Driving impressions of the Lincoln MKZ

I liked it. Really. But ...

It didn't thrill me. Not that every car can be a Porsche 911 Carrera 4S Cabriolet ... But still.

Since I loved the MKS, I had hoped for a little more from the petite MKZ. But it fell pretty flat. The seats were comfortable. The styling was attractive. The controls were functional and intuitive.

But still.

Acceleration was OK, and the overall facade was just plain conservative. Kind of an upscale Focus. For $42K. And I guess I've progressed beyond that. If I'm going to spend more than $40K on a car, I want pizzazz, style and something that has a bit of "see-me" in it.

I guess it would be fine for someone in business related job. Something where you don't really want to flaunt how much you're spending on a car. Classy, subtle, nondescript, borzzzzz ... Snooze. Sorry. Nodded off there.

The high point in the MKZ are the behind-the-wheel gauges, which are lifted neatly from the MKS. They're high tech, glistening and downright beautiful. A non sequitur for the rest of the car.

The verdict? It's a classic vehicle with nothing (and I do mean nothing) outstanding, dazzling or otherwise wow. Definitely not worth a $42K pricetag, and I think that's what turned me off the most.

Love it: The slick and glistening behind-the-wheel gauges.

Hate it: The boring shape that was mistaken more than once for a Ford Focus.

Can't live without it: Um, well, nothing actually. I could quite happily live without the MKZ.