Comments: 1-15, 16-17
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.
I am actually a firm believer in FWD. Lot better performance in bad conditions. Heavy engine and parts need to be over the performing tires so you can get grip in rain/snow. That's just my experience though.
I'm the original reviewer with a follow-up comment on the MKZ. After a week I've had a chance to really do some close comparisons between the MKZ and our Fusion. What I'm discovering is that there is virtually NO difference!! The MKZ has more sound insulation, making it quieter, and the ride seems a bit smoother. The interiors are virtually identical, except that our Fusion actually has MORE interior storage nooks. The quality of the leather seats seems identical, and except for the tail lights and the grill, it is the exact same body.
Mom has always believed that paying more for something means it is "better" (most rich folks suffer that delusion) but in all honesty, I cannot see $17,000 worth of difference between a fully loaded Fusion SEL (which comes standard with everything the MKZ does) and the MKZ. Sound insulation doesn't cost THAT much. I'm glad my wife opted for the Fusion.
With regard to front drive, we had an ice storm warning here tonight, and my wife had to go to work. She had a choice between taking our GMC Envoy or our front-drive Fusion. She didn't give it a second's thought. She grabbed the Envoy keys and took off. Our rear drive Envoy runs circles around both of our front-drive cars and my rear-drive sports car on slippery roads. Nothing we've owned in years handles as well on snow or ice. Our front-drives flop around like a fish out of water.
Several of the car magazines have commented that there is not quite enough difference between an MKZ and a Fusion for most people to be willing to pay the premium for the Lincoln. But people that are influenced by snob appeal are not really so concerned about getting something better. It is more about not being associated with the lower class. The challenge for Lincoln is get the right image.
Of course one big difference between the Fusion and MKZ driver is going to be that the average age of a Lincoln driver is much higher than a Ford driver. I bought a 2009 MKZ. As far as image, a couple of people have playfully told me, "You know that baby seat and child booster seat in the back don't really go with a Lincoln."
The MKZ is definitely geared toward older, more affluent buyers. Mom LOVES hers. On the other hand, younger people often prefer the more practical Fusion. We opted for a Fusion because it offered what we were looking for at a reasonable price. Mom drove Lincoln Town Cars from 1984 until she was talked into a Volvo in 2006. She is very happy to be back in a Lincoln, and I'm glad she is enjoying it. It really is a very attractive, quiet and smooth car with more than adequate power.
After living with both the MKZ and the Fusion for several weeks now, and driving them on the same roads, I've reached the conclusion that the ONLY way to buy an MKZ is as a used (preferably rental) car. Mom saved $17,000 by buying hers with 19,000 miles on it. She paid roughly the same for it as a brand new loaded Fusion SEL. Frankly, most of those who have ridden in our Fusion and the MKZ can't tell ANY difference. I notice just an ever so slightly smoother ride in the MKZ, but it does not warranty an extra $20,000 new over a Fusion SEL. I'd definitely recommend the loaded Fusion SEL over the MKZ unless you have a really fragile ego and an extra $20,000 sitting around gathering dust.
"I cannot see $17,000 worth of difference between a fully loaded Fusion SEL (which comes standard with everything the MKZ does) and the MKZ."
I agree with the conclusion that an MKZ is a just a nice Fusion. That is what I tell anyone who asks me how I like my 2009 MKZ. I always tell them it is a really nice Fusion. But the $17,000 dollar price difference cited is a bit of an exagerration. I see brand new MKZs advertised for $30,000 real price paid (not MSRP) and I don't really believe anyone is getting fully loaded Fusions for $13,000. For comparision, my friend who is a Cadillac dealer says they sell CTS's for $30,000 all the time too. But I do think it is a great country where people can buy such a great car as the Fusion that has so much in common with an MKZ.
When I bought my MKZ, I was in a position where I had some extra cash and I was looking for something somewhat nicer than average for once in my life, and before I get too old to enjoy a new car with a lot of power (268 HP in MKZ versus 220 HP in Fusion.)
$25,000 gets you a really nice car from a lot of companies. But in my case I had a budget of $40,000 and I was hoping to get something significantly nicer. The others cars I test drove were BMW 3-series, Audi A4, Audi A6 and Volvo S80. And I talked to a lot of people who had more expensive cars. What I learned was that, in general, there are no cars available from anyone that are significantly nicer for just $15,000 extra money. They've all got four wheels and a steering wheel. And if the car had better handling, you paid for it in how rough the ride is.
The thing I have been surprised by moving up to a Lincoln over the Fords I have always driven, is the number of people who tell me how nice it is, how they have heard it is a really great car. That is kind of a new experience for me. The perception of others of Lincoln versus Ford is certainly different.
"The others cars I test drove were BMW 3-series, Audi A4, Audi A6 and Volvo S80. And I talked to a lot of people who had more expensive cars"
Be very glad you got the MKZ. Mom's last car was a Volvo S60, and our family has also had 2 5-series BMW's.
The Volvo was a terrible disappointment. It was neither sporty nor luxurious, with bland looks comparable to a Camry or Accord.
The BMW's were OK, but not as smooth, quiet or luxurious as mom's MKZ and cost thousands more.
The MKZ's 268 horsepower is better than most competitors, but of course my mom will never use 40% of its potential.
I have to agree that the MKZ and Cadillac CTS are both exceptionally good cars. The new 300+ horsepower MKZ should really be awesome (provided Ford doesn't opt to cancel it).
