Lincoln MKZ

The Lincoln MKZ, initially named the Lincoln Zephyr, is a mid-size, entry-level luxury car from the Lincoln division of the Ford Motor Company. Lincoln revived the Zephyr name in the fall of 2005 as a platform-mate for the Ford Fusion and Mercury Milan; the vehicles were based on the CD3 platform, which was derived from the Mazda 6. The Zephyr's sole powertrain was a 3.0 L DOHC Duratec V6 mated to an Aisin 6-speed automatic transmission; identical to the V6 powertrain that was optional in the Fusion and Milan. Visually, the Zephyr could be easily distinguished from its Ford and Mercury siblings thanks to unique fascias and other stylistic elements, but as much as 35% of its body panels were shared with the other cars. However, the interior is entirely unique to the Lincoln, and this, along with different equipment packaging, helped differentiate the brands. Reflecting its entry-level luxury position, the 2006 Zephyr started at a base MSRP of $29,995 USD, ranging up to $35,575 USD when fully optioned.^[2]

Though slightly smaller and natively front-wheel drive, the Zephyr was marketed as a replacement for Lincoln's previous entry level mid-size, the rear-wheel drive, V8-equipped Lincoln LS. To facilitate a smooth transition, the Zephyr and LS were sold parallel to each other during the 2006 model year, the first model year of the Zephyr and the last for the LS. Ironically the Zephyr's first model year was also its last, in name. For 2007 the car was renamed MKZ, and took over the LS' market with sales beginning in September 2006. Lincoln's decision to resurrect the Zephyr name refers to the very early days of Lincoln before World War II. At that time, the only Lincoln manufactured was the Lincoln K-series which was a full-size sedan, and Lincoln, under the direction of Edsel Ford, Henry Ford's only son, hoped to indroduce a smaller product to compete with the LaSalle, a smaller sibling offered at Cadillac dealerships. The Zephyr moniker was discontinued after a year, switching to MKZ to align with Lincoln's alphanumeric naming strategy. Previously during the early 1980s, the Zephyr name reappeared on a compact sedan called the Mercury Zephyr, a twin of the Ford Fairmont, however the Mercury Zephyr was replaced after a short period of time with the Mercury Topaz, itself a twin of the Ford Tempo.

Highlighting the MKZ for 2007, other than the new name, was a mild exterior refresh, optional all-wheel drive, and a larger displacement engine with more power. The MKZ name followed a new nomenclature used at Lincoln for new vehicles beginning in the 2007 model year (existing models such as the Navigator and Town Car have been unaffected thus far). Ford initially intended the "MK" to represent an abbreviation of its traditional "Mark" naming series, but has since abandoned that in favor of simply reading the letters.^[3] The Lincoln MKZ (and the Zephyr before it) is built at Ford's Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico, plant.
The MKZ was the first in this series of new "MK"-named Lincolns, and has since been followed by the MKX, MKT and MKS. For 2010 the MKZ was revised with new exterior and interior styling along with other new features. A version hybrid was launched in the U.S. market in September 2010, becoming EPA's most fuel efficient luxury sedan in the U.S. until the release of the 2011 Lexus CT 200h.^[4][5] The MKZ Hybrid is also the first (as and of July 2011, the only) hybrid in the market priced the same as its conventional gasoline-engine version (although the hybrid model's engine has two fewer cylinders than the gasoline-engine model).

MKZ (2010–present)

