Lincoln MKS
The Lincoln MKS was in production from the 2009 to 2016 model years, after which the automaker replaced it with the Continental. During its history, however, the MKS certainly proved its dependability enough to make it well worth opting for a used version of this luxury sedan. The sedan is spacious and comfortable, delivering luxury in addition to its reliability. The MKS shares mechanical components with the Ford Taurus, including the powertrain and general underpinnings.
The MKS began as a concept car during the 2006 North American International Auto Show located in Detroit. It included the automaker’s signature waterfall grille and adaptive lighting on the headlights, complete with LEDs. It also had a large sunroof/moonroof, leather seats, Bluetooth, and a DVD-based navigation system. The production version first appeared during the LA Auto Show in November 2007 and it went on sale in summer 2008. The Lincoln MKS had a new grille with a split-wing design and chrome. The leather seating of the concept carried over and the top of the dashboard got leatherette. The instrument panel featured ebony or olive-ash wood.
The Lincoln MKS was the very first production series from Lincoln that featured radar-autonomous cruise control. It also had a push button start, automatic HID headlights, foldable power-adjustable mirrors complete with memory, a 6-disc in-dash CD changer, and Sirius Satellite radio. The luxury features continued with 12-way power seats in front that were heated and cooled plus heated rear seats.
The MKS was a pioneer in terms of advanced technology and safety, so while the driver-assistive features may not be as reliable as the ones found on new autos today, they do add another aspect of dependability to the sedan. One perfect example is Active Park Assist, which measures a parking space with ultrasonic sensors and then moves the steering wheel to help with parallel parking; that arrived in 2010.
When you look at the various MKS models that you can depend on, keep in mind that there was a facelift in 2013, with some mild updates to the styling. This is also when more safety updates were added, including advanced features like the lane-keeping system, adaptive cruise control, a blind spot information system, and forward collision warning. As such, the 2013 MKS and on provides more dependability in terms of safety than previous model years.
