LA 2015: Lincoln MKZ goes Continental

Lincoln’s facelifted MKZ brings the new company face, first shown on the Continental concept at the New York show, to a production car for the first time. The updated sedan also brings a significant uplift in interior materials quality too.

The new exterior design is very much a car of two halves – the rear remains unchanged, with its challenging mix of angular surface changes and lamp graphics. However, the new nose brings much more softness to the lamps and grille, giving a feeling a little like Jaguar’s current XJ in that the front and rear of the car seem strangely disconnected.

However, feature-hungry buyers will likely appreciate new LED headlamps that blend Audi and Volvo to reasonable effect.

Inside, much more care and attention has been lavished on things like door cards, which feature multiple overlaying padded materials and triple speakers for the new high-end Revel sound system. The weighting of the doors and their handles feels reassuringly solid now, too.

The lower centre stack has also been redesigned, swapping touch controls for the HVAC and audio with a return to physical buttons and rotary switches, although the latter don’t quite match the quality feel of the materials used on the doors and seats. However, the addition of dark woods and matte aluminium detailing does help add to the general uplift in the cabin’s quality.

The MKZ still feels confused in a way that the brand’s SUVs don’t, although there are encouraging signs that a softer, more considered approach to Lincoln’s own brand of luxury might be finally beginning to turn the brand in the right direction