Test driving a Lincoln MKT: From here to Disneyland

About two months ago, I accepted an offer from BlogHer to test drive a Lincoln MKT. The offer to test drive a car did not interest me at first, as I only drive a few miles each day, but when my husband pointed out that we might be able to time the car borrowing with our planned road trip to Los Angeles, 500 miles away, I arranged to make it happen. So here it is: a compensated review from BlogHer and Lincoln.

The first thing that happened when a representative of Lincoln delivered a 2010 Lincoln MKT to my house is that my children and I climbed inside, explored all the spaces, and sat in the back seats.   We thought we were pretty funny; you see, neither of the two cars we already own has third-row seating, so this was a real treat.

Next, we named the car.  My husband said that if we were going to spend a week together, our family and this shiny automobile, it needed a name. And “Abraham” was christened.

Our plans for the week involved a lot of driving, so the timing was perfect to explore a new vehicle. We headed to Los Angeles the next day, a 6-hour drive from our home in Berkeley.  We packed up three wheelie suitcases, a bag of snacks, a cooler, a box of toys, a binder of DVDs, and two hermit crabs in a terrarium… and off we went. The kids were in their car seats in the middle row, and the back row of seats was what the manufacturer calls “tumbled” so that they were flush with the trunk,  allowing our luggage to lay flat and not obstruct our the rear window.  A family road trip without luggage piled high in the trunk? It was a first for us.

Our second day in LA marked a huge parenting milestone – our first trip to Disneyland. We leaned entirely on Abraham’s GPS powers to navigate our way to Anaheim, CA. We took only our five-year old, leaving our two-year old home with Grandma and Grandpa.

After a long day of rides, parades, and hugs from favorite characters, Julian fell asleep in his booster seat as soon as we reached the freeway. Because the day was so magical, Abraham earned a special place in our hearts forever. Even though he has moved on to visit other bloggers, eventually to land in the garage of a loyal owner, and we will likely never see him again, I’m sure we will speak of him often.

Allow me to share a few of the characteristics we most enjoyed about Mr. Lincoln:

• His very smooth ride. The acceleration was quick and easy, yet didn’t startle me with a forward jolt as some cars with “pick-up” do. I quickly adjusted to driving this car and thought it was very comfortable.
• His consideration of my height. I am five feet tall and was touched by how thoughtfully the seat adjustment considered my need to see over the hood of the car.  I was able to get up quite high without having to sit so close that I worried about air bag-related hazards. (We petite folks are supposed to sit as far back as is comfy to reduce injuries in case of air bag deployment.) Even the gas pedal could be adjusted for preference!
• His super duper computer. My husband and I were highly entertained by exploring the never-ending features of the center dashboard. Using existing Bluetooth technology, the car recognized my husband’s iPhone while it was in his pocket and began to play his music. He could browse his phone book to make a call, via the car’s own screen.
• His many outlets. The storage compartment between the front seats, which doubles as adjustable armrests, contains a USB port. Plug in any thumb drive full of MP3s, and your music catalog will appear on the screen ready for you to browse. Also on board are an AC outlet, and of course a standard cigarette lighter-style outlet for charging devices.
• His ability to feed my son vegetables. There is a little refrigerated compartment that is accessible to passengers in the first row of back seats. It can actually be switched to freezer setting, too, but we didn’t try that.  My son was so enamored by the novelty of having his own fridge that he ate whatever I put in there.  I laughed aloud when I heard him announce, “I’ll have some snack now,” and I turned around to see him self-serving from a large bag of carrots (at 9 am!).

We were also excited about the huge double sunroof, but actually found that it was too glaring to keep it open. Perhaps if we didn’t live in California, it would be less sunny!

We are admittedly not Lincoln people. The distinctive grill is not exactly my style, and I have never before thought it should be on my list of cars to consider. The one we borrowed for the week has a $58K price tag on it, and let’s be honest, that’s a lot of money.  Regardless, we were proud to be Lincoln ambassadors as we drove it all over California.

When a woman stopped me in the parking lot of In ‘N Out and asked how I like my car, I stopped in my tracks, because this car is not one that would have inspired me to talk to a stranger. She said she was choosing between the Lincoln MKT and another SUV. “I have no complaints,” I told her. But I’m sure she could see for herself a clearer picture than my short answer. A happy family with French fry crumbs on their shirts and Mickey Mouse ears sticking out from their car seats probably tells a better story than any words with which I could have responded.

WIN $500 toward a family adventure of your own!
What technology do you use in your car? Tell us in the comments and be entered to win $500 gift card from Lincoln and BlogHer. Woohoo!

Post your comment before February 24, 2010 to be entered to win. I will select a winner on February 25, 2010 at random. Earn one entry per household.

See what other folks are saying about the Lincoln MKT: Head over to the BlogHer.com special offers page where you could win something even bigger. ( Official rules.)