2008 Lincoln MKZ review from North America

The car was just purchased and has not had any problems yet. The primary reason for purchasing a Ford product was the incredible reliability of our previous Fords, some of which made 300,000 miles with only very minor problems. We have also been impressed with the very high ratings the Ford Fusion (basically the same car as the MKZ) has received.

My 82-year-old mom had to turn in her leased Volvo S-60, which has proven to be a mediocre car at best and totally unsatisfying at worst. My wife recently got a Ford Fusion and mom has been very impressed with it.

We were looking at fully loaded Fusion SEL's, but the dealership had a 2008 MKZ that was a former rental car at a price comparable to a new Fusion SEL. Since our family has owned 3 previous rental cars and all have been perfect, we have no reservations whatsoever about buying one. The savings amounts to thousands of dollars over a new vehicle.

The MKZ is even smoother than the silky-smooth Fusion, and the more powerful 3.5 V-6 provides very good acceleration and passing power. The 6-speed automatic shifts so seamlessly you can't feel the shifts in normal driving. The sound level in the interior is very low, and the car has a very solid feel to it. There is no hint of rattles, squeaks or any other unwanted sounds anywhere in the car.

The interior features heated and air-conditioned seats, voice activated sound system, climate control and every imaginable accessory. The moon roof is large and operates almost silently. The leather seats are very comfortable with a full range of power-selected positions. All controls and instruments are very user-friendly and located in convenient positions within easy reach.

My ONLY issue with the car is that it is front wheel drive. I strongly feel that a luxury car of this caliber should be rear-drive. Front drive is complicated, much more expensive to work on, provides less than sporty handling and has no practical advantages over rear drive. The rear drive Mercedes C-class that we test drove handled better, but rode worse, was noisier and had a cheaper interior. If the MKZ was rear-drive, the handling would really be awesome, as well as everything else about the car.