Among the updates it gets as part of a major refresh, the 2016 Lincoln MKX gets new audio systems from Harman International’s Revel, as Lincoln becomes the latest car brand to boast of imbuing its cabins with the acoustic acuity of concert halls.
Lincoln will offer both a 13-speaker system and a 19-speaker Ultima system in the MKX. Ford’s luxury brand claims engineers adjust the tuning, calibration, and number of speakers for each individual model, so the MKX gets a setup that’s supposed to be ideally suited to its interior space.
As with Revel’s home-audio systems, the MKX systems feature tweeters and midrange speakers positioned next to each other in a “point-source architecture,” as well as Revel “Waveguides”– circular rims that optimize high-frequency dispersion, Lincoln says.
The MKX systems also feature Revel’s QuantumLogic Surround surround-sound system, which is supposed to provide a clearer multi-dimensional effect than comparable systems. It also includes three programmable modes — traditional stereo, Audience, and On Stage — that can be accessed using the car’s central touchscreen.
Both the Audience and On Stage modes were designed to provide the feeling of being in a concert hall or space. On Stage even arranges the sound of individual instruments and other settings to create the illusion that listeners are sitting in the middle of a sound stage.
One last piece of tech for the 19-speaker Ultima system is Revel’s Clari-Fi, which works in real time to “rebuild audio details often lost during the digital compression process,” according to Lincoln. Because fitting a record player for audio purists probably wasn’t an option.
The 2016 Lincoln MKX retains its Ford Edge underpinnings, but it gets new styling inside and out, plus new tech features like a 360-degree camera system and Auto Hold, which allows the car to crawl forward in traffic without any input from the driver.
There are two engine options. The standard engine is a 3.7-liter V6 with 300 horsepower and 280 pound-feet of torque, and it’s joined by an optional 2.7-liter turbocharged EcoBoost V6, with 330 hp and 370 lb-ft. A six-speed automatic is the only transmission option, but buyers can choose between front-wheel drive and all-wheel drive.
