2020 Lincoln Corsair Review & Buying Guide | Old-school, value-priced luxury

The 2020 Lincoln Corsair is a compelling alternative to the compact luxury crossover establishment. It’s distinctively stylish inside and out, very spacious, and it clearly focuses on comfort rather than performance. Not only that, it has a base price that’s thousands of dollars cheaper than its German rivals.

It has a couple of drawbacks. Its quest for comfort does sacrifice some of its handling capability, and its overseas rivals still have nicer cabin materials. But there are enough positives that you’ll still want to give the Corsair a closer look.

What’s new for 2020?

The Lincoln Corsair is a completely new model introduced this year. It replaces the Lincoln MKC, and like that crossover, the Corsair still shares its platform with the Ford Escape.

What’s the Corsair’s interior and in-car technology like?

While the Corsair is based on the Ford Escape, you wouldn’t be able to tell from the inside, and that’s a very good thing. The little Lincoln crossover has a unique interior, both in relation to the Escape and to the rest of its luxury segment. There’s nothing remotely like it. The dashboard itself is low and wide, emphasized by the split-level design and the faux full-width air vent. The center stack has a cantilevered design that floats above the center console area and features chrome-plated switches and knobs. Base models get a stylish pinstriped aluminum trim panel on the dash paired with one of three upholstery color options including black, gray and beige. However, the Reserve steps things up considerably with differing wood and metal trim choices that correspond to the expanded leather color options that include a camel tan and dark turquoise (pictured above).

All Corsairs get an 8-inch touchscreen infotainment system mounted high on the dash within easy sight and reach. It uses a reskinned version of the latest Ford SYNC interface. The layout is straightforward and easy to navigate, and the more muted color options on the Lincoln system are easier on the eyes than the stark white Ford version. It’s a little bit slow to load new menus, though, and this carries over to the optional 12.3-inch instrument cluster screen available on the Reserve trim. The Corsair comes standard with an analog instrument cluster with a 6.5-inch info screen. We appreciate that many stereo and climate controls have dedicated switches and knobs on the center stack, and they have a nice heft to their actions.

How big is the Corsair?

The Corsair falls into the compact class of luxury crossovers, and although it’s significantly larger than its MKC predecessor, its exterior dimensions still put it on the slightly small side versus some of its competitors such as the Audi Q5 and BMW X3. However, it’s really quite large inside. It has more cargo space than the Q5, Cadillac XT4, Mercedes-Benz GLC-Class and Lexus NX. The X3 is about the only competitor with more room for stuff.

As for passenger comfort, the Corsair is pleasant enough. Front passengers have a choice of two power seats, either standard 10-way or available 24-way “Perfect Position” seats. Both have about the same seat shape. We recommend trying them yourself, as not all of our editors have liked them. One of them felt they were too tight while another found them to be reasonably comfortable with wide cushions and supportive bolsters. There’s plenty of head-, leg- and shoulder room for front occupants, though. The rear seats are a bit flat, but have sliding and reclining adjustment for additional comfort and expanding cargo space. With the rear seats moved fully rearward, the Corsair has an enormous amount of legroom.

What are the Corsair’s performance and fuel economy?

Corsair offers a choice of two engines. The standard engine is a turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder that makes 250 horsepower and 280 pound-feet of torque. Front-wheel drive is standard, all-wheel drive is optional and like every Corsair, it comes with an eight-speed automatic.

Optional on the Reserve trim is the turbocharged 2.3-liter four-cylinder that makes 295 horsepower and 310 pound-feet of torque. All-wheel drive is standard.

You can see the full fuel economy numbers for all powertrain combinations below, but as you can see, the bigger engine doesn’t really differ from the base.

·      2.0-liter FWD: 22 City / 29 Highway / 25 Combined

·      2.0-liter AWD: 21 City / 29 Highway / 24 Combined

·      2.3-liter AWD: 21 City / 28 Highway / 24 Combined

While not available for this model year, it’s worth noting that Lincoln will also offer a plug-in hybrid Corsair called the Grand Touring for the 2021 model year. It uses a naturally aspirated 2.5-liter four-cylinder and electric motor for the front wheels and an electric motor for the rear wheels. Total output is 266 horsepower, and its 14.4-kWh battery provides an estimated 26 miles of electric range. Further details such as fuel economy have not yet been announced, but should become available close to the launch later in 2020.

