Lincoln MKZ review: a cheap, well-equipped used sedan for a buyer willing to accept the risk
3.1/5motorssouq Editorial Team
The MKZ makes sense as an inexpensive, well-equipped used sedan for a buyer who already understands they are entering a niche — parts sourced partly through the UAE, a small pool of interested resale buyers, and independent workshops that need a moment to recognise the platform under the Lincoln badge. Judged purely as a car to drive and live with, the 2.0-litre EcoBoost grade is genuinely good; judged as an asset, it is not one.
Pros
- 2.0-litre EcoBoost engine feels quicker than its 245 hp figure suggests
- Equipment list — heated/cooled seats, Revel audio, adaptive cruise — reads like a pricier car
- Used price in Bahrain undercuts comparably equipped Japanese and Korean rivals
- Serviced through the same Lincoln distributor network as the current Navigator and Aviator
Cons
- Near-zero resale demand in Bahrain — expect to wait for the right buyer
- Independent workshops outside the Lincoln network need to look up the platform first
- Panel and interior trim parts sometimes have to be sourced from the UAE
- Rarer twin-turbo V6 version worth having is harder to find than the standard four-cylinder
The last MKZ generation, sold through 2020, was a genuinely competitive mid-size luxury sedan when new: the 2.0-litre EcoBoost four makes 245 hp and moves the car with more urgency than its size suggests, the cabin is quiet, and the equipment list — heated and cooled seats, a 14-speaker Revel audio system on higher grades, adaptive cruise control — reads like a much more expensive car. Under the sheet metal it shares its bones with the Ford Fusion, which is not an insult; the Fusion was a genuinely well-engineered mid-size sedan.
Where the value actually is
Because Lincoln sold so few of these in the Gulf and the badge carries little resale cachet here, a used MKZ in Bahrain today is priced closer to a mainstream Japanese sedan several years older than its actual specification would suggest. For a buyer who cross-shops on equipment per dinar rather than brand prestige, that gap is the entire case for the car.
The 3.0-litre twin-turbo V6 version is quicker still and worth having if you find one at the right price, though it is rarer in Bahrain than the standard four-cylinder car.
The ownership trade-off
Servicing runs through the same Lincoln distributor network as the current Navigator and Aviator, so scheduled maintenance is not a mystery, but independent workshops that specialise in Japanese and Korean sedans will need to look up the platform before they can quote you confidently. Panel parts and interior trim for a discontinued model this specific sometimes have to come from the UAE.
Resale is the real constraint: expect to hold the car until you find the right buyer rather than trading it in quickly, and price your purchase accordingly on the way in.