I love going back and reading old car magazines to see their predictions gone wrong -- like when they said the Pontiac 6000STE was as good as an Audi, or that the new Ford Granada compared favorably to a Mercedes. Well, now it's my turn -- I'm going to go out on a limb and say that the revised 2010 Lincoln MKZ is as good as a Lexus ES350. Will time prove me wrong? Click the "comments" link below and tell me -- but before you do, please let me make my case by reading my 2010 Lincoln MKZ test drive and review. -- Aaron Gold
Photo © Aaron Gold
Never mock the Granada (Monarch)!
So how about a Mercury version that handles well?
Actually that car sounds like it is really nice if a bit marshmellow like.
Aaron – Glad you liked it. The interior looks better. The outside is not so nice. How would it compare with the Nisan Maxima or the Acura TL? All fwd cars in this price point.
BTW, I would still prefer the G37 to any of those. I prefer RWD or AWD cars…
Unfortunately for the same price, more or less, the Lexus carries a much higher perceived value or “envy level”. I see it as Lincoln needs to have a lower price point than Lexus, since people don’t perceive Lexus and Lincoln as equals anymore. For $4-5k less than the Lexus they’ll get buyers, because at trade-in time(3 yrs.) that’s how much less the Lincoln is going to be worth than that ES350.
Great, funny review. I know the butt-punching guy well. I drive a G35 and love it. Keep up the good work, Aaron!!
Well, I just ordered a black MKZ to replace my 2008 RX350. Coming from a Lexus I should be able to make a fair comparison. I was considering the ES350 but I like the electronic features of the MKZ and also want AWD not offered on the ES. Through my company’s executive leasing program I figure the MKZ is at least $6k less. Will know in a few weeks if it was a good decision.
P.S. I had a 1976 Granada…..
I’ve just ordered an awd MKZ after test driving pretty much everything in that general price range.
I’d agree with Hawaiin_Don that the MKZ won’t hold its value as well as the Lexus, but comparably equipped, if Lexus even had awd on the es350 I think the MKZ already is significantly cheaper. I’m replacing a 2000 S70 so I’m not so worried about tradein time, I hope it isn’t 3 years from now.
My impressions: The MKZ is close to as quiet as the Lexus, I like the fold down rear seat, not an option on the Lexus. The MKZ has much better mp3 integration which I use all the time. The MKZ awd definitely handles better and now gets a better safety rating from IIHS. The Lexus interior is still classier than the MKZ, but the new MKZ interior is nice enough. My two reservations are gas mileage, the awd suffers in comparison, and reliability. The Lincoln has done pretty well lately on reliability, but Lexus has a long history of reliability.