Cross Shop Close-Up: 2014 Lincoln MKZ
When Lincoln’s MKZ debuted in 2006, it impressed buyers with a luxurious interior that featured an array of standard equipment. What didn’t please anyone was its resemblance to the mass-market Ford Fusion. If not for its Lincoln grille and tail lights, the MKZ’s exterior styling made it a dead ringer for the Ford. That made it hard for the MKZ to compete with both entry luxury stalwarts like the Lexus ES350, and with more performance-luxury oriented competitors like the BMW 3-series and Cadillac CTS.
A 2013 restyle of both the MKZ and Fusion brought greater differentiation. Although many components remain shared with the Fusion, the MKZ now looks and feels like a distinct automobile, especially with its optional sliding glass roof.
Are these distinctions ringing with consumers, or does Lincoln continue to compete with itself and other vehicles in the Ford family stable? To find out, we used exclusive CarsDirect cross-shopping data from the past three months to take a look at the top five vehicles currently cross-shopped against the 2014 Lincoln MKZ.
(The percentages refer to the percentage of total MKZ shoppers who also cross-shopped the alternate models listed. For example, 10.5% of buyers who shopped an MKZ also shopped a Fusion.)
Lincoln MKZ Hybrid: 21.6%
Ford Fusion: 10.5%
Honda Accord: 10.2%
Cadillac ATS: 9.8%
Cadillac CTS: 9.3%
CarsDirect’s take: It’s perhaps no surprise that the primary model cross-shopped against the MKZ is the hybrid version, since it delivers 45 mpg—tops among all luxury cars—and costs exactly the same as the base non-hybrid V6. However, the next most cross-shopped model continues to be its Fusion cousin, followed by the mass-market Honda Accord. Offerings from Cadillac – Lincoln’s closest traditional rival – round out the top five.
These findings indicate the Lincoln still has some work to do in terms of capturing attention from entry luxury shoppers considering the dominant German and Asian competition. A recent advertising campaign might help jump-start such consideration, and as the striking MKZ continues to hit the streets in larger numbers, we wouldn’t be surprised if this cross-shopping data changes significantly over the next year.
Want custom cross-shopping data for your vehicles? Contact us at 866.852.3784 or connect@carsdirect.com for a customized cross-shop report.
