The Lincoln Corsair 2020 Sails Into a Crowded SUV Harbor at the New York Auto Show



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The little luxury SUVs are like opinions and, uh, you know, everyone has one. Lincoln's latest is the Lincoln Corsair 2020, which shares its modular platform with the all-new Ford Escape and settles this summer alongside the mid-size Lincoln Nautilus, the three-row Aviator and the Navigator. , the size of a battleship.

Lincoln offered reporters a glimpse of the Corsair before its official unveiling Wednesday at the New York International Auto Show. And while the replacement of the Lincoln MKC, which is selling slowly, sounds wisely packed and technical, the Ford luxury group has to prove that it can win buyers in a segment that kills or gets killed that includes the most sold Acura RDX, Mercedes GLC, Audi Q5, BMW X3, Lexus NX, Range Rover Evoque and too many others to name it.

Lincoln

In the middle of Lincoln's marketing and design jargon – including references to the brand's Quiet Flight slogan and interiors as "human sanctuaries" – we have deepened to understand how the Corsair can stand out in its market with tight elbows. By combining the design elements of the Aviator and Navigator with modest help from Audi and Range Rover (the latter in the sharply tilted roofline and protruding roof spoiler), the Corsair definitely has an asset: the Corsair will not be confused with its counterpart Ford Escape. And even if long-time fans (like me) run the risk of getting lost and being called Corvair, it does not matter to the more mobile young men and empty breeding that Lincoln sees as the main audience of this crossover.

The Corsair does not stand out in terms of design, preferring to follow the sober and vertical path drawn by its Lincoln SUV models, but with a lighter footprint. Lincoln's iconic gloss grille has a particularly low, wide design, with deeply cut-out sides and alloy wheels that start at 18 inches and reach their maximum with optional 20-inch options. The rear of the vehicle seems to be the culmination of the design, including "S curves" projecting reminiscent of stacked saucers – or a softened Renault – with thin LED taillights and a fashionable full width lighting strip. Lift the liftgate via a smartphone shows Lincoln's "Phone As a Key" technology, which can completely replace a keychain and handle everything from lock to unlock and start memorizing 80 function presets for individual users. The blackened roof pillars, front and back, can spur some of the criticism of chair design. But Lincoln designers defended them with a series of design sketches showing how they visually lengthen the vehicle.

Lincoln

Like some smaller competitors, the Corsair, built next to the Escape in Louisville, Kentucky, will be offered exclusively in four-cylinder turbocharger: 2.0-liter with 250 horsepower and 275 lb-ft of torque, or a 2-cylinder engine , 3 liters with 280 horsepower and 310 foot-pounds. Both engines are coupled to an eight-speed automatic transmission and paddle. An intelligent all-wheel drive can be achieved with one or the other engine, with a fuel-efficient rear axle disconnect that allows the Corsair to operate in front-wheel drive mode. For AWD models, five selectable driving modes replace familiar names such as "Eco" and "Sport" with "Conserve" and "Excite" respectively. The available 12.3-inch digital driver display makes these driving modes flash in animated form, with – central touchscreen also an option.

Lincoln

The excitement can be relative, Lincoln emphasizing the calm, comfort and connectivity of the Corsair, not to mention the sport or the performance. As Rolls-Royce has the "wafting" market, Lincoln promises "glide" as the overriding sensation. Compared to the more affordable Escape, the Corsair adds a double-walled dashboard with a composite noise-and-vibration barrier, active noise control and a unique multi-link rear suspension, which Lincoln calls an "Integral" model. Bush. " An acoustic windshield is standard, with optional acoustic side windows.

Lincoln

The padded cab targets the conservative and modest American flair of the Navigator and Aviator, albeit at a lower price. A central console cantilever floating in a highly horizontal dashboard. The mood lighting, in a choice of seven colors, illuminates the Lincoln logo under this console. Lincoln's 'Perfect Position' 24-position Comfort Front Seats are a lux option, including individual thigh guards and massages. A natty, navy blue and white interior is one of three new cabin models.

A steering wheel features a talk button that is intelligently located on the thumb rest, while keeping your hands on the steering wheel. Wi-Fi is standard, as is Lincoln's "Co-Pilot 360" with automated braking and pedestrian detection, reversing camera, blind spot and cross-traffic detection, track maintenance and traffic lights. Automated route. The owners have an adaptive cruise control with assistance with traffic blocking, assistance with evasive guidance, assistance in braking in reverse and an automatic parking system that the made in one click: control, change of direction, braking and control of fully automated gases. parallel or right parking. There is also an optional panoramic panoramic roof, a head-up display, a 14-speaker premium Revel audio unit and a cordless phone charger in the center armrest.

Lincoln

Passenger and cargo spaces (and outward visibility) are major assets: like the Escape, the Corsair's second-row seat can slide six inches forward and backward for greater clearance for the legs (at 38.6 inches) than some much larger SUVs, including Mercedes GLS-Class and Tesla Model X. The rear seat tilt is manual, unlike some competitors at full power. But the cargo space behind the second vertical row is also generous, as Lincoln has demonstrated by stacking four huge suitcases on the inside. Lincoln has not published a price for the Corsair 2020 which will go on sale in the fall. But a base rate of about $ 36,000 to $ 37,000 seems a safe bet, more than a mere current MKC, on par with the Acura RDX.

This former Motown man was seduced by the selection of six "symphonic chimes" on board that resonate in various situations, all sampled from recordings from the Detroit Symphony Orchestra. It remains to be seen whether the Corsair will receive a deafening fanfare from the buying public or a funeral requiem.

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