Winning at Life: #MyWeekend with Lincoln MKZ

It’s not often that I accept car review opportunities. Frankly, for a long time, it just didn’t make sense. I liked my cars. I had no reason to test out a new ride. I didn’t want to gush about a car I’d never purchase (don’t you hate that?) and had no business telling you to purchase. End of story.

Welcome to Fall 2014… and now, we’re in the market for a new car. For the most part, I’ve kept an open mind, but I’ll be honest; the car needs to have a certain “level of Lena” for me to be satisfied. Truth is, I work really hard.. and from time to time, I like to reap the rewards! So yes, we’re in the market for a family vehicle (sedan, SUV or crossover) with luxury features, at a moderate price (Range Rovers need not apply).

We currently have an SUV, but with no longer a need for a double stroller (hooray!), we’ve once again included sedans on our wish list. Hence, when Lincoln asked if we’d like to take the MKZ 3.7 for a long weekend – appropriately dubbed #MyWeekend – I enthusiastically obliged. Marketed as “nothing you’ve ever seen before from Lincoln” – and starting at a reasonable $42,355 for a luxury-class vehicle – it accomplished something that no other loaner vehicle has been able to do in a very long time.

It got my attention.

Was it the refined lines of the signature Lincoln split-wing grille, and its unified, modern design? Perhaps it was the SYNC with MyLincoln Touch, which provides access to important information with a vivid 8-inch touch screen on the centre stack. Of course, it could have been the impeccable craftsmanship, with careful attention given to every detail. In the end, I realized the MKZ 3.7 is just one of those cars that will blow the socks off anyone and everyone who sits inside (even my car-snob brother, who was won over after just one ride). 

We began #MyWeekend with a trip to my mother’s for a milestone birthday. Holla, folks – my beautiful mom is 70 years young! And, she had a chance to celebrate her birthday surrounded by family and her three doting grandchildren. Of course we arrived in style –

And, were treated to several luxury features I just have to gush about:

Retractable Panoramic Roof: There is nothing else quite like the available class-exclusive fully retractable panoramic roof, with a 15.2-sq.-ft. glass panel offering a remarkable view and filling the cabin with natural light. The effective opening is the largest among sedans! It took a lot of imaginative engineering to make it happen, and when you sit in the Lincoln MKZ, you’ll marvel at the open airiness.

6-Speed SelectShift Automatic: Departing from convention, designers put the transmission controls in a vertical series of ergonomic buttons on the instrument panel. For a sport-performance feel in a Lincoln MKZ, a press of the “S” button puts you in the Sport mode of the Lincoln Drive Control System. Okay, shifting on the console?? I feel like we’re in the year 2024. It’s incredibly dynamic, and unlike anything I’ve ever seen before.

Active Park Assist: Do you ever find yourself looking for an opportunity to parallel park? Of course not, right?! But with the Lincoln MKZ’s available hands-free Active Park Assist, you’ll no longer fear the dreaded on-street parking. Active Park Assist uses ultrasonic sensors to help take the pressure out of parallel parking. Simply press a button and the sensors will locate a suitable parking space. Once a suitable space is detected, Active Park Assist operates the steering wheel while you stay in control of throttle, brakes and shifting.

When we arrived at my mom’s, guests oohed and ahhed over the sleek sophistication of the MKZ. We partied well into the night, and on the return trip home, tested out the Adaptive Cruise Control feature. Driver-activated Adaptive Cruise Control operates just like the standard cruise control, but with one exception: its sensors can detect traffic slowing ahead and automatically slow your car to maintain the distance you have set. When traffic has cleared, your car resumes at the preset speed.

Like, what?? If you spend a lot of time driving and setting your car on cruise, this is by far the best feature you could ask for. The Lincoln MKZ just moved toward the top of the list for potential vehicles for family road trips (we take a lot of them) and night cruising on the highway (we do it often).

Also great for distance driving – the new Multicontour Front Seats with Active Motion. And by the way, “Active Motion” is just a fancy way of saying they have MASSAGE CHAIRS! Yes, massage chairs!

“Reduce the stress of the daily commute or long trip with available multicontour front seats with Active Motion. These therapeutic seats let you customize the settings of 11 air cushions to adjust the contour of the seat back and bottom cushion, or activate a gentle rolling-pattern massage motion.” Two words: YES PLEASE.

The next day, we head out for a little back to school shopping. I’m pleased as punch to declare that both boys, in booster seats, still had a helluva lot of room in the back seat – the same, if not more, than our current SUV. And although we won’t take advantage of this feature just yet, rear heated seats are optional as well.

Alas, if we had the idea to pop by Toronto Premium Outlets, so did everyone else. It was packed! But I did find a few staple tees and jeans at GAP for the boys, and my husband convinced me to indulge in a little back-to-school shopping of my own. Okay, okay – I’m not returning to school, but I am the official chauffeur! Click here to see what I treated myself to.

Upon returning home, we decided to pop out once again for a leisurely drive to grab frozen yogurt. Isn’t that what #MyWeekend in summer is all about? Time with the family, time to unwind, time for a little frozen goodness.

Alas, we had to return the Lincoln MKZ 3.7 after four glorious days of automobile nirvana. But feature for feature, it’s next to impossible to find the equivalent in any luxury sedan starting under $50,000. And that’s why I’m pleased to have had the chance to test out the vehicle; it is now in our “Top 10” for when we begin car shopping this fall. If you’re in the market for a prestige automobile, I encourage you to consider the Lincoln MKZ. As my husband says, drive this car, and you’re winning at life.

Click here to visit Lincoln Canada.