fear of a paper target. Although we'll have more on the ad campaign and the drive reviews soon, all of the hilarity from the day's big and bold event at the firing range is in the gallery below. More »

news

Lincoln Wants A Jalopnik Editor To Dream A Little Dream Of Them

I'm down in Dearborn today for an interesting little marketing event sponsored by the folks at FoMoCo for the Lincoln brand. It's an extension of their "Dreams" campaign — an attempt to link the Lincoln brand to one of three luxe segments Lincoln believes corresponds most closely with it's brand image. The segments called "American Dream." So what's Lincoln doing to get us auto pundit-types to talk about it? why, they're letting us act out our greatest fantasy (no, not that one). Instead they're giving us the opportunity to fulfill a dream intended to tie this non-Aston Martin Ford brand to what will more than likely be the number one grossing movie in America this weekend. That's right, they're calling it: "My Dream is to be a Secret Agent." And they want you to do it while driving the Lincoln MKX, MKZ and Navigator. Because you know, when I think "Secret Agent," I think "Lincoln." But wait, I think they're also telling us that the "American Dream" is all about being a British secret agent — so would that make this a Britigasm? Just curious. I'll have more on the marketing campaign — which features an interactive website hitting the interwebs on Monday — later today. For now, I've included the day's actual (seriously — no joke!) itinerary after the jump. More »

news

Breaking! FoMoCo Tells Dealers Its Pushing Back Launch Of Ford Edge And Lincoln MKX

The Dearborn-based automaker informed dealers today that the Edge-based recovery of FoMoCo cited by Mark "Movie Star" Fields was going to have to wait just a little bit longer. Joe Hinrichs, FoMoCo's veep for NorAm manufacturing, claims that they're going to need a few more weeks to iron out some "supplier issues." Hinrichs was quick to point out that quality's still job one at FoMoCo, this problem's more about the consistency of the product going out. Umm, wait a second — let's parse that press flack comment. It's not the quality, it's the consistency. So technically it could be the consistency of the quality that's holding things up, right? This makes me feel real good about driving one of those new in-consistent Lincoln MKX's tomorrow. More »

news

Pricing! GMC Professionally Grades 2007 Acadia CUV At A Starting Price Of $29,990

You'll need to be a "professional" if you want to apply for a lease or purchase deal on GMC's new crossover hotness, the Acadia. The General's new CUV is nothing if not pricey at a starting price of $29,990 for the FWD base unit. While certainly not as many ducats as FoMoCo's new Mercury MKX (that starting price of $34,795 still gives us a double-take, plus a quick jaw-to-the-floor) it's still more expensive than the Ford Edge (pricing in at a comparably inexpensive $25,995) by almost $4,000. But for that price, you'll get a few nice standard features on top of the requirement that you chain down your car at night else it float away on that warranty thing. The base model comes with six air bags, including head curtain side-impact and of course, dual chrome-tipped pipes. Rowr! Full release with the details after the jump. More »

custom cars/hot rods: tuners

Crossover SUV to Vegas: Ford's SEMA Show Utes

Yes, exactly. A "cred" infusion. That's what FoMoCo's latest family haulers need (like a backseat child needs a stomach flu). The above rendering hearkens the handiwork of aftermarket supplier H&R Special Springs of Bellingham, Washington; the two on the next page — an Edge and a vaguely suave Lincoln MKX — are by Newport Beach, California mod shop 3dCarbon. All three will be unveiled at the SEMA show later this month. You're right, this need not happen. [Thanks to Dave for the tip.] More »

news

Breaking The Bank! Lincoln Prices MKX Starting At $34,795


FoMoCo's Lincoln brand's released pricing on their new CUV hotness, the MKX. The base model will start at $34,795 and the AWD model hits the showroom floors at $36,445. Our first reaction, after the obligatory bugs bunny double take, rubbing of the eyes, and yelling of "Zoinks!" was to question the reasoning behind the MKX's almost $10,000 differential in price from the Ford Edge, it's badge-engineered CUV-cousin. Other than fine corinthian leather, what do you get for the money you work hard for? Well — you actually do seem to get a significantly upgraded interior and...umm...hmm...well...we're not so much sure what else. All the other stuff we'd normally point to like nav system, heated seats, sunroof, etc. all comes added atop that base price. So apparently, the extra $10K gets you a pretty new interior, a non-razor-blade front end, and a pretty little badge on the exterior which says "Lincoln." Money well spent. Full press release after the jump. More »

news

The Ford Edge And Lincoln MKX: FoMoCo's Sales Dream Or Reality?


