A wagon-full for Lincoln

Wagon-styled crossover utility vehicles aren’t new and neither are luxury wagons, but the latest from Ford’s premium vehicle brand is something new for Lincoln.

The MKT joins the company’s stable for 2010, powered by a 3.5 L EcoBoost engine - the first power plant in the Lincoln line-up to get Ford’s high-output, cleaner burning technology. The turbocharged, direct injection engine promises lower emissions along with its enhanced performance.

As a bit of background trivia, Ford is promising that by 2013, the EcoBoost option will be available on up to 90% of vehicles in the company’s line-up.

The MKT engine is the same engine found in the Taurus SHO, though with slightly less horsepower at 355, and a potential 350 lb.-ft. of torque (incidentally, the MKT can also be had with a 3.7 litre six-cylinder that delivers 268 ponies and 267 lb.-ft.)

It’s fast, powerful, and displays my personal favourite of engine notes: extreme quiet. The twin-turbocharged monster under the hood is kept at bay with very good sound dampening materials and tuned to produce that unobtrusive sound of power luxury buyers expect.

Performance is very good, with quick shifts from the transmission when left in full-on automatic mode; along with steering-mounted paddle shifters to allow a driver a bit more control and, of course, the prerequisite F1-driver fantasies.

And while the Eco does a fine job of moving the relatively large and heavy crossover around on city streets and highways, the real story with any Lincoln is inside.

The cabin is roomy and comfortable, particularly in the first two rows, upholstered in stitched leather surfaces and with a full range of seating adjustment that will accommodate any body type.

My test model boasted second-row bucket seats (the MKT can also be had with a bench-style second row seat, which takes the maximum occupancy to seven people), a refrigerated storage compartment in the rear seat center console [also optional] and a panoramic sunroof overhead.

The MKT interior makes for a welcoming environment, and delivers the upscale feel that is of paramount importance for car like this; and of course the full extent of FoMoCo’s best technologies are on hand as well.

Everything you could ask for in computer-aided handlers is available, from active cruise control, Ford’s SYNC system, rain sensing windshield wipers, voice-activated navigation system, to THX certified surround sound.

The tester was the first Lincoln I have driven to be equipped with Active Park Assist, which essentially allows the car to parallel park itself. I try it out several times once I learn to trust the system (I still think it weird to take your hands off the wheel and allow a car to park itself), and find it works very well. In fact, if you are shopping the MKT, make a point of asking for a demonstration of the park assist feature, because it really is neat.

Outwardly, the silhouette is that of a hulking wagon, not unlike similar vehicles such as Mercedes-Benz’s R-Class or Cadillac’s latest entry into the crossover wagon market, the SRX.

The vehicle suffers from the same styling hindrances of virtually any wagon style crossover, in that while it looks great from the front, the rear end just becomes sort of nondescript and unremarkable.

Visibility, particularly to the rear, leaves a lot to be desired. The big wagon’s thick pillars block out much of what is going on around you, making features like the blind spot information system, backup camera and parking feature necessities.