The crossover segment is hot and the competition is fierce.

Lincoln’s 2016 MKX will be vying for buyers against a whole batch of “X” sport utility vehicles: the BMW X5, Acura MDX, Cadillac SRX and segment leader Lexus RX. Complicating things for Lincoln, Lexus is coming out with a brand-new version of that SUV, a fourth generation of its top-selling vehicle.

To score, Lincoln will have to attract two kinds of buyers. First, it will need to appeal to the loyal Lincoln customer who wants to move up in size – and price – from an MKC or MKZ, or down from a full-size Navigator. But it will also need “conquest” sales, luring customers away from the other automakers.

To do that, the company is slathering on the luxury.

Some of it is real. The front row of this two-row, five-seat SUV seems devoted to comfort. The dash and instrument panel are all soft, swooping lines. The soft, wide seats are adjustable in 22 ways – Lincoln says that’s a new high for this class of vehicle – and are also heated and cooled. And they’ll give you a massage.

The top-of-the-line MKX also includes a suite of sophisticated driving aids normally associated with expensive European models. It has keyless ignition, hill hold, electronic power-assisted steering, and parallel and perpendicular park assist. The rear seats are heated and fitted with small entertainment screens and individual reading lamps.

Advertisement

But some of it is marketing. The MKX is available in themes called “Modern Heritage,” “Indulgence,” “Thoroughbred” and “The Muse,” and in Premiere, Select, Reserve and Black Label trims. The one I drove was a Black Label Muse, and though there was no Johnnie Walker in the electronically operated glove compartment, it was very, very comfortable.

The driving experience is one of silence. The MKX is equipped with an active sound-dampening system. Microphones in the headliner pick up unwanted or intrusive noises in the cabin, and the system programs sound waves to cancel them. On the freeway, there’s almost no engine noise, tire noise or wind noise. Just the quiet whir of the air conditioning.

The MKX produces its own light show, too. The headlamps glimmer to life when the key fob is activated, and a vision of the Lincoln logo is beamed onto the ground beside the driver and passenger doors. The door panels light up with the Lincoln name as the side mirrors twinkle and glide into position. Even the cup holders are illuminated.

Lincoln says it wants want this car to be a “sanctuary, a place to think creatively.” The MKX cabin, southbound on the 101 during rush hour, is indeed as quiet as a cabin in the woods.

But the noise dampening works almost too well. During my first outing in the MKX, I was almost run over by a firetruck and ambulance convoy whose sirens I didn’t hear until it was almost too late.

I was encased in the Revel Ultima sound system, a best-in-class audio package that includes 19 cabin speakers.

Lincoln, owned by Ford, has begun offering MKX buyers the choice of its parent company’s new 2.7-liter EcoBoost V-6 engine – used in the F-150 pick-up trucks – in addition to a larger, less efficient 3.7-liter V-6. The smaller engine gets better gas mileage, Lincolns says, while producing more horsepower (335) and torque (380 pound-feet).

The MKX – priced right in the middle of the somewhat crowded and confusing MK series of MKC, MKZ, MKS and MKT – starts at $38,000, but it goes up fast, and far. The version I drove goes out the door at almost $70,000.

– CHARLES FLEMING, Los Angeles Times


Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.

Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.