2011 lincoln mkz hybrid review

The bottom line: With excellent fuel economy, a comfortable interior, and really excellent cabin tech, the 2011 Lincoln MKZ Hybrid makes for a near perfect commuter car and general transportation.

With the same specs as the Fusion Hybrid, the 2011 Lincoln MKZ Hybrid achieves 41 mpg in city EPA testing, an impressive number for a segment that barely tops 30 mpg.
But the problem with badge engineering has always been too little differentiation between car models, and that criticism applies to the the 2011 Lincoln MKZ Hybrid. Compared with the gas engine front-wheel-drive MKZ, the hybrid version gets about 15 mpg better fuel economy.

We couldn't help geeking out over the MKZ Hybrid's power train while driving it, thanks in large part to the instrument cluster display. Lincoln says the Lincoln MKZ Hybrid can go up to 47 mph in electric mode. We easily kept the car running under electric power at speeds of just over 40 mph by feathering the throttle, using the power gauge on the display to show how much we could accelerate and stay in electric mode. The Lincoln MKZ Hybrid takes off from a stop easily, and the electric motor and gas engine work together well. At 41 mpg city and 36 mpg highway, the MKZ Hybrid shows the typical hybrid penchant for low speed, stop-and-go driving.

It's a no-compromise situation, said Gil Portalatin, hybrid systems manager for Ford/Lincoln. [The MKZ Hybrid] gives you great performance, all the driving dynamics, all the great attributes of the MKZ, plus you get the great fuel economy. The 2011 Lincoln MKZ Hybrid manages to set the fuel-economy bar several notches higher, thanks to a 2.5-liter Atkinson-cycle four-cylinder engine and electric motor combo. Hop on the highway, and the Feds say that the Lincoln MKZ Hybrid is good for 36 mpg. Thanks to the well-tested Fusion Hybrid chassis, the Lincoln MKZ Hybrid serves up superior driving dynamics and a quieter cabin, not to mention a good bit more interior space. In base trim, the MKZ Hybrid will cost $35,180–exactly as much as the company asks for the base V6 model. If Lincoln was shooting for the HS250h, it hit well above its mark.

As in most hybrids, we'd appreciate a slightly firmer brake pedal under normal operation. The Lincoln MKZ Hybrid may have the burden of lugging around a heavy nickel-metal hydride battery pack, but the additional weight doesn't seem to negatively impact the car's stopping distance. Like the Ford Fusion Hybrid that it—ahem—borrows from, the brake system is perfectly matched to the car's powerplant. A smart buyer will see right through the chrome and realize that the Lincoln MKZ Hybrid is little more than a dressed up Ford Fusion Hybrid with better seats.

The biggest threat has been hybrid crossovers, but now, the sedan, more specifically, the American luxury sedan, is doing it’s best to stage a comeback

Like the HS250h, the MKZ Hybrid shares much of its DNA with a blue jeans brother, in this case the Ford Fusion. Unfortunately, aside from some hybrid badges, there’s little to distinguish the MKZ Hybrid as a “green” car, something that surely won’t help move these cars off dealer lots.
It does this by utilizing what Ford calls its second-generation Hybrid powertrain, a 2.5-liter Atkinson-cycle four-cylinder engine, teamed with an electric motor. Based on technology used in Ford’s other Hybrids and developed from Toyota’s original concept, the MKZ is a ‘pure’ hybrid, able to run exclusively on electric power at speeds up to 44 mph. Some hybrids appear to be long on style and short on substance, but from our observations; Lincoln’s statement of the MKZ as ‘the most fuel efficient luxury sedan in America’ is no idle boast. While we weren’t able to reach 41 mpg in town, city fuel economy in the high 30s is still pretty impressive – so is a 40-plus mph maximum electric motor vehicle speed and the fact that as a hybrid, the MKZ is still rather satisfying to drive from an enthusiast standpoint (most truly aren’t).