Lincoln does not build many cars like the Lincoln MKZ: a 4-door sedan with 3.0 L Duratec 30 V6, built from 2005 to 2020 in the decade of stability control, dual-clutch gearboxes and the first serious hybrids. Its designer of record is Darrell Behmer, Chief Designer (Fusion, Milan and MKZ).
How it came about
The Lincoln MKZ is a mid-size, four-door, five-passenger, front- or all-wheel drive luxury sedan manufactured by Ford and marketed by its Lincoln brand across two generations in North America and China (2015–2020). Co-developed with the Ford Fusion and Mercury Milan, the MKZ was available with either gasoline or gasoline-electric hybrid powertrains. The first generation was styled under Chief Designer Darrell Behmer and launched for the 2006 model year as the Zephyr, and from the 2007 model year onwards as the MKZ with a mid-cycle refresh for 2010.
The MKZ Hybrid, Lincoln's first, was introduced for 2011. The second generation MKZ was marketed for 2013 to 2020 in gasoline and hybrid configurations, with a mid-cycle refresh for 2017. The MKZ was manufactured exclusively at Ford's Mexican Hermosillo Stamping & Assembly plant, with production commencing in August 2005 and ending in 2020. Ford had previously used the Zephyr nameplate (after Zephyrus, the Greek personification of the west wind) both in the late 1930s for a line of mid-size vehicles, as well as in the late 1970s and early 1980s for the Mercury Zephyr.
The hardware
Under the skin sits 3.0 L Duratec 30 V6; other versions carried different engines, listed in the specification table below. Kerb weight is 2006: 3438 lb. The gearbox is a 6-speed Aisin TF-80 automatic. The wheelbase is 107.4 in. These are manufacturer figures carried by Wikipedia and Wikidata, not road-test measurements.
Family and rivals
Where it sits in Lincoln's history is not in doubt: the Lincoln Z (China) followed it; it was built at Hermosillo, Sonora (Hermosillo Stamping & Assembly), Mexico. On a showroom list of its day it stood against the Bugatti Veyron, the Aston Martin Vantage, the Kia Sportage. Its Lincoln stablemates include the Lincoln First Call and the Lincoln Funeral Car.