What’s the Corsair like to drive?

The Corsair exhibits some more traditional American luxury car driving characteristics, for better and for worse. Neither engine is underpowered, but the available 2.3-liter engine is the one to go for if you can afford it. Besides not losing much in the way of fuel economy, you have an abundance of horsepower and torque that propels the Corsair smoothly and effortlessly as a cushy luxury car should. The transmission isn’t especially quick on shifts, but it’s just as slick as the power delivery.

Also impressive is the quiet and isolating cabin. Only the faintest engine noises and occasional large bumps contribute to the interior’s soundscape. It makes for a calming place to while away the hours on long trips or stop-and-go commutes.

The Corsair could use some work in the suspension and chassis department, though. In most circumstances, except the “Excite” mode on models with adaptive suspension, the tuning is extra soft. This cushions the blows of big bumps and eliminates little imperfections. But big bumps, crests or dips can result in unpleasant bobbing for several moments after the initial hit, just like old American luxury barges. There’s also a fair bit of nose dive and lift under braking and acceleration, and it doesn’t feel very planted when cornering hard. In a Corsair with adaptive suspension, “Excite” mode does firm things up, but it becomes a bit harsh over rough pavement.

What more can I read about the Lincoln Corsair?

We drive Lincoln’s new compact crossover for the first time with full impressions on how it drives.

A more in-depth look at pricing and packages. You can see the available colors below.

What features are available and what’s the Corsair’s price?

The Corsair only has two trim levels: Standard and Reserve. Standard starts at $36,940 and Reserve starts at $43,625. Regardless of trim, the Corsair comes standard with the turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder and front-wheel drive. All-wheel drive is an option on both trims, and the Reserve has the higher-output 2.3-liter engine available as an option, which comes exclusively with all-wheel drive.

Notable standard features for the Standard trim include 18-inch alloy wheels, heated side mirrors, remote start, dual-zone automatic climate control, 10-way power front seats, leatherette upholstery (vinyl), an 8-inch touchscreen infotainment system, a 6.5-inch screen in the instrument cluster, and a 10-speaker sound system.

The Reserve trim includes or replaces the above standard features with 19-inch alloy wheels, fog lights, hands-free power liftgate, auto-dimming driver-side mirror, a panoramic sunroof, heated front seats, leather upholstery (optional on Standard trim), power-adjustable steering wheel, ambient lighting, upgraded interior trim, voice-activated navigation and a 14-speaker sound system. The Reserve also has a number of exclusive options, which include the ability to use a phone as the car key, a 12.3-inch instrument panel screen, a heads-up display, 24-way power adjustable seats and a wider choice of leather colors.

What are Corsair’s safety equipment and crash ratings?

All Corsairs come standard with a suite of safety features called Co-Pilot360. This includes forward automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection, blind-spot monitoring, lane-keep assist and automatic high-beam headlights. Lincoln also has an optional Co-Pilot360 Plus which adds reverse automatic emergency braking, lane-centering, evasive steering assist, adaptive cruise control and automatic parking.

The Lincoln Corsair has earned impressive crash test scores. The government gave the Corsair a top five-star rating overall, for frontal crash testing and side crash testing. It received a four-star rating for rollover risk. It is also an Insurance Institute for Highway Safety Top Safety Pick, having received the highest “Good” rating for all crash tests. It also received top marks for its standard forward collision prevention system both for vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-pedestrian. The optional collision prevention system got the highest “Superior” score for vehicle-to-vehicle testing, but the second highest “Advanced” score for vehicle-to-pedestrian testing. Keeping it from earning the ultimate Top Safety Pick+ rating were standard headlights that were rated “Poor” and optional headlights that were rated “Acceptable.”