We stopped by Ford's media site today, we were greeted with the above graphic (obvs that we added the "WTF?" part) and a press release proudly beating its chest over FoMoCo's entry to the CUV market — the Ford Edge and the Lincoln MKX. The graphic proudly states "Ford has an edge on growing CUV market." The only problem is that neither the Edge nor the MKX have made it to market yet, so wethinks maybe the only Edge FoMoCo's talking about is the razor-sharp horizontal line representing sales of the not-quite-out-yet CUV at Ford. But hey, because Jalopnik's always willing to help, click on the jump to check out the version of the graphic they should have used — plus a copy of the press release talking up a segment they're not yet in. More »

news

Will the Oval Survive? Ford's Crucial Next Launches

AutoWeek runs down the next three 2007 product launches from Ford, gauging them in terms of crucialness in the company's plan for rebirth. These launches are, in order of importance, the Ford Edge and Lincoln MKX, Ford Expedition and Lincoln Navigator and 2008 F-Series Super Duty. Get our take after the jump. More »

ads/promotions

Like OMG, LOLROTFL: The Lincoln MKX on MySpace

It's like an alternate sci-fi universe where every sellable product is anthropomorphized to become a kind of friendly sidekick — a glorified pen pal ready to laugh at your jokes, instant-message streams of abbreviated expressions of delight long into the evening and post naked pictures of itself with all the naughty bits blurred out. But it's not an alternate sci-fi universe, it's MySpace. The latest automaker to jump aboard the Dateline NBC "Predator" Express (c'mon, we kid MySpace) is Lincoln, whose upcoming MKX crossover is apparently a 30-year-old female from the United States with requisite friends and a breathlessly self-absorbed curriculum vitae. No, FoMoCo marketers can't drop the hyperbolic bullshit for even a second, can they:
Who I'd like to meet:
More »

news

Spy Photos: 2008 Lincoln MKX - Maybe

Our man Spencer was travelling the byways and coastal highways of greater Los Angelos yesterday and snapped some pics of some sort of SUV/CUV/Minivan and we're of a few minds on what this one is. Although the taillights look Lincoln-y, like maybe the MKX — the caboose looks all Chrysler. Spencer thinks it may be a GM or VDub. But with that much cladding and fascia obscura, who really knows for sure? We're pretty sure it's the MKX, but we're gonna let our readers decide — what do y'all think it is? (More pics after the jump.) More »

alternative energy

It's Electric, Eh?: Ford to Build Hybrids in Canada

Man, how easy it is to default to the stereotype when we're writing about Canada. With that in mind, we'd like to offer a couple of news items from the Great White North: 1.) Somewhere in Canada, a man named Neil just cracked open a beer. 2) Ford of Canada will build hybrids at its Oakville Assembly Complex west of Toronto beginning in 2010, including volume production of its Ford Edge and Lincoln MKX hybrids. That plant is already undergoing a $1 billion upgrade that will allow it to produce multiple models on separate platforms. In the two crossovers, Ford will employ its full hybrid system, which like Toyota's can drive the vehicle's wheels using electric power alone or use the electric motor to assist the gas engine, like in GM's and Honda's mild hybrid systems. Also, just like at Toyota's Canadian plants, Neil will not be allowed to drink on the job. More »

concept cars

Photo Dump: Lincoln MKX, MKS

There are two kinds of people at the Detroit show, those that call the Lincoln MKX the M-K-X, and those that call it, rightly, the Mark Ten. The confusion likely stems from the name of its its sister ship, the MKS concept sedan (is the S a Roman Numeral, or what)? Nonetheless, Lincoln's car-based luxobox (sorry, CUV) and its conceptual sedan cousin could be the most stylish shapes lincoln has come up with since the, well, see for yourself. More »

news

If This is the Future of Lincoln...

So we got an e-mail at midnight last night offering up pics of the new Lincoln MkX crossover and MkS concept sports sedan, which are being unveiled as we speak. We checked the website and found the above splash screen, which if it's too small for y'all to make out, reads, "In a short time, the future of Lincoln will be revealed. Come back on Monday, January 9th and discover the exciting new vehicles that are re-energizing Lincoln." We've seen the future, and frankly, we're kinda "meh" on the whole thing. Nevertheless, click through to see it. After all, it's your portal to the future... More »

news

Test for Echo!: New Lincoln MKX Crossover to Have THX Sound

Damn you, Simpsons! Ever since this clip, we can't talk about THX sound technology without thinking of that guy's head popping like a balloon. Nonetheless, Lincoln's new alphabet-soup crossover SUV, the 2007 MKX (think Ford Edge) will be fitted with a THX II Certified audio system including 14 speakers, 600 watts of power and three optimized seating position modes. The system is on display at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, and will be shown in Detroit where the MKX will be unveiled. Lincoln, which is hoping to attract younger buyers to the brand with several new models, wants to head off audiophiles' trip to the aftermarket for accessories. The system will also be offered in the Lincoln Zephyr midsize sedan. More »