New cars: 2011 Lincoln MKZ Hybrid

Car and Driver

The MKZ Hybrid is “a Lincoln-ized version” of Ford’s excellent Fusion hybrid, and a car “you can drive for fun or for mileage … which is also fun.” Standard features include leather trim, “library-like ambience, solid build quality,” and excellent fuel economy (41 mpg city; 36 mpg highway). At around $41,000 fully loaded, this hybrid “tells a value story that is almost as impressive as its economy story.”

Road & Track

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A four-cylinder engine supplemented by a small electric motor “doesn’t exactly scream high performance.” But while the combined 191 hp output isn’t thrilling, this sedan has sufficient power to make drivers believe that they’re in a Lincoln. The cabin is appropriately refined, and it’s especially quiet up to the electric-mode limit of 47 mph. “Standard creature comforts” include 10-way power-adjustable heated and cooled front seats.

Autoblog

A couple of details we dislike are the overuse of chrome and the patches of “cheap-feeling black plastic” that appear in the interior of the base-trim model. Still, this Lincoln, on balance, is a winner. It bests the fuel economy of the competition easily. And “in an age when most compacts are struggling to crest the 40 mpg barrier, a midsize luxury cruiser that hits the mark is something worthy of wonder.”