Lincoln Sticking with MK-Lettered Nameplates

Like them or not, the Lincoln brand's nameplate nomenclatures of "MKT," “MKZ," "MKX," and "MKS" are here to say, according to USA Today.

Last year, Ford CEO Alan Mulally intimated that the carmaker was considering a switch from the MK naming to something more traditional, like Continental.

For the hopeful, those dreams have officially been dashed. At the 2012 Detroit auto show, Lincoln introduced the MKZ Concept, indicating the Zephyr name probably wouldn't be revived.

Jim Farley, Ford's marketing chief, also hinted that the names would stick. "What I've learned in my career is it's product that matters, not the name," Farley told reporters at the show. In a separate interview, Mulally also told reporters he had come to terms with the current naming structure at Lincoln.

No word on if this spells the end of the only model still holding a proper name at Lincoln: the Navigator full-size SUV.

No change: Lincoln Is Stuck With Alphabet Soup Names (USA Today)

Did the New Ford Flex and Lincoln MKT Change Enough?

The Ford Flex has one of those love-it-or-hate-it vehicle designs. It's boxy, it's square, it's retro and apparently it's also totally L.A. (It turns out Los Angeles is one of the Flex's hottest markets). Case in point, when we hosted actor Joey Lawrence and his family at one of our recent Cars.com Shootouts, he kept comparing the cars we were testing to his own Flex.

More 2011 L.A. Auto Show Coverage

The Flex isn't as popular in other markets, and neither is the Lincoln MKT. Both sell in meager amounts next to mainstream crossovers like the Chevrolet Traverse and even Ford's own Explorer. Can some refreshes to these two vehicles skyrocket them onto families' radars?

2013 Lincoln MKT: Up Close

The slow-selling MKT tones down some of its more controversial elements for 2013, and it remains spacious in the first and second rows. But the latest version of MyLincoln Touch still needs work.

More 2011 L.A. Auto Show Coverage

Shallower than the one that preceded it, the MKT's new grille is more palatable, but the car's ungainly profile remains. Some people like it, but if you hated it before, the rhinoplasty doesn't change that. Like on the MKS, most of the grille — plus the lower bumper inlet — is closed off. Fewer openings usually improve highway aerodynamics, but it means most of the MKT's grille is unnecessary. Bah.

2013 Lincoln MKT at the 2011 L.A. Auto Show

• Competes with: Buick Enclave, Acura MDX
• Looks like: The whale tail remains, but the baleen have multiplied
• Drivetrain: 300-hp, 3.7-liter V-6 with front-wheel drive, or 355-hp, twin-turbo 3.5-liter V-6 with all-wheel drive; six-speed automatic
• Hits dealerships: Spring 2012

The refreshed Lincoln MKT, a cousin to the refreshed Ford Flex, gets a litany of interior and exterior updates for 2013. Besides the visual alterations — which include a reshaped grille and redesigned dashboard — the three-row crossover gets an uprated base V-6, optional adaptive suspension and other hardware upgrades. The MKT hits Lincoln dealerships next spring.

More 2011 L.A. Auto Show Coverage

The MKT's grille plunges less but carries more vertical slats — 36 instead of 14 — in a "calmer, more restrained way," Lincoln says. So less blue whale, more humpback. The MKT's trademark belt line kink and broad tail remain, if you dig that sort of thing. If not, keep the sunglasses on.

2011 L.A. Auto Show: What We Know

Fall should mean only one thing to attentive auto enthusiasts: a new auto show season is upon us.

With the 2011 L.A. Auto Show less than a month away, we have a pretty good understanding of what to expect, though there still looks to be a few surprises. Like in previous years, the show will be a heavy mix of luxury car debuts intertwined with some fuel efficient, green options.

There will be at least 21 all-new releases at the show, and 25 vehicles that will make their North American debuts (about the same as last year). This fresh new clutch of vehicles will be shown to the media, and subsequently to you on KickingTires, Nov. 16 and 17.

The everyday car shopper should keep tabs on the redesigned Ford Escape, Honda CR-V and Hyundai Azera, all of which will debut at the show.

