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First Drive: 2020 Lincoln Corsair

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OSOYOOS, B.C. — Lincoln Canada rolled the weather dice by scheduling it’s first drive media event of the luxury brand’s newest compact luxury utility here in the heart of British Columbia’s spectacular Okanagan Valley in mid-November.

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As it turned out, that gamble paid off with sunny skies and dry roads; and after spending some seat time in the all-wheel-drive 2020 Lincoln Corsair running up and down the great roads between Kelowna and Osoyoos over the course of a couple of days, the same can be said for the luxury automaker’s bet on re-imagining its smallest SUV.

‘Seat time’ is in fact the key to the transition from the Lincoln MKC to the Corsair, as the only significant change from the new model’s predecessor is a completely reworked cabin, from the seats to the cockpit to the controls. Well, that and the new name, ‘Corsair’ completing Lincoln’s rebranding exercise from alphanumeric nomenclature to proper names, in this case dusting off a half-century old Ford moniker (shared by both the Edsel Corsair and the UK’s Ford Corsair).

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Lincoln refers to the Corsair’s new cabin as a ‘sanctuary,’ citing luxury segment buyers’ penchant for, first and foremost, for a comfortable and refined driving experience. That’s the same philosophy that guided the all-new, 2020 Lincoln Aviator’s design, so little surprise that the Corsair’s interior shares many of the design and control features of that new mid-size utility.

As I mentioned at the outset, this is the first drive review of the Corsair, but a more accurate description would be a ‘first sit,’ as the hallmark of this new vehicle isn’t the driving experience, but rather the occupant experience. And that’s by design, not by accident.

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There’s an increasingly pervasive philosophy within the automotive world that consumers, particularly younger ones, regard vehicles not so much as cars in the traditional sense but as ‘appliances,’ mobility devices where the most important technological advancements have little to do with engine or transmission performance but instead connectivity, cloud interaction and creature comforts.

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And it’s that philosophy — love it or loathe it — that was the guiding mantra of the Corsair design team. It was certainly the script followed during the technical presentation of the new vehicle prior to our drive segments. I filled eight pages in my reporter’s notebook during the information session, and just one quarter of one-page makes mention of engines and gearbox. And at that, it notes that the two available turbocharged four-cylinders engines — a base 2.0-litre (250 horsepower) and an optional 2.3-litre (295 hp) — are the same mills from the MXC. (A plug-in hybrid version will be available later next year). However, there is an eight-speed automatic transmission in place of the predecessor’s six-speed gearbox.

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The remainder of my notebook is filled with jottings about (in no particular order): seats (designed by a consortium of orthopedic surgeons, chiropractors and physiotherapists); high-quality materials (the words ‘warm and supple’ used to describe said seats’ leather, dashboard features and steering wheel); cabin noise (said to be ‘whisper quiet’ thanks to three microphones embedded in the headliner that measure cabin decibels and emit noise-cancelling sound waves through the Revel audio system speakers to push road noise out. And also thanks to a sealed air sound barrier between the engine and cabin, and double-laminated glass); personal profiles (think memory seat settings on steroids, with up to 80 specific settings — including seats, pedal and steering wheel positions, music genre preference, volume and climate controls); and the LincolnWay phone-key-as app (simply transfer your key fob information into your smartphone and never need the key fob again, and you can do so for up to four different devices).

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See what I mean by ‘first sit’? Kidding aside, all these features and a handful of others make the Corsair quite a remarkable vehicle for those looking for value-for-money in the luxury space.

Even at highway speeds on some rougher roads, the cabin was amazingly, dare I say Rolls-Royce, tranquil. The seats, particularly with the massage setting on ‘full recovery’ mode, are among the best I’ve experienced. They are soft yet well bolstered in all the right places, indicating the aforementioned medical professionals earned their pay cheques. The controls and gauges are intuitive and by no means intrusive. The steering wheel is uncluttered to the point of modern minimalism, however there are some controls, including the very clever placement of the voice activation control button at the point your left-hand thumb rests on the steering wheel with your hands at 9 and 3.

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But what of the ‘first drive’ aspect of the Corsair?

Well, the engines are competent, the 2.3-litre my preference as the base powerplant seemed a little wanting when you need to get moving in a hurry on an onramp or during overtaking. The push-button transmission’s eight gears making for a smoother ride than the previous six-speed, and one would imagine improved fuel economy. Fuel ratings are (city/hwy): 2.0L, 11.1/8.1; 2.3L, 11.1/8.2. And the suspension is more than up to its luxury vehicle billing.

In addition to the base model, there is a Reserve trim, with respective pricing starting at $44,700 and $50,500. Corsairs are currently arriving in Canadian Lincoln showrooms.

Keen-eyed readers will note that I’ve not once written the word ‘sport’ in the course of these 850 words, somewhat peculiar given this vehicle’s apparent ‘luxury sport utility’ segmentation.

No oversight there as the 2020 Lincoln Corsair is a utility designed with an overwhelming emphasis on luxury, comfort and ease, and very little on driving dynamics. Relax, that’s not necessarily a bad thing.

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Andrew McCredie picture

Andrew McCredie

Andrew McCredie is a senior editor with Postmedia Driving and has been reporting on the automotive industry for the past 20 years, from consumer-oriented road tests to new vehicle launches to technological deep dives. For the past decade he has increasingly focused on electric vehicles, and his EV-related Postmedia podcast Plugged In continues to feature interviews with the country's, and the world's, experts in the electric vehicle industry.
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