Following hot on the heels of the 3 Series rivalling Cadillac ATS the Lincoln MKZ comes with an equally daunting task of taking on the class leader. The future of Lincoln, a manufacturer that would once have been uttered in the same breath as Bentley and Rolls-Royce, would appear to rest squarely on the concept's squat shoulders.

Based on the same platform as the upcoming Ford Mondeo (or Fusion for our American readers) the MKZ is seen as the car that will cast off the staid shackles of recent Lincolns and move the brand back into the premium segment that, Stateside at least, it used to dominate.

To do this Lincoln has raided its past with the split-wing grille design directly inspired by its most famous car, the Zephyr from the late thirties. The implementation, along with piercing wrap-around headlights, works well and manages to move the car far enough away from its Ford underpinnings to suggest that when its reaches production the MKZ might actually sell.

Before then Lincoln has a few changes to make though. The full length glass roof is typical show car folly that will undoubtedly make way for a conventional metal item and unless Lincoln has some novel way of opening doors it will have to fit handles along the sculpted sides of the car.

These changes aside the MKZ concept is said to be production ready with a new model expected to hit dealerships by the end of the year. No word yet on engines or drivetrain but the vast bank of Ford petrol four-cylinder and V6 units can be called upon. However, while the Mondeo platform, on which it is based, is configurable as both front- and four-wheel drive it does not appear to accommodate a rear-wheel drive setup. This could be a major oversight on Lincoln's part especially with customers now having the choice of the rear-wheel drive Cadillac ATS.

Paul Healy - 10 Jan 2012