The 2010 MKZ was unveiled at the 2008 Los Angeles International Auto Show, revealing an extensive update with a revised interior and exterior in addition to new features. The MKZ's exterior was updated with an emphasis on the front and rear fascias. In the front, the MKZ's headlights are new while its fascia and split-wing grille closely resembles that of the Lincoln MKS, which was in turn inspired by the styling of the Lincoln MKR concept. In the rear, the taillights have been revised to be longer and thinner, similar to the original Zephyr concept. The MKZ's standard and optional 17-inch wheels have been restyled again and are supplemented with a new 18-inch wheel option. Inside, the MKZ's interior is all-new stylistically but continues to extensively use real wood accents and metal surfaces. Higher quality Bridge of Weir leather seating surfaces are standard. Other features new for 2010 include a reverse camera system, Sirius Travel Link, a DVD-based satellite navigation system updated to accept voice commands, rain-sensing windshield wipers, a cabin air filter, and adaptive HID headlights. Mechanically, the MKZ features new suspension tuning to further improve ride quality and handling and a new SelectShift 6-speed automatic transmission that improves acceleration. The 2010 MKZ was released during the Spring of 2009.The 2011 MKZ Hybrid was unveiled at the 2010 New York International Auto Show^[17] and sales began in September 2010.^[18] It is the first Lincoln hybrid electric vehicle and the first Lincoln model with a 4-cylinder engine and delivers an EPA city rating of 41 mpg_-US (5.7 L/100 km; 49 mpg_-imp) and a highway rating of 36 mpg_-US (6.5 L/100 km; 43 mpg_-imp), which made it the most fuel efficient luxury sedan in the U.S. until the release of the 2011 Lexus CT 200h in March 2011.^[4] The Lincoln MKZ Hybrid carries over the hybrid powertrain from the Ford Fusion and Mercury Milan hybrids, including the 2.5 L Duratec I4 with electric motor producing a total of 191 hp (142 kW).^[17][19] The Lincoln MKZ Hybrid has an E.V. mode that allows the car to travel short distances on electricity alone, at speeds up to 47 mph (76 km/h).^[6] The MKZ Hybrid offers an improvement of Ford's Smart Gauge with EcoGuide, first introduced in the 2010 Fusion Hybrid.The MKZ Smart Gauge version offers a new "Flower" design compared to the "Leaf" design of the Fusion. In essence, the car rewards you with flower blossoms for economic driving/driving habits.
The Lincoln MKZ Hybrid is marketed by Ford as a competitor to the Lexus HS 250h, and as of July 2011 it is the only hybrid in the market with the same price as its conventional gasoline-engine version of the car.^[6][20] Ford reported that until June 2011, about 20% of 2011 MKZ sales have been hybrids, and the market share is even higher in markets where hybrids in general sell well, such as the Los Angeles region, where sales of the hybrid model represent 44%, and the San Francisco area, with a market share of 66%.^[6] The MKZ Hyrid base price is US$35,520, and with popular options including a sunroof, navigation system, blind spot monitors, a THX surround-sound stereo and a backup camera the price rises to US$41,370.^[6]

A complete redesign of the Ford Fusion line-up is schedule for model years 2013.^[21] Both the Lincoln MKZ and the Fusion Hybrid are expected to use a new compact lithium-ion batterypack and an updated powertrain that is expected to deliver a higher fuel economy of up to 47 to 48 mpg_US (4.9 to 5.0 L/100 km; 56 to 58 mpg_imp) highway. The next generation Lincoln MKZ Hybrid is expected to be launched by mid-2012.^[22][23]
The MKZ Hybrid was one of the five finalists for the 2011 Green Car of the Year awarded by the Green Car Journal in November 2010, which was won by the Chevrolet Volt.^[24] In its 2011 Hybrid Scorecard, the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) ranked the MKZ Hybrid, together with the Lexus CT200h, as the top luxury hybrid models in the scorecard’s environmental improvement category, an achievement the UCS attributed to their relatively small gasoline engines.^[25] Nevertheless, the Lincoln MKZ Hybrid ranked higher than the Lexus on all factors: consumer value, hybrid technology, fuel efficiency and pollution reduction. Also, the UCS praised the MKZ Hybrid, together with the Hyundai Sonata Hybrid, because both hybrids are available with few or no forced features that inflate the cost without adding to fuel savings or reducing emissions.^[6] The UCS's Hybrid Scorecard ratings for the MKZ Hybrid are higher than the non-luxury Toyota Prius for environmental performance, and hybrid vale; both are rated the same for forced features; and the Prius scores higher in fuel economy.