L.A. Auto Show 2017: Lincoln doubles down on small SUVs

Nov. 28, 2017 7:05 PM PT

Lincoln is more known for big touring cars (Continental! Navigator!) than small SUVs, but the Ford Motor Co. luxury brand is going where the customers are by delivering a pair of upgraded entry-level crossovers for 2019.

What are they?

The newly reconfigured MKC and MKX, now known as the Nautilus, are affordable SUVs that retail from the mid- to high-$30,000 range, offering consumers a chance to mix a little Lincoln luxe with crossover capability. This is the MKC’s first substantial face-lift since its 2014 introduction. Since then, the national obsession with SUVs has skyrocketed, and the luxury SUV market has bloomed, suggesting a rosy retail future for both Lincoln’s new crossovers.

Why they matter

The SUV segment continues to be the hottest American car-buying niche, and it’s getting hyperactive in other territories where sales are growing. (I’m looking at you, China.) Lincoln says these entry-level cars are gateway vehicles to the brand. The MKC is a conquest vehicle that draws more than half of its buyers from other brands. Moreover, it’s pulling women: Lincoln says half of MKC buyers are female. The Nautilus puts new life into the vehicle that Lincoln calls its “best selling midsize luxury SUV.”

What's new?

The MKC gets a new face and new design elements that indicate a brand-wide design change for Lincoln. Inside, it’s tech time: The car also gets heated and ventilated seats and, for drivers using the Lincoln Way phone app, it can be turned on, turned off, locked, located and pre-warmed or pre-cooled remotely.

The Nautilus, in addition to its new name, gets new technology such as improved cruise control, lane-keeping assist, pre-collision assist, active parking assist and an auto-hold feature that allows the driver to ignore the brake pedal during stop and go traffic.

The competition

What nameplate doesn’t make a medium-priced, mid-size luxury SUV? Hardly anyone. So Lincoln is fighting for customers with Mercedes (GLA and GLC), BMW (X1 and X3), Audi (Q3 and Q5), Jaguar (E Pace and F Pace), Lexus (NX and RX), Volvo (XC40 and XC60), Acura (RDX and MDX) and Cadillac (XT5). How to choose?

The details

The new MKC will be offered with a 2-liter or 2.3-liter turbocharged engine, the larger one making 285 horsepower and 305 pound feet of torque. Both engines will be mated to an all-wheel-drive system.

The Nautilus also gets two engine options under the hood. The five-seater will now be available with the standard 2-liter four-cylinder engine and an optional turbocharged 2.7-liter engine that makes 335 horsepower and 380 pound feet of torque.

Both vehicles will be in Lincoln dealers by next summer.

The L.A. Auto Show runs Dec. 1-10 at the Los Angeles Convention Center. Times coverage begins Nov. 25 at latimes.com/autos.

Autos

Charles Fleming

Charles Fleming writes about automobiles and motorcycles for the Los Angeles Times’ Business section. He also writes the urban hiking column LA Walks. A former staff writer for Newsweek, Variety and the Los Angeles Herald Examiner, he is the author of the Los Angeles Times bestseller “High Concept: Don Simpson and the Hollywood Culture of Excess,” the New York Times bestseller “My Lobotomy,” and “Secret Stairs, A Walking Guide to the Historic Staircases of Los Angeles” and its sequel, “Secret Walks: A Walking Guide to the Hidden Trails of Los Angeles.”