Look past the face

Wipe that wince off your face. It's just a Lincoln MKT.

With a supersized front grille that looks like cosmetic dentistry gone bad and sharply angled rear that makes it look like a double-ender sailboat, Ford's new luxury crossover SUV is banishing bland.

Maybe the MKT will grow on us, like the first Bangle-butt BMWs, but I think they should start putting erasers on the pencils at the Lincoln design desk.

If you can make peace with the funhouse styling of the MKT, there are a lot of good things contained in that slab-sided body. A quiet ride, powerful engine, and sleek interior are fine achievements. I thoroughly enjoyed driving it.

The base price on the MKT I tested is $53,350. It came with the twin turbo 3.5 L V6, and had a rasher of options including the $5,000 Elite Package, which includes voice-activated navigation, blind-spot monitoring and a supersized sunroof. Tallied up, the tech heavy version I drove cost $62,980.

Ford calls the MKT a three-row tourer. Well the third row way back yonder is for small people on short hauls. Minimal headroom makes it a pompadour crusher, and exiting from this hinterland is for gymnasts only.

The second row is swell; there's even a footrest for the weary. Seating accommodates three, but it would be snug. My guess is it would be rare to see the MKT crammed with seven passengers on their way to the Sing-Along Messiah.

I never carried around a bunch of pals during my test period, but with the two back rows of seats folded flat, I did cart two eight-foot-long boxes across town.

The best location is the driver's seat. Like field level at home plate, the view is good and the action is close at hand. With the MKT, Lincoln has left the mid-century modern decor behind and joined Twitternation.

From lovely, supportive leather seats, one can contemplate a host of technologies. It took no time to sync my phone and juice up the iPod. Both can be controlled through voice activation. Once underway, you almost have to shout the commands to be heard by the virtual operator, but it can be done and it works.

More technology is available to bail out bonehead driving habits. Blind-spot monitors activate a warning light in the side mirrors when a car lurks in no man's land. Adaptive cruise control will keep the car at a set distance and brake if you get too close to the vehicle ahead.

The best party trick is Active Park Assist, which parallel parks the stout MKT with minimal driver involvement. The driver controls the throttle and brakes; everything else is hands-off. It's a very confident system and works so well, you don't even feel stupid.

There's a fine balance in the cabin where workmanship is accomplished and styling is restrained and contemporary. The steering wheel is hefty, gauges readable though a little flashy, and the use of wood accents is not overdone. Metallic finishes are in a warm bronze tone, and nothing in the cabin reflects sun into the eyes, or reflections onto the windshield. That's great.

Centre console buttons are smallish, but most are replicated on the steering wheel, so it's not bothersome. The navigation screen is crisp and backup camera very useful since the rear view is surprisingly cropped. Visibility otherwise is good, low window sills provide a fine vista out the side windows.

For a big car, the MKT is fairly spry. It never feels clumsy or oafish. The steering is aptly weighted for the size and intent of the vehicle. Power is always on call, thanks to the 3.5 L twin-turbo EcoBoost V6, which produces 355 horsepower. Ford's EcoBoost engine is designed to produce V8 power, with V6 fuel economy. Still, one must prepare for consumption figures of 13.1 L/100 km city (22 mpg)and 9.2 L/ 100 km highway (31 mpg).

The six-speed auto gearbox can switch from fully automatic to manual control, and steering- wheel-mounted paddle shifters give the driver something to do.

Two things particularly impressed me about the MKT: its quiet ride and ability to skim over rotten roads with grace. To achieve a peaceful interior Ford says it added special sound deadening to the bulkhead, worked on isolating exhaust system noise, and used dual-layer glass to reduce wind noise.

Suspension tuning is geared to an urbane luxury cruiser, rather than a logging-road buggy. But for slippery action, the MKT with the EcoBoost V6 is outfitted with all-wheel drive.

The crossover's ground clearance isn't much different than a car. so that won't put the MKT out on the mogul field, but it's also easier to get in and out of without using a step stool.

When I took the MKT out on its photo shoot, I was surprised at how photogenic it became. It helps to pose it near some monolithic landscapes, so that terrorizing front end takes on a manageable scale.

It's a design gamble that needs to pay off for Ford, since sales of the Lincoln line are down 44 per cent since 2000. The MKT competes against a bunch of refreshed SUV/CUV's including the Lexus RX 450h, Audi Q7, Cadillac SRX and Acura MDX. Within that group there have been design mutts as well.

Those who can get beyond the MKT's fierce game-face, will find a softer side that's entirely likeable.

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