thegabrielles Posted November 6, 2017 Share Posted November 6, 2017 Well the MKZ has been betting a workout since I bought it so I figured I would give Y'all (and potential buyers) my impressions. 2017 MKZ Reserve 3.0 AWD Drivers Package and every other option you could get Purchased 5Sep17 8600 miles Current Miles- 14,750 The Driving Experience- It is everything I thought it would be. Handling is impressive even coming from my 2011 Roush Mustang. The adjustable suspension makes traveling so much better. A quick run from Atlanta to Ohio allowed me to put it in comfort and "float" along like the old Lincolns.... then when I hit the twisty's through the mountains, sport mode and it was so much fun. As my daily, I am usually in Normal or Sport on the suspension. The one thing I have noticed is the 3.0L and the car are so damn smooth and quiet that it is easy to exceed the speed limit and I have caught myself driving much faster than I probably should be down the interstate. Not sure how to fix that besides being smarter, but it does make for a smooth fun drive. MPG- Nope, didn't by the 3.0AWD for MPG, but it still amazes me that this car gets worse mileage than my Mustang, both city, and Highway. I wasn't expecting to put this much mileage on it already but I will deal with it. I am wondering if I had gone for the Hybrid (my original plan) it would have met my needs better. I am averaging a calculated 22.4mpg over the 6k miles I have had it. The trip odometer says 24.1 BTW, so its quite a bit off. I expected to get 400-450 per tank on the highway with the 18 Gallon tank but I still find myself filling up 300-350 (about 16 gallons) almost every tank, this is less than I was going in my Mustang. The comparison is inevitable as it was my DD for most of the 6 years before I bought the MKZ. Transmission- They have got to update this in the near future. This transmission epitomizes smooth.... yep that's great for most people, but with the 3.0 I don't always want smooth. The switch to sport helps but I still find it a little slow on the shifts. Interior- I have the driver's performance package and I still think the seats are a little tight and possible not as soft as the standard interior but they are still extremely comfortable. The Heating and Ventilation are excellent and I use them all the time. Nothing lie pre-starting the car and having the seats and steering wheel warm when you sit down... the auto setting on the remote start works great! I didn't want black but it's not a choice with the DPP so black interior with white highlights.... gets dirty easy. The floor is "odd" shaped under my feet and I wish it was flatter and the left footrest was further forward but its a minimal issue. Stereo is outstanding... can't imagine not having the Ultima! Panoramic Sunroof- INCREDIBLE!!! Driving down the interstate, roof all the way back, back windows down all the way, front windows down about an inch. The car is quiet (considering its the highway) enough to hold a conversation but open enough to enjoy the outside. A must have IMO. :) Problems- About a month after I bought it the windows starting freaking out and would not close. A trip to the dealership and a programming issue and its all fixed. I am having some small wind noise from the passenger side front door. It looks like it will need adjusting because it is actually sticking out slightly. The third issue is the damn thing keeps forgetting my seat and steering wheel settings. I am sure its another computer fix, but it's getting annoying. I am hoping I will have time to get it done after I get back in town after my next trip (next week). Last was a low tire. The TPS warned me it was low (29PSI) and I took it in as soon as I could to have it fixed. Turns out the tire had been patched before and the patch was leaking. Easy fix and Discount tires in Ohio took care of it for free. two big rock chips in the windshield.... gotta go get one fixed before it spreads! Bottom line- The car is great in everything it does. The performance, handling, and comfort are wonderful. I am a car enthusiast and want to be thrilled when I get behind the wheel and this car does not do that for me. Don't get me wrong, it checks every box... but for some reason, I don't get as excited about it as I want to. I was going to sell my Mustang but have decided to keep it so I will have my thrills with that car and enjoy the MKZ for what it is, an excellent car that does everything extremely well. If I had to do it again I would have probably gone for a 2013-2015 Hybrid as a DD and saved a little cash. I have also had the great pleasure of beating a Camaro, a challenger, Lexus... and something that looked right out of Fast and the Furious. The car is fast, looks great, and is comfortable... what more could I ask for? Also, the ceramic coating was a great plan. Car looks super shiny even after 3 weeks without a wash. Its dirty but the shine comes through. Hopefully, it will clear enough to knock the dirt off tomorrow. Thanks again everyone for the info I got from this forum before I purchased and the continued information! Robert Iggy Cerami 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmcgliss Posted November 6, 2017 Share Posted November 6, 2017 Thanks for the review. The 3.0 sounds like a great upgrade. Similar to your story, our plan was to sell our one-owner '96 Mystic Cobra to make room for the MKZ. But, we had too much fun on October running some laps at Autobahn CC (the Cobra has well-tuned suspension mods). The kicker - seeing MKZ's Bronzefire paint next to the Cobra's BASF Mystic paint in our garage. My wife is in full agreement to not split them up. We're hoping for a mild winter with the daily drivers parked outside. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Airflow Posted November 7, 2017 Share Posted November 7, 2017 Great write-up thegab! Going from a manual rear wheel drive two door Roush Mustang to an automatic AWD sedan and one not developed for pure sport is a big change. Have you tuned your MKZ yet? If not, do it! Also, a louder exhaust would help this car out a lot. It would be nice to hear a little growl upon starting and spirited driving. If I wasn't leasing mine, I would want to install an intercooler, cold air intake, and exhaust. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thegabrielles Posted November 9, 2017 Author Share Posted November 9, 2017 Thanks... I almost bought a Mystic Cobra convertible at one point... sure wish I would have! Great car!!! We have a pretty interesting garage... so a good DD was needed. Airflow, I thought about a tune and even contacted Livournous and Lincoln about it. Both said the same thing, tune and the warranty is gone. So, no tune for me! The warranty is too important at this point. I am not interested in hearing the motor or exhaust, it's just my opinion but even a great sounding V-6 doesn't compare to a V-8 and I am not sure if the performance gains would be worth it. I do enjoy the nice quiet ride even when I am driving spirited. For what I wanted for the car the 400HP is enough (for now) we will see what the future holds but there will not be many changes until the warranty isn't an issue. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Airflow Posted November 9, 2017 Share Posted November 9, 2017 I hear you. You can’t beat a great sounding Ford V-8! One of my favorite cars that I have owned will always be my ‘92 5.0L Mustang. That is a fantastic vehicle line up!! thegabrielles 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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