The Lincoln Corsair is a dressed-up Ford Escape. But the shopping obviously took place at upper-end establishments. Only when you look under the hood, or when a service tech has it on a hoist, will the Corsair resemble the humble Escape.
Kudos to the Lincoln design and development teams for endowing the Corsair with so much luxury and refinement.
The Corsair is readily identifiable as a Lincoln visually, and from behind the wheel. The development team took no shortcuts in the move from Ford to Lincoln.
Photo: Lisa Calvi
They did a nice job of disguising the mechanicals and ensuring the interior looks and feels like a Lincoln.
Luxurious interior of the Lincoln CorsairPhoto: Lincoln Canada
Premium materials, their application and modern design cues separate it from the Escape. The switchgear is premium in feel, and the orchestral chimes recorded by the Detroit Symphony Orchestra are a neat touch.
Brothers from another mother. A Ford Thunderbird ‘admiring’ a distant cousin.Photo: Lisa Calvi
The suspension has been tuned to ensure a supple, quiet and refined ride.
The Corsair does not pretend to offer the driving dynamics of the European competition. It instead concentrates on comfort, convenience and modern technology.
The Corsair made its debut for the 2020 model year. There are only minor changes for 2022.
The Lincoln Corsair is a quiet, pleasant and luxury ride.Photo: Lisa Calvi
The Corsair is available in three trim levels, Standard, $46,700; Reserve, $49,700 and Grand touring, $59,700. The Standard and Reserve trim levels come with a turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine paired with an eight-speed automatic transmission. The Grand Touring model gets plug-in hybrid drivetrain. It consists of a normally-aspirated 2.5-litre four, and an electric motor, fed from a 14.4 kWh lithium-ion battery pack, and a continuously variable automatic transmission. All trim levels come with all-wheel-drive.
Performance is adequate, if not thrilling.
Acceleration from rest to 100 km/hr takes a leisurely 7.5 seconds.
Starting off from rest at part throttle is a very quiet experience as the motivation is electrical. Exercise supreme patience and the Grand Touring is capable of travelling up to 40 km on battery juice alone. But if you encounter a steep grade or press too hard on the right-hand pedal, the engine joins the party.
Theoretically, if your commute was short, roads flat, and traffic calm, you could get by without needing fossil fuel. Plug in at home and/or work daily to recharge the battery pack, and count the savings for your purse and the climate.
The beauty of a plug-in hybrid: never any range anxiety
The Lincoln Corsair, a plug-in hybrid – the best of both worlds.Photo: Lincoln Canada
In the real world, especially in the Maritimes, where roads have hills and people tend to flaunt the posted speed limits, you’ll be needing to fuel up like the rest of the populace, albeit slightly less often. But the beauty of a plug-in hybrid is the ability to choose electric motivation without ever having to worry about reaching the next charging station, and whether it will be working.
Corsair, Lincoln’s smallest crossover is a pleasant, luxurious vehicle
Whichever mode you chose, you will be driving in the lap of luxury. As mentioned above this is a quiet ride. The front seats in the tester were the 24-way adjustable units exclusive to Lincoln. Unfortunately none of the settings allowed me to get comfortable above the waist. Anyone size 42 or above will likely suffer the same discomfort.
The rear seats offer competitive space, but headroom back there might be too tight for taller folks. This is a compact crossover after all. Lincoln offers several other models should you need or want more people space. The cargo area aft of the second row is pretty commodious considering the size of the vehicle. The low lift-over will be appreciated when loading cargo.
Lincoln’s smallest crossover is a pleasant and luxurious vehicle that should appeal to those who place a higher value on luxury and comfort than driving dynamics.
Photo: Lisa Calvi
FACTS & FIGURES – 2022 Lincoln Corsair AWD Grand Touring Plug-in Hybrid
PRICE
Base: $59,700
As tested: $76,025 including freight
SAFETY
Blind spot detection with cross traffic alert, reverse sensing system, pre-collision assist with automatic emergency braking
INFOTAINMENT
20-cm LCD touchscreen, embedded modem, Sync 3
STANDARD EQUIPMENT
Power liftgate, panoramic vista sunroof, heated and ventilated front seats, leather seats, satellite radio, universal garage door opener, dual zone automatic climate control, adaptive suspension, power tilt & telescope steering wheel
SIGNIFICANT OPTIONS
Ocean Blue Metallic paint, $900; Elements technology bundle, (Perfect position 24-way leather seats, heated steering wheel, windshield wiper de-icer, phone as a key, wireless charging pad, rain sensing wipers), $4,900; all-weather floor mats, $250; 20-inch bright machined aluminum wheels, $1,750; Luxury package, (14-speaker Revel audio system, heads-up display), $3,100; Lincoln Co-Pilot 360 1.5 plus, (active park assist, intelligent adaptive cruise control, 360-degree camera), $3,000
MECHANICAL
2.5-litre four-cylinder, 165-horsepower, 155 lb.-ft. of torque plus 196-horsepower electric motor, combined output 266-horsepower, 14.4 kWh lithium-ion battery pack, regular fuel, continuously variable automatic transmission, all-wheel-drive. NRCan rating (litres/100km city/highway combined): electric only – 3.1, gasoline 7.0
Transmission: continuously variable automatic
DIMENSIONS
Length, 4,587 mm; width, 2,123 mm; wheelbase, 2,711 mm; weight, 2,056 kg.
COMPETITION
Acura RDX, Audi Q5, BMW X3, Cadillac XT4, Genesis GV70, Infiniti QX50, Lexus NX, Mercedes GLC, Volvo XC60
