Cost Car Insurance: Comfort

21 Ekim 2014 Salı

2015 Lincoln MKC two.three EcoBoost AWD Tested: Comfort and Self-assurance in a Wonderful Escape

Instrumented Test

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Lincoln’;s great escape.

A decade from now, automotive gods prepared and if every thing goes according to program, we may well recognize this MKC as Lincoln’s fantastic escape. That is escape with a lowercase “e.” Simply because although the MKC is primarily based on the Ford Escape, Lincoln has ultimately, gently broken cost-free from its reputation for developing overpriced, reskinned Fords. The rudderless luxury brand seems to be gradually learning the fine art of parts sharing that has been so successful for brands like Volkswagen and Audi.

Inside and out, the MKC makes really couple of overt references to the Escape, but the most meaningful distinction can be found in the driving experience. Whereas Lincolns previous provided a softer, significantly less controlled variation on a Ford’s normally competent dynamics, the MKC delivers the comfort and confidence anticipated of a luxury car. The cabin is quiet and the ride compliant, yet at the same time, the nicely weighted steering is slack-free of charge and the physique manage is firmly in verify. The top engine, a 2.3-liter turbocharged 4-cylinder shared with the Ford Mustang, is quiet and effectively-behaved in meting out its 285 horsepower and 305 lb-ft of torque.

Lincoln nonetheless has its perform reduce out, even though. Each Detroit luxury brands, Cadillac and Lincoln, continue to struggle with understanding how to do premium inside of a auto. In the MKC, the leather isn’t as wealthy nor are the seats as supportive as in competitors. And the gear-selector push buttons operate with the exact same sense of occasion as activating the rear defroster. These nuances wouldn’t be such a massive deal if Lincoln were aiming for the low end of the luxury marketplace, targeting Buick and Acura, but the $ 49,265 sticker price tag of our test auto suggests Dearborn has its sights set far greater.

Luxury, Not to be Confused with “Sport Luxury”

What this Lincoln will not be remembered for is anything approaching sportiness. The Lincoln MKC is upscale in the Lexus sense, not the BMW or Audi range. The 2.3-liter 4-cylinder, an $ 1140 upgrade more than the base 2.-liter turbo and accessible only with 4-wheel drive, is slow to rev and not especially punchy. In our testing, the MKC necessary 6.6 seconds to attain 60 mph and 15.2 seconds to clear the quarter-mile. That overall performance puts the MKC in the hunt with the German contingent, but only with their base turbocharged 4-cylinder engines. A turbocharged 6-cylinder BMW X3 xDrive35i with only a 15-hp benefit on the 2.3-liter Lincoln will run to 60 mph a complete second quicker.

About the skidpad, the MKC mustered .83 g of lateral grip, slightly under par for this segment. A 70-to–mph braking distance of 168 feet is correct in line with what we anticipate from these compact crossovers. Even so, after the 4th panic stop, the left pedal became mushy as heat saturated the program from repeatedly reining in 4066 pounds of Lincoln.

What Comes Subsequent

The MKC’s handsome appearance and nicely-sorted driving traits are only the very first step in the long, arduous journey Lincoln faces if it’s going to make the transformation to a proper luxury brand. There’s nonetheless a lot of area for improvement, and we fully count on these gains to materialize in future models. The MKC may mark a fantastic escape from the status quo, but Lincoln’s future depends on what the organization makes of its newfound freedom.

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2015 Subaru Legacy 3.6R Restricted Tested: All-Wheel-Drive Comfort Meals

Instrumented Test

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More Outback sedan than plus-size WRX.

Although Subaru excels at building quirky sporty cars, including 2 of the best low-buck fun machines available—the BRZ and the new-for-2015 WRX—the company has struggled at times with the formula for its less exciting Legacy sedan, which, along with the Outback wagon, receives a refresh for 2015.

Our first-drive review covered the basics of the new car, including praise for the Legacy’s mid-size capaciousness and the stability provided by the standard all-wheel-drive system. But now we’ve strapped our test gear to a top-shelf 3.6R model for a closer look.

The Beat of a Different Drummer

The Legacy competes in one of the largest and most hotly contested segments in the market, a battleground that requires continuous improvements of its combatants just to keep up the fight for customers. Subaru’s position here is a unique one; it opts to carve out a niche for itself based on roominess, comfort, and standard all-wheel drive.

Compared with our long-term 2010 Legacy 3.6R, which had the same 256-hp 3.6-liter flat-6, our 2015 test car is 157 pounds heavier due to it being slightly larger in every dimension except wheelbase and height, as well as packing more sound-deadening material to quell road noise. That’s a minimal weight gain for an already hefty car, but the pairing of a continuously variable transmission to the flat-6 (CVTs were previously limited to 4-cylinder models) in place of the old 5-speed automatic degrades the car’s driving experience and puts a dent in whatever modest fun the previous 6-cylinder Legacy offered.

Looking at Taillights

With the sprint to 60 mph taking 7.1 seconds and the quarter-mile passing in 15.5 at 94 mph, the new car is 0.7- and 0.5-second slower than our 2010 long-termer. The CVT features paddle shifters and does an admirable impersonation of a conventional automatic, working through 6 simulated “gears” and keeping the droning to a minimum. But it still feels weak and rubbery from a standing start. What’s more, the new car merely matched our long-termer’s 22 mpg, which is at the low end for mid-size sedans with higher-powered engines.

The only competitor in that bunch that is slower to 60 mph than the Legacy 3.6R is the equally fresh 2015 Hyundai Sonata 2.0T, which takes a full 8.0 seconds to do the deed. Even the Mazda 6—184-hp inline-4, 6-speed automatic, 3294 pounds—bests the Subaru to 60 and loses by just a tenth in the quarter. The quickest car in the class, the Honda Accord V-6, is a rocket by comparison, covering the zero-to-60 sprint in just 5.6 seconds.

The rest of the drive in the new 3.6R, as well as the Legacy’s tidier-yet-generic styling, neither excites nor offends. Ride quality is decent at the expense of more body roll than we’d prefer, and the new 18-inch Goodyears produce less grip on the skidpad than our long-termer’s 17-inch Bridgestones, 0.79 g versus 0.82. The Legacy’s steering is light yet weights up slightly at higher speeds, but it’s always tight-lipped about what the front end is doing. At least the big car rotates more smoothly in corners now with the addition of Subaru’s brake-based torque-vectoring system. Admittedly, performance stats are hardly paramount for a family sedan, but we expect more from the makers of the WRX and for the 3.6R’s $ 32,585 as-tested price.

The Outback of Sedans

All 2015 Legacy 3.6Rs come standard in Limited trim at $ 30,390, which includes 8 airbags, 18-inch wheels, leather seating, a 12-speaker Harman/Kardon audio system with a 7.0-inch touch screen, dual-zone climate control, blind-spot and rear-cross-traffic alerts, lane-keeping assist, and more. The lone option on our car was a $ 2195 package that bundled a sunroof, navigation, and keyless access and start. Along with being well equipped, the revised interior is handsome in its simplicity and dotted with solidly functional ergonomics, making it a pleasant place to pass the miles.

Subaru definitely played it safe with the Legacy’s latest redesign, which often is the norm in the high-volume world of mainstream sedans. But as a smaller company, Subaru would serve the Legacy well by leveraging a tad more of the zing found in its cult models. Rethinking the CVT would be a good place to start, because it only lowers the bar for the 3.6R. As it stands now, the Legacy 3.6R feels more like a sedan version of the Outback than a true competitor to mid-size stalwarts such as the Honda Accord and the Mazda 6.