The Sell: If the Audi Q5 and Lexus NX had a love child it would be the MKC.
The Test: We didn鈥檛 see this one coming. Plopped behind the wheel of the ($33,995; 19 mpg city/26 hwy) on a rainy afternoon, plying our way north on the winding roads of New York鈥檚 Hudson Valley, every feature grew on us. First, the slick cabin: Where rivals charge more for electronically controlled, heated leather seats and touchscreen navigation, here it鈥檚 part of the package. Even active noise canceling is included鈥攖he sound system works like a pair of Bose headphones, filtering out engine roar.
Handling, too, is impressive: more precise and kinetic than the Lexus NX. Its six-speed automatic transmission also has a sport mode that lets you use engine braking for better control off-road. And with 7.9 inches of ground clearance and AWD, the MKC is cut out to go anywhere you鈥檇 take a Subaru Outback. Plus, it comes standard with course-correcting nannies that augment stability and traction control and can help prevent a rollover.
Lincoln is also an outlier in giving you an actual temporary spare tire, where increasingly (especially in the luxury segment) you鈥檙e stuck with a can of Fix-a-Flat and an 800 number鈥攚hich won鈥檛 do you much good when you鈥檙e out of cell range on a backwoods fire road.
What鈥檚 Missing? A little more space.
The Verdict: An adventure car with luxury features to spare