Features and updates
With sales beginning in the summer of 2008 for model year 2009, standard equipment included radar autonomous cruise control system, optional adaptive HID headlights,[8] automatic HID headlights, foglights, capless fuel filler marketed as Easy Fuel, foldable power adjustable mirrors with memory, 18x7.5-inch machined aluminum wheels, 6-speaker audio system with an AM/FM radio and 6-disc in-dash CD changer, Sirius satellite radio with a six-month prepaid subscription, dual-zone automatic climate control, auto-dimming rear view mirror with compass, 12-way, heated and cooled power driver and passenger seats, heated rear seats, power tilt and telescoping steering wheel with memory, universal garage door opener, two sunglass holders, Lincoln SYNC, intelligent access system with a push button start, and SecuriCode Invisible, a keypad system mounted on the driver's B-pillar with a capacitive touch panel, to enable tiered or time-restricted permissions, i.e., the code giving access to the vehicle but not its operation, the code being easily changed to prevent subsequent vehicle access.
The standard MKS interior uses dash-top leatherette and two real wood trims, depending on leather color: ebony reclaimed from furniture makers and others sources, minimizing environmental impact, and olive-ash with a grain pattern created when the roots of two trees grow together.[9][10] Interior leather, supplied by the Scottish company, Bridge of Weir, uses vegetable dyes and a chromium-free tanning process for a softer surface. Safety features included dual front airbags, driver and passenger side airbags, and side curtain airbags.
Equipment packages include the Navigation Package (a DVD navigation system; Technology Package (adaptive HID headlights, rain-sensing windshield wipers, a forward-sensing system, a power sunshade for the rear window, and the intelligent access system with push button start); the Ultimate Package included the Navigation and Technology packages and added a dual panel moonroof, premium 19x8-inch painted alloy wheels, Ultimate seating trim with color-keyed suede strip in the center of the seat back, and Lincoln star logo embroidered on the front headrests. An Aluminum Applique Package (aluminum dash trim in the place of wood, as well as a leather-wrapped steering wheel and shift knob), is also available, requiring the Navigation, Technology, or Ultimate packages. Individual options included all-wheel drive, 19x8-inch machined aluminum wheels, 20x8-inch polished aluminum wheels, adaptive cruise control, and a PowerCode remote starter.[11]
An optional THX audio system, designed by THX, used a Configurable Speaker Array (CSA) and proprietary "Slot Speaker technologies" located in the center of the instrument panel to control and direct the sound image, creating a detailed, home-theater-like ambiance, reproducing music as recorded. The CSA used several small, powerful speakers, dedicated amplifiers and digital signal processing (DSP) as well as a single, dash-mounted "slot" speaker to combine left and right audio channels and widen the sound image before distributing it.[12]
As with other models using the D3 platform, including its Ford Five Hundred and fifth and sixth generation Ford Taurus predecessors, the MKS unibody was designed to channel impact forces around the passenger compartment using a system marketed as SPACE architecture (Side Protection and Cabin Enhancement), an adaptation of Volvo's Side Impact Protection System (SIPS)[13] dating to the period when Ford had owned Volvo Cars as part of its Premier Automotive Group. SPACE used a hydroformed high strength steel tube embedded in the floor that runs the width of the vehicle from B-pillar to B-pillar and along the rocker panels to form a safety cage to help protect passengers in side impacts.
Active Park Assist, using ultrasonic sensors to measure a parking space and operate the steering wheel to parallel parking the vehicle, became available in mid-2009 for MY 2010.[14] The system used software control of the Electric Power Steering (EPS).[15]
The MKS used Ford's D3 platform with MacPherson struts and rearward-facing lower L-arms with a 26 mm stabilizer bar in the front and a multilink coil over shock setup with stamped steel lower control arms and cast upper control arms in the rear; "Lincoln Drive Control" with continuously controlled damping (CCD) available as optional feature. The car featured four-wheel antilock disc brakes (12.25 in rotors in the front and 12.75 in rotors in the rear) with standard AdvanceTrac traction control and Roll Stability Control (RSC). Front-wheel drive (FWD) was standard while all-wheel drive (AWD) was optional. The MKS is powered by an all-aluminum 3.7 L Duratec DOHC V6, a larger bore derivative of the Duratec 35 in Ford's Cyclone engine group. The engine was designed to accept either regular grade, 87 octane gasoline or premium grade, 91 octane gasoline. Using regular grade gasoline, the 3.7 L V6 produces 273 hp at 6250 rpm and 270 lbft of torque at 4250 rpm. Using premium grade gasoline results in a small boost in output to 275 hp at 6250 rpm and 276 lbft of torque at 4250 rpm. The 6F50 6-speed automatic transmission is equipped with SelectShift, simulating the operation of a manual transmission.[11]
MY 2010: 2010 models continued to offer a 3.7-liter, 24-valve Duratec engine, adding an optional twin-turbocharged 3.5 Liter V6 making 355 hp and 350 lbft of torque, standard on AWD models.[16] Revisions included additional bracing and strategically placed sound-deadening materials, suspension improvements to improve NVH, mount and bushing revisions, and spring/shock tuning and front suspension geometry revisions. A revised instrument cluster featured three large binnacles, one with a transmission gear indicator.
MY 2013: A facelifted MKS debuted for 2013 at the 2011 Los Angeles International Auto Show, with a mildly revised exterior, including a larger trunk opening with a lower liftover height and the license plate nacelle relocated to the bumper fascia from the trunk lid. Interior revisions included a revised instrument panel, front digital instrument cluster and touch capacitive switchgear, "Multicontour" seats, revised interior wood choices (Prussian Burl and Brown Swirl Walnut), auto high beam, adaptive cruise control, forward collision warning, blind spot information system with cross-traffic alert, lane-keeping system, electric power-assisted steering (EPAS) and a continuously controlled damping (CCD) system. The new MKS also grew slightly in overall length to 205.6 in, while the output of the 3.5-liter EcoBoost model increased to 365 hp at 5,500 rpm. The standard engine was replaced by an upgraded Ti-VCT version of the same, producing up to 304 hp at 6,500 rpm.
MY 2014: A backup camera became standard equipment for 2014.
MY 2015: For 2015, the rear deck lid received chrome trim stretching horizontally across the lid. The Lincoln lettering was increased in size and centered above this new trim section following along its length. The MKS emblem was moved to the left side corner of the lid.
MY 2016: For 2016, the final model year for the MKS, the rear trunk lid featured widely spaced lettering spelling out L I N C O L N across its width.
