OK, I've spent a couple weeks in an MKC so I'm just going to piggyback my thoughts in this thread.
Is it different enough from an Escape? Absolutely, I received many, many positive comments from people I knew and from people in parking lots and none had any notion that the MKC was related to the Escape. Do I recognize the Ford switchgear and know the engine is the same? Of course. But non-car people seemed to really like it.
In terms of styling, I love it. To my eye, this is a very handsome vehicle from every angle. I wouldn't say that about the Escape. I've never really thought the old Focus face worked on the Escape. And the interior is definitely a step up from an Escape. The wood and aluminum trim is very nice. The seats are very comfortable. The centre stack is much better designed than in the Escape. And the massive panoramic roof is also very cool. The Escape interior, while funky and fun, is not anywhere as comfortable or as useful as the MKC's.
The 2.0L Turbo is very familiar by now and works very well in this vehicle. This is a fast and responsive little CUV. It must feel like an absolute rocket with the Mustang's 2.3L Turbo. I really liked how the transmission worked especially in Sport mode where it would hold the gear rather than upshifting if the throttle was momentarily lifted. The transmission selector is also a major difference in the MKC with a vertical push button arrangement for the traditional P, R, N, D with the engine start button on top and the Sport button on the bottom. With literally decades of muscle memory, I was initially constantly reaching for the shifter that isn't there. I remember thinking, "man, I'm going to forget to press the park button when I stop this thing." I needn't have worried as Park is automatically selected when the engine shut off button is pressed. Rather than having to dig through a menu, it was lots of fun to just tap the S button on the fly to get faster throttle response, and the Sport transmission settings. The Sport button could also be set to activate the Sport suspension mode.
The MKC is equipped with Ford's Continuous Control Suspension (The Escape doesn't get it). It is an adaptive suspension that adjusts the suspension in real time based on the road and driver inputs. In the menus you can select Comfort, Normal, or Sport to be the base suspension for both Drive and Sport. I drove in D using the Normal setting and Sport when in S mode. Even in Normal mode the suspension stays very buttoned down and cornering stays quite flat. The car I'd driven right before the MKC was a 2015 Mustang and I didn't feel a tremendous loss of suspension composure in the Lincoln, which is what I expected. I tried Comfort mode and it brought back memories of my last ride in a Grand Marquis - floaty, with not a bump felt. Maybe a nice setting to have on a leisurely highway drive but I didn't really care for it driving around the city.
This was the first MKC I had seen or driven and my impressions were extremely positive. Of course, my value impressions are based on it being a used car rather than brand new. Price-wise it is about $5000 more than a used Escape Titanium. If I had the $5000 and was considering these two vehicles, I'd go for the MKC hands down.
