Wheels Blog: Lincoln MKZ Hybrid Is Aimed at Progressive Luxury Buyers Who Also Like Quiet

Lincoln Motor Company The MKZ hybrid has an E.P.A. fuel economy rating of 45 m.p.g.

Coffee creamer matters. That was one of the lessons offered by Kimberly Cape, marketing manager for Lincoln, at a ride and drive event for the 2013 MKZ Hybrid in Manhattan on Tuesday.

Ms. Cape is helping with a much-needed Lincoln rebranding, and part of that is training salespeople as “brand champions” who present the right image to the younger and more affluent “progressive luxury” buyers who, she said, make up from 20 to 25 percent of the overall luxury segment. The company’s Lincoln Academy trains dealers to help meet the needs of premium customers.

According to Ms. Cape, the imperatives of contemporary marketing mean, in many cases, separating Ford and Lincoln showrooms and getting the creamer right as part of the dealer’s complimentary coffee presentation.

“We don’t want the powdered stuff,” Ms. Cape said. “And we also don’t want our customers to see employees standing around outside smoking.”

There’s more to the personal service concept, Lincoln said, including remembering which customers like Perrier (and bringing them a free bottle), offering car washes for every repair order, guaranteeing loaner cars and offering an online concierge. The “date night” program gives restaurant gift certificates to people who come in and test drive cars.

It’s probably too early to tell if the campaign is working, but Lincoln has gotten more than 26,000 visits to the online concierge and has sold 4,012 MKZs in April and 3,490 in May. The hybrid represents 30 percent of the company’s sales; more than 50 percent in hybrid-friendly Los Angeles.

The MKZ Hybrid is powered by a 2-liter Atkinson Cycle engine connected to an 88-kilowatt electric motor and a 1.4-kilowatt-hour lithium-ion battery pack. Leading the hybrid’s appeal is an E.P.A. economy rating of 45 miles per gallon both in the city and on the highway, as well as an array of standard equipment for $36,820 (including destination charges). That’s the same price as for the conventional MKZ with the gasoline-power 2-liter EcoBoost engine.

According to Tom Ozog, chief MKZ engineer, one tradeoff between the two models is the hybrid’s better fuel economy versus the EcoBoost’s higher horsepower. He said the hybrid has 188 horsepower net while the EcoBoost has 240.

Jim Motavalli Even on New York City’s bumpy streets, the MKZ’s interior was very quiet. 

But a lack of power wasn’t apparent in an admittedly speed-limited drive around lower Manhattan. The overwhelming impression the MKZ Hybrid gave on the Big Apple’s patchwork of roughshod streets was of quiet isolation, separating the driver not only from the powertrain but also from the city’s usual hustle and bustle.

Mr. Ozog said that Lincoln added sound insulation under the hood, in the underbody, in the rocker panels and in the headliner. Unless you accelerate aggressively, the loudest sound you will usually hear inside this car is the climate control system’s fan. Rolls-Royce used to assign that honor to the ticking of its cars’ electric clocks, but car clocks don’t usually tick anymore.

“This is the quietest car Lincoln ever produced,” Mr. Ozog said.

That’s great, unless you actually want to hear the car. But when that time comes, the MKZ’s Active Noise Control, which cancels unwanted acoustic intrusion, amplifies engine sounds when the car is in sport mode, Mr. Ozog said.

As tested, the Lincoln hybrid offered an understated cabin with leather seats (including rear-heated seats) and wood accents. Rear-seat headroom and legroom are excellent. There are assorted gauges and displays that help drivers maximize fuel economy and performance. The push-button transmission that is reminiscent of early 1960s Dodge Darts can also be seen on the current Fiat 500e electric car.

Testing the hybrid’s capabilities as a highway cruiser will have to wait for a longer drive opportunity. It makes a largely positive first impression around town, where it achieved 32.2 mpg on a course of mostly congested driving.

Jim Motavalli The MKZ hybrid tested in New York City.