One of the main reasons I wanted to try out the Lincoln MKT is that it has a third-row of seats. I want something safe - unlike what I've heard about tall SUVs with third rows - and yet not quite as minivan-y as, well, my minivan. I want something edgier than a van, but safer than an SUV. The Lincoln MKT seemed to fit the bill.
At first we thought the third-row was only accessible by climbing over the partially-folded second-row seats. "This must be a kid thing," my mom remarked when I took the car on a test drive with my parents. Similarly, the seemingly crouched headroom in that row would support the kids-only theory. Although my dad said that it was "domed over" such that the hatchback would clear adults' heads. The seat itself has an extendable headrest that would indicate the ability for a taller passenger to sit back there. Late in my test drive, I found a button that automatically folds the second-row seat down and forward, which creates an aisle to the third row. In other words, the third-row need not be kid-only.
Unfortunately, this automatic feature can be a bit rough when there is someone seated on the other second-row seat. Since I discovered this button accidentally, we didn't know what would happen. My son leaned forward to get a better look - and was whacked on the head by the folding seat. Oops! And so, the seat-folding is best done before anyone enters the car.
Another word of warning: my son fell asleep while in the third row. It was very difficult to get him out.
Another feature of the Lincoln MKT that has implications for kids is the heavy doors. Although this is good from a safety perspective since a child would be less likely to open his car door, it isn't great for independence. My kids are used to opening their own doors, and then closing them again. Unfortunately, I ended up having to re-close the doors before we drove anywhere. The car chirped to tell me the doors were ajar, so of course I never took off down the road unsafely. I am used to the sliding doors of my van, so opening and closing multiple car doors was a new (and annoying) experience for me, especially as the door handle pinched me badly once. On the plus side, the heavy doors certainly indicate safety!
Once the car reaches a certain speed, all doors auto-lock. This is a great idea. Similarly, the doors auto-unlock once the car reaches its destination. This might be handy, but not in a bad area where the driver might want to keep the doors locked initially. I imagine there is a child-lock feature such that the kids wouldn't hop out in a dangerous area, but could someone unexpected open the door from the outside after the auto-unlock? Since this test-drive is on a yet-to-be-released model, there is no owner's manual for the car. So, I couldn't look up whether these various auto-lock and auto-unlock features could be reprogrammed or disabled. (Other automatic features include memorized seat position for two drivers, and the MyKey system useful for new drivers. My parents wondered why the parking brake didn't auto-lift as many of their cars have -but I wonder if people were complaining of being unexpectedly whacked in the knee by this feature such that it is no longer popular in new cars.)
My parents wondered if a kid could operate the push-button start on the MKT. My husband has a Prius and the push-button requires that the driver simultaneously depress the brake. Since I do this automatically - and didn't think to check until after the car was no longer in my possession - I don't know if that is the case with the MKT. Still, a child who has a keychain could probably insert a key in a key-style car anyway (provided they found the right one) so regardless of the start-type, a crafty kid would probably be able to figure out either. Whether they are then tall enough to depress the brake - if that is required - is another question. Although I'm not concerned about this, since my parents brought it up I thought I'd mention here.
To be frank, I found the MKT less kid-friendly than I had hoped. Although a third-row is great for carpools, or for adding in grandparents (who I'd probably place in the second row, with the kids in back) I found the accessibility to the third row more difficult than I'd like. Although the automatic seat-folding is nifty, it is still difficult for an adult to get through, especially to pick up a sleeping child. (I am 5'3" and although I'm not super-skinny, I'm not "large" either.) Plus, since I've had the sliding-door feature, I've become accustomed to it, so the MKT was a big change with its heavy doors that my kids can't open and shut independently.
The overall safety features of the MKT make me confident that my kids would be protected in the event of a crash. The boys felt comfortable and they loved the car. My younger son especially liked the mood lighting (pictured.) My older son liked that he could plug in his DS right in the second row. Both liked the interesting little crevices and storage devices around the car. (Of course, the practicality of these hiding places dive-bombs when boys could hide perishable treasures in nooks and crannies.) I worried when they scuffed up the back of the seats and door nearly immediately - and was disappointed that I didn't have a chance to clean up before the Lincoln people took the car away - Sorry! (I would have liked to have seen if the smudges wiped off easily.) Of course, messing up the car is something that will happen in any vehicle - until they come up with self-cleaning models, that is.
| My written and photographic impressions of the Lincoln MKT:
- Why a Lincoln MKT? - Don't Wreck the Lincoln MKT! - My Family's First Impressions of the Lincoln MKT - The Father Test - My Dad's Take on the Lincoln MKT - Is the Lincoln MKT Kid-Friendly? - My Lincoln MKT Test-Drive Recap - My Lincoln MKT Flickr Set |
Disclaimer: Ford lent me a 2010 Lincoln MKT to use for a few days. I am not receiving any compensation other than the use of the vehicle and possible promotion of my posts on The Ford Story website. The opinions stated above are my own. The Ford Facts stated above are taken either from the Lincoln website or from the "welcome kit" I received upon agreement of the review test-drive. If I have misinterpreted the materials, I will immediately correct at Ford's request; otherwise, this content is my own. I should also note that as this vehicle is so new, it does not yet have an owner's manual. Therefore, I may raise questions that might be covered very well in the eventual manual. Similarly, my discovery of new features may only tell part of the story that the manual will explain in more detail.
