When it launched in 2014, the Lincoln MKC was a key component of the revival of Ford Motor Company's premium brand. It was the company's first entry into the burgeoning luxury compact crossover segment. While Lincoln was relatively late to the party, it was a relatively solid entry with good bones from the popular Ford Escape to provide a basis. While MKC sales have continued steady growth in a shrinking overall market, it's getting a mid-cycle facelift for the 2019 model year.
Such mid product cycle updates vary wildly in how extensive they are, but in the case of this updated Lincoln crossover, facelift really is the operative word. Aside from the adoption of the now signature Lincoln grille and some revised lighting from the MKZ, Continental and Navigator, almost nothing else of substance has changed. The only notable functional change is the addition of standard automatic emergency braking.
The two four-cylinder, turbocharged engines carry over with the 245-hp 2.0-liter remaining as the standard offering and the 285-hp, 2.3-liter as the optional upgrade. Front or all-wheel-drive are available on the smaller engine with all-wheel drive being standard on the larger mill.
The three Black Label themes, Modern Heritage, Indulgence and Center Stage also carry over into 2019 along with a new Rialto Green cabin combination that has black ash accents. Aside from the aforementioned automatic emergency braking, other technology features like SYNC 3 with an embedded 4G LTE modem and WiFi hotspot are retained for the new year.
Whether a new grille will be enough for the MKC to retain its momentum for a couple more years until an all-new variant arrives remains to be seen. This is a highly competitive segment with new entrants arriving regularly. It seems like some powertrain or other technology updates would have been warranted for a model that represents about a quarter of the brand's sales. The updated MKC should be available in the first half of 2018.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/samabuelsamid/2017/11/21/2019-lincoln-mkc-a-fresh-face-for-one-of-lincolns-most-important-models/
2017-11-21T10:49:00+00:00