The Lincoln MKZ is a mid-size, four-door, five-passenger, front- or all-wheel drive luxury sedan manufactured by Ford and marketed by its Lincoln brand across two generations in North America and China (2015–2020). Co-developed with the Ford Fusion and Mercury Milan, the MKZ was available with either gasoline or gasoline-electric hybrid powertrains.
The first generation was styled under Chief Designer Darrell Behmer and launched for the 2006 model year as the Zephyr, and from the 2007 model year onwards as the MKZ with a mid-cycle refresh for 2010. The MKZ Hybrid, Lincoln's first, was introduced for 2011. The second generation MKZ was marketed for 2013 to 2020 in gasoline and hybrid configurations, with a mid-cycle refresh for 2017.
The MKZ was manufactured exclusively at Ford's Mexican Hermosillo Stamping & Assembly plant, with production commencing in August 2005 and ending in 2020.
Ford had previously used the Zephyr nameplate (after Zephyrus, the Greek personification of the west wind) both in the late 1930s for a line of mid-size vehicles, as well as in the late 1970s and early 1980s for the Mercury Zephyr.
First generation (2006)
Lincoln presented the 2006 Zephyr in concept form at the 2004 New York International Auto Show, featuring Lincoln's signature split-wing/waterfall grille and quad projector beam headlights. Chrome trim extended along the Zephyr's beltline while the car's rear fascia featured LED taillights and dual chrome exhaust tips.
Lincoln introduced the production Zephyr in the fall of 2005 for the 2006 model year, sharing Ford's CD3 platform with rebadged Ford Fusion, Mercury Milan and Mazda 6. The Zephyr's powertrain was a 3.0 L DOHC Duratec V6 with an Aisin 6-speed automatic transmission. Featuring an instrument panel unique to the Lincoln along with other details, the 2006 Zephyr started at a base MSRP of $28,995 USD, ranging up to $35,340 USD.Ford Motor Company. "2006 Zephyr Pricing." Ford Media. Jun. 16 2005.
Though slightly smaller and front-wheel drive, the Zephyr was marketed as a replacement for Lincoln's previous entry-level mid-size model, the rear-wheel drive Lincoln LS. To facilitate a smooth transition, the Zephyr and LS were sold parallel with each other during the 2006 model year, the first model year of the Zephyr and the last for the LS. For 2007, the model was renamed MKZ, and took over the LS' market with sales beginning in September 2006. Lincoln had previously used the Zephyr nameplate for a smaller car competing with the Packard One-Twenty, and the LaSalle, a smaller Cadillac.
The Zephyr featured interior detailing and an instrument panel distinct from the Fusion and Milan, using genuine ebony or maple wood inserts along with chrome-bezeled gauges, circular, chrome-finished vents and a satin-nickel center stack with the radio and climate controls. The steering wheel was leather-wrapped with genuine wood grips and satin-nickel audio, climate, and cruise control buttons. White LED backlighting was used for the Zephyr's controls and instrumentation. Leather seating surfaces were standard in all models.Ford Motor Company. "2006 Zephyr Exterior/Interior." Ford Media. 2005.
Other standard features included cruise control, automatic headlights, fog lights, power door locks, "global" power windows (all windows can lower simultaneously at the push of a button), power adjustable and heated mirrors with puddle lamps, remote keyless entry, a tilt and telescoping steering wheel with redundant audio and climate controls, dual-zone automatic climate control, a universal garage door opener, 10-way power driver and front passenger seats, rear-seat reading lamps, and a six-speaker audio system with an AM/FM stereo radio and a six-disc, MP3-compatible CD changer. Optional in the Zephyr was a power moonroof, a DVD-based satellite navigation system and HID headlights. All Zephyrs featured low-profile tires on 17x7.5-inch wheels with painted aluminum versions standard and chrome versions optional. HID headlights were available.
Safety features included standard dual front-side airbags, front seat-deployed side airbags, and curtain airbags that extend from the front to rear seats.Ford Motor Company. "2006 Zephyr Technical Specifications." Ford Media. 2005.
Beginning with the Zephyr, Lincoln offered and an industry-first THX II-Certified audio system with a six-disc, MP3-compatible CD changer and ten speakers and digital signal processing. For the 2007 MKZ, Lincoln subsequently expanded the THX specifications to include THX II Premium Certified Audio System, 5.1 Surround Sound, 12-channel amplifier, 600 watt power, and 14 speakers, the latter with two subwoofers and a center channel speaker array with THX Slot Speaker(TM) technology. The system included a 10 GB hard drive marketed as a jukebox, that could hold up to 2,400 tracks.
Lincoln offered the Zephyr with standard heated seats and optional and cooled front seats. With the 2008 MKZ, the climate controlled front seats, heated and cooled, became standard equipment, pioneered in the 2000 Lincoln Navigator and provided by Amerigon. User-controlled by dash-mounted switches, ambient cabin air was drawn into the system, either heated or cooled by a solid-state heat pump using a thermo-electric device (TED) and then circulated via a fan through seat cushion and seat back ducts.
