My Kids & I Have Fun with the “Cool” Features of the Lincoln MKT

DSC01657

Over the Father’s Day weekend, my kids and I had some fun with the 2011 Lincoln MKT AWD crossover. In the past, with other autos like the Ford Flex and the Lincoln MKX, I approached my articles about these vehicles with more of a “reviewer’s perspective.” This time, I just thought that I would let me kids “drive”…well, not the car itself, but the review. An important thing about any type of product is making sure that it appeals to many audiences. When I approach product reviews on HighTechDad.com, I look at the product from the perspective of integrating it into a family environment. This can be from products as small as a gadget, but can go even as far as something much larger and more costly like a $58,000 automobile like the Lincoln MKT.

DSC01657

So, over Father’s Day weekend, I drove my 2 younger daughters around to various place, after instructing them that THEY would be the ones choosing the best features to talk about in their mind. There are plenty of great features built into this auto, but I will leave it up to the “professional” car reviewers. I wanted my 7 and 9 year olds to give me what they thought were the “cool” things of the car. When you buy a car, how often do you ask your children what they think about it. Sometimes you can get some interesting perspectives as to why they do or do not like it, and they may bring up things that you never thought about, a completely different perspective.

DSC01658

The Lincoln MKT that we tested had all sorts of nifty features but the ones that my kids liked the best were:

  • The Assisted Parking Assist feature (demonstrated in the video below)
  • The Passenger Windows that roll all of the way down (talked about by my daughter in the video below)
  • The Dual Panoramic Vista Sunroof (shown in the pictures below)
  • The 3rd Row Seats and the configurations you can do with it (seen in the video and pictures below)
  • The 2nd Row Refrigerator Console (seen in the video and pictures below)

DSC01659DSC01660

The best way to show off these features is actually through a video that my daughters and I did:

DSC01661DSC01667

The front grill is powerful and, as my children pointed out, looks like a face with a smile.

DSC01669

We also did like the headlights that would turn in the direction that you are turning.

Dual Panoramic Vista Sunroof

This feature was definitely one of the family favorites in both the Lincoln MKT (and the MKX).

DSC01672

My kids were just dying to put their heads out of the Dual Vista Panorama sunroom!

DSC01673

The front sunroof would go back all of the way; think of this sunroof as almost dual size, almost making your car feel like it were a convertible.

DSC01674

The sunroof over the 2nd row seat didn’t open but still provided a nice open feeling to the MKT. When the front sunroof was open, it would cover (and darken) the rear sunroof a bit but would not obstruct the view.

DSC01675

Both sunroofs can be covered with an automatic retractable set of shades should the sun get too bright.

3rd Row Seat Configurations

Having 3 rows of seats is great for a big family, but when they have multiple useful configurations, it’s even better.

DSC01676

My kids, who spent lots of time riding in the 3rd row of the MKT because, to them, it felt like it was like riding in a limousine, quickly discovered that the rear seating row was pretty darn fun.

DSC01677

With a push of the button, you can individually put the 3rd row seats in either normal, stow, fold or tailgate position.

DSC01678

You can do the Right Hand side or Left Hand side or both seats at once using the controls that my kids quickly figured out how to use.

DSC01679

The seat position that my kids absolutely LOVED was that of the tail gunner…I mean tailgate position. If you are at a tailgate, the seats quickly provide comfort for two people and the hatch acts as a shade.

DSC01680

My kids were so happy to test this seating position out!

2nd Row Refrigerator Console

Ever wanted a cool and refreshing drink when you are on a long drive? Having a car with a refrigerator built in really helps!

DSC01686

Another “cool” feature that the model that we tested was literally “cool.” In the 2nd row console, there was a built in freezer/refrigerator. I must say, this is a great feature to have.

DSC01688

In the console, there is a setting for cool and freeze. We left it in the cool setting and then loaded up the refrigerator with drinks. We had about 4-5 cans of soda and some other drinks. The cooler was active only when the car was on so as not to drain the battery. The cooler area itself was insulated so when the car was off, the drinks did remain cold.

DSC01689DSC01690

DSC01691

More photos of the Lincoln MKT can also be found on this Flickr photoset.

“Cool” was the word that my kids and I used a lot when playing around with the Lincoln MKT. You can see it in the video and I definitely thought that it was one of the more fun automobiles to drive. It was peppy, with the 3.5 liter Econoboost engine. My children quickly learned the meaning of “G-force” as we accelerated down the road. The heated and cooled seats provided great comfort for the adults in the front row, but also my kids in the 2nd row (as they pushed the buttons to cool down their butts and back).

I did have a bit of trouble connecting my Bluetooth iPhone to stream music via the SYNC system. For some reason, it just wouldn’t work. However, connecting my iPhone to the phone-side of SYNC was no problem. The on-board GPS worked pretty well once you figured out the interface. I have stated before that I think that the GPS UI needs to be reworked from a usability standpoint as it is not very intuitive. But I got from point A to point B without issue, once I did figure it out.

I was pretty excited being able to test out the Assisted Parking function. The premise is pretty simple, when you are driving down a street looking for parallel parking spots, you push a button. Then the MKT “looks” for a spot that it can fit into. When it finds one, if notifies you via an audible tone and on the dashboard, you are prompted to stop the car and put it in reverse. DO NOTE: you need to keep your foot on the brake since the car does not actually slow the car down when you are parking. But, it does steer the car automatically (and perfectly) into a parallel spot. Be sure to look at the video above to see it in action!

The bottom line is, the Lincoln MKT is a luxurious crossover that is a pleasure to drive and has enough “cool” features to not only get good praise from me, but also from my kids who were the primary “reviewers” of this auto.

Disclosure Text: Apart from the 10-day loan of the Lincoln MKT, I have not received any compensation for writing this content and I have no material connection to the brands, topics and/or products that are mentioned herein. More information can be found in my About page as well as here.

HTD says: See? Kids provide a lot of interesting feedback when you are looking at various products. Be sure to listen to them!

- Advertisement -
- Advertisement -
- Advertisement -

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Other articles of interest

Global Product Review Disclosure

Disclosure: This is a global disclosure for product review articles on HighTechDad. It does not apply to Automobile reviews and there are other exceptions. Therefore, it may or may not be applicable to this particular article. I may have a material connection because I may have received a sample of a product for consideration in preparing to review the product and write this or other content. I was/am not expected to return the item after my review period. All opinions within this and other articles are my own and are typically not subject to the editorial review from any 3rd party. Also, some of the links in the post above may be “affiliate” or “advertising” links. These may be automatically created or placed by me manually. This means if you click on the link and purchase the item (sometimes but not necessarily the product or service being reviewed), I will receive a small affiliate or advertising commission. More information can be found on my About page.

About HighTechDad

Michael Sheehan (“HighTechDad”) is an avid technologist, writer, journalist, content marketer, blogger, tech influencer, social media pundit, loving husband and father of 3 beautiful girls living in the San Francisco Bay Area. This site covers technology, consumer electronics, Parent Tech, SmartHomes, cloud computing, gadgets, software, hardware, parenting “hacks,” and other tips & tricks.

Recent Articles

Explore Categories

– Advertisement –

Shop Now!

My Favorite Setapp Apps

Affiliates

Wireless in Bulk? Genius! Shop Budget-Friendly, Unlimited Talk & Text Plans at MintSIM.
  • Save 15% Off at Incase
  • Shop Incase Now!

– Advertisement –

Intellifluence Trusted Blogger
Shop HighTechDad-reviewed products
– Advertisement –