Lincoln’s redesigned 2013 MKZ sedan goes on sale later this fall, and today the company released some pricing details for its newest four-door. The MKZ will start at $36,800; that base price gets you a front-wheel-drive version powered by a 240-hp, turbocharged 2.0-liter four. The MKZ is available in four trim levels—Premiere, Select, Reserve, and Preferred—and each trim can be had with the base turbo four, an available 300-hp V-6, or a hybrid powertrain. Incidentally, Lincoln will charge the same for the hybrid as for the turbo four, trim level for trim level. Lincoln has not yet revealed pricing for the available V-6 or all-wheel drive. The company did reveal that the MKZ’s available giant retractable panoramic sunroof will cost buyers a cool $2995.
The MKZ’s base price includes a ton of standard techno-goodies like Sync; MyLincoln Touch with an eight-inch center touch screen; Lincoln Drive Control, which can alter the adaptive suspension, steering, stability control, Active Noise control, and engine and transmission calibration to specific drive modes; remote start; and LED headlights and taillights. The MKZ concept‘s pushbutton-operated transmission survived the transition from design fantasy to production reality, and is standard on all models. More details on the MKZ’s four trim levels, minus pricing, can be found below:
- MKZ Premiere: $36,800 (All of the standard equipment listed above.)
- MKZ Select adds: rearview camera, wood steering wheel, ambient lighting, rear park sensors, HD radio
- MKZ Reserve adds: navigation with voice recognition, blind-spot monitoring system, rear cross-traffic alert, power-opening trunk, cooled seats, power tilt and telescoping steering wheel
- MKZ Preferred adds: 19-inch polished aluminum wheels, heated steering wheel, heated rear seats, 110-volt power outlet, upgraded THX II audio system, premium floor mats,
- Instrumented Test: 2012 Cadillac CTS 3.6 Sedan
- First Drive: 2013 Cadillac ATS
- Short Take Road Test: 2012 Infiniti M35h Hybrid
At least in terms of base pricing, the 2013 Lincoln MKZ starts only slightly higher than the $35,630 required to take home the outgoing 2012 model. The new sedan’s price barely undercuts that of the $36,995 Lexus ES350, its key competition; the no-extra-cost hybrid model slides in a significant $2945 less than the $39,745 commanded by the ES300h hybrid. The four-cylinder MKZ’s estimated 22-mpg city and 33-mpg highway fuel-economy numbers better the ES350′s 21/31 figures, but Lincoln has yet to reveal estimates for the front-drive V-6 model. (All-wheel-drive V-6 MKZs are estimated to return 18/26 mpg; Lexus does not sell an all-wheel-drive ES350.) MKZ hybrid fuel-economy predictions also are forthcoming.