Playing It Safe Means Losing an Edge

2008 Lincoln MKZ sedan

It is difficult to eulogize a friend who never pleased nor offended anyone, who journeyed through life absent failure or triumph, who said little and meant less.

He was a nice guy. But where should I go from there?

I am similarly stymied in commenting on the 2008 Lincoln MKZ all-wheel-drive sedan. It is a nice car. There is nothing obviously wrong with it. Key the ignition and it starts every time. Tap the brake pedal. It stops. Its 3.5-liter, 263-horsepower V-6 engine is capable, decent. Its leather-covered seats are reasonably comfortable. But what else is there?

I sought answers from Ria Manglapus, my associate in vehicle evaluations, and from my wife, Mary Anne. But they were baffled too.

"It's a car, you know," said Ria, who seldom uses verbal fillers such as "you know." She shrugged. "It's a car. It's okay."

"What is this, the Mercury something?" Mary Anne asked.

"The Lincoln MKZ," I said.

"MKZ?" Mary Anne asked. "But didn't you drive this one before?"

"Not exactly," I said. "I drove it in 2005 when it was called the Lincoln Zephyr."

"So, that's it?" Mary Anne asked. "They changed the name? That makes it new?"

"They also increased the horsepower. This one has 42 more horsepower," I said.

"Oh," said Mary Anne. "Too bad they didn't do something about the interior. It looks dated, like something for little old people."