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.

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

• Competes with: BMW 5 Series, Mercedes-Benz E-Class, Infiniti M
• Looks like: The MKT's baleen grille is spreading
• Drivetrain: 300-hp, 3.7-liter V-6 with front- or all-wheel drive, or 355-hp, twin-turbo 3.5-liter V-6 with all-wheel drive; six-speed automatic
• Hits dealerships: Spring 2012

The slow-selling Lincoln MKS receives a host of improvements for 2013, including more power, various handling upgrades, new styling and a MyLincoln Touch multimedia system. It hits dealerships in the spring.

More 2011 L.A. Auto Show Coverage

Lincoln retailored the nose, fenders and tail, with a grille that comes closer to the MKT's aggressive, uh, teeth. Inside, the instruments and steering wheel are new, and physical center controls have been replaced by Ford's controversial touch-sensitive MyLincoln Touch panel. The MKS will get the latest version of MyLincoln Touch and Sync, which should portent usability and processing improvements over the last one. LCD screens now flank an analog speedometer, and new luxury options include massaging multicontour seats and a heated steering wheel.

Nearly 250,000 Owners Will Get MyFord Touch Upgrade

As we reported earlier, Ford will upgrade the performance speed and usability of its MyFord Touch system and will deliver the upgrade via USB jump drive to existing customers starting early next year. The 2013 Ford Escape, Flex and Taurus will be the first new Fords equipped with the upgraded system.

We’re now learning that the performance upgrade will affect some 250,000 existing Ford owners — purchasers of the Ford Focus, Explorer, Edge and Lincoln MKX, according to the Los Angeles Times blog. MyFord Touch debuted more than a year ago, on the 2011 Ford Edge and Lincoln MKX.

The jump drive will be mailed to owners, and Ford says the upgrade should take about 45 minutes to complete. If owners don’t feel up to upgrading the system themselves, Ford says you can bring your Ford to a dealership that will perform the upgrade for free. Another 200,000 Fords equipped with MyFord Touch were sold outside the U.S.; Ford is still deciding on how to upgrade the system for those owners.

The improvements come after intense customer and critic complaints that the system was confusing, slow and buggy. In fact, the prolific introduction of MyFord Touch over the year, apparently much to chagrin of Ford buyers, was enough to dramatically decrease Ford’s reliability and initial quality scores with Consumer Reports and J.D. Power and Associates, respectively. Ford says that nearly 85% of people who own vehicles with MyFord Touch find it easy to use, before the upgrade.

Ford Drops; Lexus, Mazda and Jeep Improve in Latest Consumer Reports Survey

Ford's dashboard doldrums persist. The automaker's buggy MyFord Touch multimedia system, rolled out in summer 2010, contributed toward a steep decline in J.D. Power and Associates' 2011 Initial Quality Study. Now it has become a sore spot for Ford owners responding to Consumer Reports' latest reliability surveys.

Problems with the dual-clutch automatic transmission in the Fiesta and Focus also tarnished the brand, which tumbled 10 spots in overall reliability to 20th among 28 major carmakers. Ford's Lincoln division, whose MKX SUV uses a variant of MyFord Touch, improved one spot to 14th place. Other movers included Lexus (up seven spots to second place), Mazda (up eight spots to third) and Jeep (up seven spots to 13th).

The survey, based on responses from the magazine's 1.3 million subscribers, covered cars from the 2002 to 2011 model years, from which Consumer Reports predicts reliability for 2012 models. Consumer Reports says other Ford models, most notably the Fusion Hybrid sedan, remain as reliable as ever. And Ford appears committed to MyFord Touch, with plans to introduce it in the 2013 Taurus.

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.

Ford Recalls 1.1 Million F-150, F-250 Trucks

Ford is recalling 1.1 million trucks because in certain cold-weather states, road chemicals can corrode the fuel tank straps. This could lead to both fuel lines detaching from the tank or the tank falling off entirely and hitting the ground. Both situations would be a fire hazard for drivers.

The recall is extensive, covering the following models built between June 20, 1995, and Aug. 4, 2004:

• 1997-2003 F-150
• 2004 F-150 Heritage
• 1997-1999 F-250 with gross vehicle weight rating of less than 8,500 pounds
• 2002-2003 Lincoln Blackwood

You can check your truck’s build date on a label on the driver-side doorjamb.

The recall will begin on or around Sept. 12 in Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, West Virginia, Wisconsin and Washington, D.C.

Dealers will replace the straps with new ones with increased corrosion protection. If no straps are available, the dealer will install a cable support as an interim repair until new straps are available.

Owners can call Ford at 866-436-7332 or the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration at 888-327-4236.

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 Diet: Buy This, Not That

This month, incentives continue to be sparse even as more 2012 model year vehicles arrive at dealerships. That means shoppers need to be savvy about what types of incentives are available, namely low financing offers, and how the right mix of financing can save big money, even if the sticker price is higher than the competition.

2011 Toyota Sienna LE V-6 vs. 2011 Chrysler Town & Country Base

In our recent Minivan Shootout the redesigned Town & Country took the No. 2 spot behind the Honda Odyssey, while the popular Toyota Sienna finished dead last. That doesn’t mean the Sienna isn’t a good vehicle; it’s one of our Best Bets. It also seems to be a better value than the Town & Country in terms of price when similarly equipped and even more so after taking lower financing into account.

Ford Flex, Two Lincolns To Get Inflatable Seat Belts

Ford announced more vehicles will be getting rear-inflatable seat belts that are currently available on the 2011 Ford Explorer. 

The Ford Flex three-row crossover and two as-yet-unnamed Lincoln models will get the belts when they go on sale next summer.

Not surprisingly, Ford says early data suggests parents are ordering this option.

The airbags deploy for rear passengers in the event of a crash and help keep people located properly in the seat, as well as distribute the force of the impact traveling through the belts across a broader area of the person's body. 

Unlike traditional airbags that use a heat-generating chemical reaction to inflate, the seat belt bags use a small compressed-gas canister that's located under the seat to inflate.

2011 Ford Edge, Lincoln MKX Earn IIHS Top Safety Picks

The 2011 Ford Edge and its twin, the Lincoln MKX, received the Top Safety Pick designation in the midsize SUV category from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.

To earn the award, a vehicle must receive the top rating of Good in front, side, rear and rollover crash tests. The vehicle also must have electronic stability control, which is standard on both Ford crossovers.

Measurements taken during the tests show a low risk of significant injury in a 40-mph frontal-offset crash. A head injury is possible; the test dummy's head hit the steering wheel through the airbag during testing. During side-impact tests, the heads of the driver and rear passenger were protected from the 3,300-pound deformable barrier traveling at 31 mph (shown above).

To pass IIHS’ roof-strength test, a vehicle’s roof must be able to withstand the force of four times the vehicle’s weight. Both the Edge and MKX can withstand 4.7 times their own weight.

The Edge and MKX join eight other Lincoln and Ford brand models on the Top Safety Pick roster: the Taurus, Fiesta, Fusion, Explorer, Flex, MKZ, MKS and MKT.

Learn More

2011 Ford Edge review 
2011 Lincoln MKX review