Co-developed withe the Fusion and Milan, the Zephyr used Ford's CD3 platform, itself derived from the natively front-wheel drive (FWD) Mazda 6, employing a coil-over damper, short- and long-arm (SLA) front suspension with double-ball-joint control arms and independent multi-link rear suspension with lower control arms and a stabilizer bar. Spring rates, bushings, and dampers were specially tuned for the Zephyr to provide excellent ride comfort without compromising handling. The Zephyr featured standard four-wheel anti-lock disc brakes with traction control. The sole engine was an all-aluminum 3.0 L DOHC Duratec V6 producing 221 hp (165 kW) at 6250 rpm and 205 lb·ft (278 N·m) of torque at 4800 rpm. This engine was mated to an Aisin 6-speed automatic transmission and had a final drive ratio of 3.46:1. This powertrain was identical to the V6 powertrain available in the Fusion and Milan from 2006 to 2009.Ford Motor Company. "2006 Zephyr Powertrain." Ford Media. 2005. With this powertrain the Zephyr could accelerate from zero to in 7.5 seconds. The FWD Zephyr came with a fuel tank and is rated to deliver in city driving and on the highway based on the revised 2008 EPA fuel efficiency measurement standards.
Zephyr to MKZ transition (2007)
For 2007, Lincoln reintroduced the Zephyr as the MKZ as its new name, following a broad market trend toward alphanumeric nameplates, across its model range. At its 2006 introduction, Lincoln originally suggested pronunciation of the nameplate MKZ as "mark-zee," subsequently shifting to "em-kay-zee" ("em-kay-zedd" in Europe) after noticing focus groups and dealership personnel naturally using the latter pronunciation.
The 2007 MKZ was presented at the Chicago Auto Show in February 2006. Revisions included optional all-wheel-drive along with Ford's then-new all-aluminum 3.5-L DOHC Duratec 35 V6, tuned to produce 265 hp (196 kW) at 6250 rpm and 249 lb·ft (337 N·m) of torque at 4500 rpm — using regular-grade gasoline.Ford Motor Company. "2007 MKZ Overview." Ford Media. 2006. and achieving in city driving and on the highway in front-wheel-drive models. Revised Standard and optional variants of the MKZ's 17 × 7.5-inch wheels were offered.
For 2008, the MKZ received as standard equipment Sirius satellite radio, perforated leather seats, a reverse sensing system, a tire pressure-monitoring system, and Lincoln SYNC (late availability).Ford Motor Company. "2008 MKZ Overview." Ford Media. 2007. For 2009, Ford's 'AdvanceTrac' stability control system became standard, while a special edition "Midnight Black" package was available, featuring black leather seating surfaces and panels contrasted with real maple wood and satin nickel inserts.
A road test by Motor Trend found that an MKZ equipped with all-wheel-drive could accelerate from zero to in 6.8 seconds and complete a quarter mile in 15.2 seconds at due to the more powerful engine and extra traction. The available THX II-certified audio system offered an speaker count increased to 14 and its peak output to 600 watts. The MKZ remained positioned as an entry-level luxury sedan with models priced from just under US$30,000 to fully optioned models remaining below $40,000.
Facelift (2010)
Lincoln presented the 2010 MKZ at the 2008 Los Angeles International Auto Show, with either a gasoline or hybrid powertrain — styled under Chief Designer Derryl Behmer and Design Director Peter Horbury — and released in the spring of 2009.
In addition to substantial underbody work, exterior changes included a more pronounced "split wing" (aka Bow Wave) grille, larger LED taillights, revised trunk lid, and standard restyled 17-inch wheels. Interior revisions included a new instrument cluster, center stack, door trim, as well as updated colors, materials and finishes — including genuine wood accents in ash or swirled walnut, as well as standard Bridge of Weir leather.
Other features new for 2010 included a reverse camera system, rain-sensing windshield wipers, cabin air filter, adaptive HID headlights, capless fuel filler marketed as Easy Fuel, new center stack with high-mounted GPS system, and a radar-controlled blind spot monitor (marketed as BLIS) that incorporates a system to alert users to traffic approaching laterally on backing out of a parking spot (marketed as Cross Traffic Alert).
Mechanically, the MKZ featured suspension revised to improve ride quality and handling and a new 'SelectShift' six-speed automatic transmission. The output of the 3.5L V6 remained the same, and changes to the six-speed automatic reduced shift times and improved acceleration.
Beginning with the 2010 model year, the MKZ (along with badge-engineered variants, the Ford Fusion and the Mercury Milan — and their hybrid variants) used an acoustic glass for the front windscreen and backlight. Marketed as Carlite SoundScreen, the glass used a sheet of acoustic polyvinyl butyral (PVB) between two layers of glass to reduce noise levels by as much as 6 dB at certain frequencies and 2 to 3 dB overall, enabling more intelligible in-car conversation. The acoustic layer could save up to seven pounds per vehicle, and helped cut vibration noise from the vehicle's engine compartment. For the MKZ, new acoustic improvements included thicker acoustic window glass, enhanced door/body seals, absorption padding in the fenders and pillars, constrained-layer damping on the entire floor, acoustic headliner, thicker rear backlight and a retuned air induction system. Lincoln marketed the acoustic package as its Quietcraft interior.
Lincoln continued to offer a DVD-based satellite navigation head unit updated to accept voice commands, along with Sirius satellite radio, and Sirius Travel Link. For 2011, an expanded the THX/navigation specification included HD Radio with simulcasts as well as DTS Neural Surround, adding multi-channel Surround sound to digital music (e.g., from HD Radio, CDs, mobile phones or the built-in USB drive).