"The Volvo was a terrible disappointment. It was neither sporty nor luxurious, with bland looks comparable to a Camry or Accord."
Surely that's not the real or whole story. You family knew how sporty and luxurious the Volvo was prior to purchase. So what actually happened with the car? Was it unreliable? Was it a pre-Ford model? Did you just become tired of it??
"Surely that's not the real or whole story. You family knew how sporty and luxurious the Volvo was prior to purchase. So what actually happened with the car? Was it unreliable? Was it a pre-Ford model? Did you just become tired of it??"
There were zero problems with mom's 2006 Volvo S-60. Mom only put about 18,000 miles on it. What none of us liked was the fact that it was neither sporty NOR luxurious. It had the look, feel, interior quality and styling of a bland, inexpensive midsized car. The ride was worse than our Pontiac Grand Am and the handling was no better than our Fusion. The interior was nowhere near as nice as her current MKZ. It was no quieter or smoother than a Fusion. It just seemed to be nowhere near the car it should have been for the money. My wife's Fusion is both sportier and more luxurious at half the cost. I read several reviews on the S-60 and they seemed to agree pretty much with my impressions.
There are HUGE differences between the Fusion and the MKZ. The ENGINE! The MKZ is a 3.5, 263HP V6 while the Fusion has a 3.0 221HP V6 or a 2.3, 160HP 4. This would make up most of the difference in price.
One is a Lincoln and the other a Ford... so again better service, better materials and as you state more insulation. The Lincoln has thicker glass, more supportive seats, better grade of leather and carpets as well as more available options than the Fusion.
While both are very nice cars, there is really no comparison between the Fusion and the MKZ.
Frank the Ford Fan.
Dear Fusion owner.
Need I remind you of the little issue of the Granada/Versailles controversy of the seventies? (Lincoln's Versailles was just a Ford Granada with a nice grille and a Continental Kit)
Ford, (as well as GM and Chrysler) have been making similar tweaks on their vehicles, making basically the base model thousands less than its more opulent twin for the past 30 years. I mean Mark's were basically ThunderBirds, Cadillac's were Impala's with fins, and the Super Bee was a Dodge Charger. The concept of customers purchasing vehicles and paying for the "name" of the vehicle is nothing new.
Sure, the higher marques have better materials, maybe more trim, and different engine choices, but deep down they're the same car. I'm quite surprised you haven't picked up on this before now...
There is virtually ZERO discernible difference between our Fusion and our MKZ. The interior is pretty much identical (the leather seats look and feel exactly the same in both cars).
There is little difference in ride, and the sound level in the Fusion is hardly any higher than the MKZ.
The MKZ does have the more powerful engine, but I'd hardly say it would warrant another $10,000. Our I-4 Fusion is amply powerful and the V-6 Fusion we test drove felt almost identical in every way to our MKZ.
I still maintain that if someone wants to pay 10 grand more for a few pounds of insulation and badge appeal (as my mom did) that is entirely their choice. To argue that the cars are not virtually identical in EVERY RESPECT indicates that you haven't spent time on the same roads and same conditions in both cars, as we have. If you were blindfolded you couldn't tell which car you were in.
"There are HUGE differences between the Fusion and the MKZ".
I made comment 00:41, and today I drove mom's MKZ about 30 miles and made a special effort to discern ANY real differences in ANYTHING on the car. The results are:
1) The material used on the seats, dash and door panels looks and feels absolutely IDENTICAL to that of our Fusion. I suspect a Lincoln salesman has slightly exaggerated about the "higher quality leather". I can't feel or see the first hint of a difference. They appear to be exactly the same leather seats used in our Fusion.
2) As I've said before, you could not tell which car you were riding in by the ride if you were blindfolded. There is virtually ZERO discernible difference. The sound over bumps MIGHT be a tiny bit less in the MKZ, but again, not enough to be noticeable.
3) The MKZ engine IS quieter than our Fusion, but our Fusion is an I-4. The V-6 Fusion is also whisper quiet. Even the I-4 Fusion certainly could NOT be classified as "noisy" by any stretch of the imagination.
4) The 3.5 Engine in the MKZ definitely is more powerful off the line than the I-4 Fusion, and the shifting is much smoother due to the 5-speed automatic versus the 6-speed in the MKZ. The V-6 Fusion has EXACTLY the same 6-speed automatic as the MKZ and is equally as smooth. I noted that the acceleration of the MKZ at speeds above 45-50mph is not much, if any better than V-6 Fusions I've driven.
5) I put the MKZ through some fast corners and hard-turning takeoffs and noticed that it does not corner quite as well as our Fusion. This is to be expected as it has a slightly softer suspension to cater to older people like my mom who never drive over 40 and who have bad backs. I LIKE a softer suspension (actually I have a bad back myself), but it doesn't inspire as much confidence in cornering as the Fusion does. Either car is a competent car in the area of daily driving.
All-in-all, it boils down to whether you want the exact same car with a different grille and tail lights and $10,000 worth of sound insulation. Mom has always driven Lincolns because she is wealthy and likes them. My wife and I prefer paying less for the same car with a Ford emblem and using the money saved for other things, such as vacations, home improvements, or (in my case) a customized Mustang.
The Lincoln MKZ is actually the twin of the Ford Taurus/500, Mercury Sable/Montego. The Fusion/Milan is the smaller of them, different setup, but a nice vehicle.