Lincoln's long and successful history of producing mid-sized luxury grand touring sedans goes back to the 1977 introduction of the Lincoln Versailles. It was Lincoln's answer to the wildly popular Cadillac Seville and emerging popularity of European imports. Today just as then, the 2010 Lincoln MKZ shares its platform with Ford and Mercury variants. It replaces the Lincoln LS and MKZ-predecessor Zephyr. For this test, we added 400 miles to a factory-new model.

Even though the Lincoln MKZ can trace its DNA all the way back to the Versailles, the similarities end there. The MKZ is its own car - far and away modern in every aspect and innovative in the rest. In the class, it is a pure dose of luxury and comfort. To be sure, I love luxury cars - but genuine, soft luxury is nearly impossible to find today among Japanese and European "feel the road" sedans that seem to come standard with a kidney-belt. This Lincoln MKZ is luxurious but not mushy, either. It's just right. It's a fine luxury car.

Lincoln MKZ for 2010 is so completely updated it might as well be a whole new model. Outside, the styling is crisp and modern. Most remarkable is a grille design as powerful as a locomotive. Inside, the refreshed interior focuses on high quality materials that's highlighted by new genuine aluminum and wood trim and an all-new instrument panel with a next generation voice-activated navigation system.

We especially liked the V6 mated to the 6-speed automatic transmission, and the other handy features like the Blind Spot and Cross Traffic Alert, SYNC, real-time traffic and weather data via SIRUIS Travel Link, reverse camera system, and premium THX II sound system. The sum of all these features is a delight.

Lincoln MKZ prices start at $34,115 for the standard vehicle. Our fully-equipped 3.5-liter V6 test model was priced at $41,850. Surprising good fuel economy for such a fine luxury car - up to 27-mpg on most models. We averaged better during our test, right at 29.6-mpg, most of that in city & urban driving. - by Vince Bodiford
Lincoln MKZ Official Site