Lincoln MKZ

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The Lincoln MKZ is a mid-size luxury car from the Lincoln automobile division of the Ford Motor Company. The MKZ is the replacement for the 2006 Lincoln Zephyr. Lincoln revived the Zephyr name in the fall of 2005 as a platform mate to the Ford Fusion and Mercury Milan, to replace the cancelled 3.0L V6 version of the Lincoln LS as the mid-size entry-level Lincoln. Lincoln increased the Zephyr's engine size and power output, and changed the car's name to MKZ in 2006 for the 2007 model year. Sales of the MKZ began in September, 2006. The MKZ is also the first Lincoln to use "MK" on its car name.

The car is built at Ford's Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico plant, and pricing ranges from US$28,995 to $35,435.

The MKZ uses the Mazda6-derived CD3 platform. While the car shares 35% of its body panels with the Ford Fusion and Mercury Milan, the interior is completely unique to bring the car up to Lincoln standards. Features like a 600 W THX sound system with 14 speakers also set it apart from the mainstream Ford, Mercury, and Mazda versions.

The suspension is independent all around with a short/long arm (SLA) design in front and multilink setup with coilover shock absorbers in the rear.

Ford and Lincoln corporate and marketing management originally announced the MKZ with a "Mark-Zee" pronunciation during the 2006 cars show circuit, but changed it to the phonetic "em-kay-zee" in July of 2006.<ref>What's in a name?. Detroit News. Retrieved on July 24, 2006.</ref>

[edit] 2006 Zephyr

The 2006 Lincoln Zephyr (developed under code name CD378) was first shown in January 2005 at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, and went on sale in the fall of 2005. The Zephyr came with a 221 hp (165 kW) 3.0 L Duratec 30 V6 engine and an Aisin 6-speed automatic transmission, which made 20 mpg (11.8 L/100 km) in the city and 28 mpg (8.4 L/100 km) on the highway. The Zephyr had a curb weight of approximately 3438 lb (1559 kg). Lincoln sold 4,985 Zephyrs during 2005, and an additional 24,003 in 2006 through September. [1]

[edit] 2007 MKZ

The 2007 MKZ was first shown at the Chicago Auto Show in February 2006 with Ford's new upgraded 263 hp (196 kW) Duratec 35 3.5 L V6 and all-wheel drive. Ford expects to add a hybrid drivetrain in the future. Unfortunately, the upgraded 3.5L Duratec engine is not available in the MKZ's Fusion and Milan triplets. The 3.0L version remains the only V6 available for those models.

Other changes from the 2006 Zephyr to the 2007 MKZ include an updated "waterfall" grille - which shows seven "teeth" on either side of the central Lincoln emblem (the Zephyr has nine), along with chrome trim on the beltline and outside mirrors, and 17 inch alloy wheels.

[edit] Engine Specifications

[edit] References

<references/>

• Don't get used to Zephyr — it's MK Z. Detroit News. Retrieved on February 7, 2006.
• Lincoln MKZ: Ford Motor Company press release. Retrieved on February 7, 2006.
• 2007 Lincoln MKZ Overview and Specifications from Media.Ford.com

[edit] External links

• Official Lincoln 2007 Lineup Page
• Lincoln Zephyr on CanadianDriver.com
• Ford Press Release
• Detroit News

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