New 2007 MKZ Gets Minor Styling Tweak and All-Wheel Drive
There's no time like the present to make sweeping changes, at least if you're Lincoln. Ford's domestic premium player is in rebuild
mode, having had tremendous success over the last half dozen years with its full-size Navigator sport utility, and a regular take-up by airport shuttle and limousine operators for its ubiquitous Town Car, but these two large vehicles were about all buyers were interested in before the Zephyr arrived in late 2005.
"Customer demand for Lincoln's midsize luxury sedan has exceeded our expectations," says Al Giombetti, president, Ford, Lincoln Mercury Marketing and Sales. "Judging by reaction in the showroom, customers are clearly ready for an American entry-level luxury sedan."
And despite the new midsize model having only been on the market for a few months, Lincoln has already announced significant changes, most noticeably
a change in name for the 2007 model year. Fortunately the attractive sedan, now dubbed MKZ to correspond with a completely revised brand strategy that will see its cars, crossovers and SUVs adopt three-letter alpha designations, isn't changing much visually, the only modifications being a slight restyle of the horizontally shaped, vertically straked waterfall grille, now featuring more chrome, if that's possible, and more distinctive headlamp clusters to give it more personality.
"We have taken a brand-new, well-received car and significantly improved it to draw a new generation of customers to the Lincoln brand," added Giombetti.
The new MKZ also gets additional chrome trim on its beltline and on the exterior mirror caps, complemented by new 17-inch, 8-spoke chromed alloy
rims at each corner. Their machined-aluminum styling gives them a sportier appearance, highlighting new low-profile tires.
At the rear any changes are imperceptible. Lincoln had already created a bumper surface that was clean and smooth when it introduced the Zephyr, and the MKZ still incorporates this look highlighted by thin horizontal reflector lamps within the lower fascia. Dual chrome-tipped exhaust pipes give the car a powerful appearance, a good thing being that they stretch forward to meet an all-new powertrain.
Lincoln didn't waste any time reworking the Zephyr with the Duratec 35 3.5-litre V6 that debuted last month in Detroit with the new MKX crossover (and Ford's Edge CUV). It's an impressive engine, boasting 250-horsepower and 240 lb-ft of torque in its MKZ trim, and as announced in the fall when the Zephyr was released to the media in New York, comes equipped with intelligent all-wheel drive. In between the engine and the wheels is an all-new six-speed automatic transmission, developed in house - the current Zephyr six-speed automatic comes via Aisin in Japan.
There's no time like the present to make sweeping changes, at least if you're Lincoln. Ford's domestic premium player is in rebuild
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| Despite the new Zephyr having only been on the market for a few months, Lincoln has already announced significant changes, including a new name. (Photo: Ford Motor Company of Canada) |
"Customer demand for Lincoln's midsize luxury sedan has exceeded our expectations," says Al Giombetti, president, Ford, Lincoln Mercury Marketing and Sales. "Judging by reaction in the showroom, customers are clearly ready for an American entry-level luxury sedan."
And despite the new midsize model having only been on the market for a few months, Lincoln has already announced significant changes, most noticeably
 |
| The only noticeable modifications to the MKZ includes a slight restyle of the horizontally shaped, vertically straked waterfall grille, and more distinctive headlamp clusters. (Photo: Ford Motor Company of Canada) |
"We have taken a brand-new, well-received car and significantly improved it to draw a new generation of customers to the Lincoln brand," added Giombetti.
The new MKZ also gets additional chrome trim on its beltline and on the exterior mirror caps, complemented by new 17-inch, 8-spoke chromed alloy
 |
| At the rear any changes are imperceptible, other than the new MKZ appliqué and AWD badge. (Photo: Ford Motor Company of Canada) |
At the rear any changes are imperceptible. Lincoln had already created a bumper surface that was clean and smooth when it introduced the Zephyr, and the MKZ still incorporates this look highlighted by thin horizontal reflector lamps within the lower fascia. Dual chrome-tipped exhaust pipes give the car a powerful appearance, a good thing being that they stretch forward to meet an all-new powertrain.
Lincoln didn't waste any time reworking the Zephyr with the Duratec 35 3.5-litre V6 that debuted last month in Detroit with the new MKX crossover (and Ford's Edge CUV). It's an impressive engine, boasting 250-horsepower and 240 lb-ft of torque in its MKZ trim, and as announced in the fall when the Zephyr was released to the media in New York, comes equipped with intelligent all-wheel drive. In between the engine and the wheels is an all-new six-speed automatic transmission, developed in house - the current Zephyr six-speed automatic comes via Aisin in Japan.