2012 Lincoln MKT EcoBoost Price Drops $3,000

In a move to gain exposure for a well-reviewed but little-noticed vehicle, Lincoln has dropped the price of its top-tier vehicle, the EcoBoost MKT crossover, by $3,000 to $46,295, excluding $875 for destination. That’s the same price as the standard V-6-powered all-wheel-drive MKT from the 2011 model year. The EcoBoost includes a 355-horsepower, twin-turbo V-6 engine and all-wheel drive standard.

The 2012 MKT EcoBoost comes with leather seats, panoramic glass roof, heated and cooled front seats, heated rear seats, dual-zone climate control, Sync, DVD entertainment system, power-adjustable foot pedals, power tilt/telescoping steering wheel, power tailgate, parking sensors and rear sunshades.

Navigation and a surround-sound stereo system are part of a $4,000 Elite Package, while a rear entertainment system with dual screens is an additional $1,995.

The base MKT with front-wheel drive and 268-hp V-6 engine still starts at $44,300.

Lincoln also released details on the rest of its 2012 lineup. However, there are no other significant price adjustments.

Incentives on Defunct Mercury Brand Tick Upward

Retail production of Mercury vehicles ceased nearly a month ago, and now Ford is getting down to the business of ridding itself of any leftover inventory for the defunct brand. The remaining Mercury dealerships are on a deadline to move the metal before the end of 2010 when their Mercury franchise agreements will be terminated.

To flush out the remaining inventory, Ford has increased retail incentives for the Mercury brand drastically for November. Until this month, the 2010 and 2011 Milan, Milan Hybrid and Mariner all offered $2,000 cash on the hood, which was the same as its Ford counterparts. Now all three have up to $3,500 on the hood, nearly 60% more money back than what’s offered on the identical Ford Fusion and Escape. The 2010 and 2011 Grand Marquis now get upward of $5,500 cash back.

The aggressive incentives are supposed to help Ford expedite the shutdown of Mercury by the Dec. 31 deadline, according to Automotive News. Ford spokesman George Pipas told Automotive News that there are fewer than 10,000 Mercurys left in the inventory, which amounts to a 35-day supply. Currently there are nearly 4,000 Mercurys on sale on Cars.com. Below you’ll find the remaining deals on all Mercury and Lincoln inventory. Most of these incentives are good until Dec. 31.

Lincoln Replaces Town Car Limousine with MKT

We received word today that Lincoln will get a pair of new livery vehicles added to its fleet starting in 2012. Both cars will be based off the Lincoln MKT and will replace the soon-to-be defunct Lincoln Town Car, which recently got a model year extension for 2011, according to Ford Fleet.

The Lincoln MKT will be offered in a livery and a limousine model, according to Ford. The livery vehicle won’t have a third row. Instead, a redesigned second row will be stretched and repositioned for more legroom. There are no photos, but we imagine this MKT will be set up like the Concept, which had only two rows of seating, on the inside.

Cars.com Reviews the 2011 Lincoln MKT

Now in its second model year, the 2011 Lincoln MKT is still pretty much as good as it gets in the eyes of Cars.com senior editor David Thomas. Despite a somewhat compromised driving position for taller drivers, a third-row seat that’s usable only for children and an interior that doesn’t quite match its Acura or Buick competitors, David still sees how some, including himself, could love the MKT’s eccentricities. Continue reading to see if the MKT’s unconventional nature will work for you.

2011 Lincoln MKT Review

2011|Lincoln|MKT

Cars.comparison: 2010 Acura MDX, 2010 Buick Enclave, 2010 Lincoln MKT

Skyrocketing fuel prices a few years back created a stigma around driving large luxury SUVs. In response, automakers launched a fleet of car-based family haulers to fulfill the demand for improved fuel economy but still maintain the overall size, ride height and comfort levels that SUVs owners have grown accustomed to. In our latest Cars.comparison, we test three seven-passenger luxury crossovers. Check out and see which model is the best at hauling a large family in style. 

Cars.comparison: Large Luxury Crossovers

2010|Buick|Enclave

2010|Lincoln|MKT

2010|Acura|MDX