2007 Lincoln MKZ First Impressions

The 2006 Lincoln Zephyr has morphed into the 2007 Lincoln MKZ. Along the way it gained some minor tweaking of its appearance and some major drivetrain upgrades, including a new engine and transmission plus the addition of an optional, all-wheel-drive system (AWD). Renaming the mid-size entry-level Lincoln may cause some initial confusion among Lincoln aficionados but it was the right thing to do. Although the "Zephyr" name may be rich in near-ancient Lincoln history, it's about as sexy as the name "Edsel," and it doesn't conform to Lincoln's new marketing strategy using letter nomenclature rather than names. It was also wise of Lincoln to swap-out the old V6 mill and autobox for the very latest in motivation from Ford. Recently Lincoln called upon a herd of auto journalists to put the MKZ and its new drivetrain to the test; naturally we heeded the call to duty.