[HCFX]

It's been a minute since I've posted on here.

I am a RSM who is on the road daily, my car is essentially my office. I bought the MKC new in December of 2014 and initially leased it for two years so I could write the payment off. I set it up with a very low buyout so I bought it out.

I bought the MKC with concerns. It was one of the first models of the first year of a brand new model from a domestic brand, it had a turbo 4 cylinder engine putting out a lot of power for its size which brought longevity concerns, etc. Why I bought it over a german brand or Lexus/Acura knowing I was going to be putting a lot of miles on was because it's a Ford product so I could have it serviced or repaired at any Ford dealer in remote areas, and it shared a lot of parts with other Ford products so there should be plenty of part availability if something goes wrong after warranty. I chose it because it had a very unique premium look & feel to it inside and out with the ease of service that domestics are known for. That, and I really loved the look when it came out and still do love it.

I just clicked over 296,000km/184,000mi today and the MKC is still going strong daily. It has had it's odd problem and quirk here and there (listed below) but on the whole I have absolutely zero complaints with how this ride has held up over the last 5 years and almost 185,000mi. It's been a comfortable and reliable SUV and I would 100% buy it over again! The only complaints I have is noise and fuel economy. Even with newer better tires than factory I still find it noisier than it should be, and the fuel economy from the 2.3 is pretty horrendous for it's size. I find myself filling the tank at least once every 3 days, I have filled it twice in a day once. I'd like to see a larger fuel tank, but I still find 19-21mpg highway pretty bad for an SUV this size considering I've had a few full size Ford pickups that average 18-20mpg, as does my 2016 MKX 2.7.

Here's what has broken and what I've had to fix:

-Oil changes every 8,000km-5,000mi
-Tire rotations every 16,000km-10,000mi
-Changed transmission, PTU and rear differential fluid every 30,000mi
-OEM 20" tires swapped at 40,000mi, I have run Michelin Pilot Sport A/S's since then with good results.
-Leaking clunky front struts changed under warranty at 40,000mi, the replacements are the same ones I have now with no issues, all other suspension is stock other than tie rod ends and sway bar links.
-Brake pads done every 40,000mi or so, rotors have been replaced once and resurfaced once.
-Spark plugs & coils done at 60,000mi, again at 120,000mi and again at 180,000mi.
-Front CV axle was clicking at 110,000mi so I had both front axles replaced.
-Sway bar links done at 140,000mi
-RF wheel bearing was making noise at 155,000mi so I had both front wheel bearings done.

Other than routine maintenance that pretty much brings us to today. Currently my a/c is not working, I need tires again and my brakes are getting down there again. Those are really the only things wrong with my car right now other than a couple rattles. The a/c will be diagnosed this week and if it's anything major I may look into getting into something new as it also needs tires & brakes. It's probably only worth about $5k on trade as it sits so I'm not really interested in putting a couple grand of work into something that's worth that little. I really like Lincoln's latest product in the Corsair and Aviator so I wouldn't mind checking either one of those out!

5 years with a great ride!!

 

[Mpbmkc]

Interesting on the mpg as my wife's 2015 2.3 was getting around 24.4 combined at 59,000 miles before we sold it.

With you doing that kind of miles, I'm sure it was 90% highway, so getting 19-21 highway is low, unless you have a very heavy foot.

 

[blankster]

My wife and I did a 1200 mile trip. We drove the great river road to St Louis then down to metropolis Illinois. Those roads were mostly 60 mph speed limits. On the way back we took I 57 back. On that leg we drove 75 to 80 most of the way. For the entire trip we averaged 29 mpg and outside temperatures were close to 100. We have a 2016 Reserve 2.3 with 32k miles.

 

[zerohertz]

Great write up! Currently at 70k 5 years in as well. Couldn't agree more with you regarding the gas mileage especially tank size. I think I get a tad bit better mileage with FWD 2.0 engine, but just a tad. Regarding the noisy tires, I do believe those 20" wheels are the culprit. Probably would've been worth it to go 18".

 

[HCFX]

Interesting on the mpg as my wife's 2015 2.3 was getting around 24.4 combined at 59,000 miles before we sold it.

With you doing that kind of miles, I'm sure it was 90% highway, so getting 19-21 highway is low, unless you have a very heavy foot.

My wife and I did a 1200 mile trip. We drove the great river road to St Louis then down to metropolis Illinois. Those roads were mostly 60 mph speed limits. On the way back we took I 57 back. On that leg we drove 75 to 80 most of the way. For the entire trip we averaged 29 mpg and outside temperatures were close to 100. We have a 2016 Reserve 2.3 with 32k miles.

Great write up! Currently at 70k 5 years in as well. Couldn't agree more with you regarding the gas mileage especially tank size. I think I get a tad bit better mileage with FWD 2.0 engine, but just a tad. Regarding the noisy tires, I do believe those 20" wheels are the culprit. Probably would've been worth it to go 18".

Yes, I wish I'd have gone with the 19" wheels which are the smallest for this package. Tires are really expensive and I just think 20" is too big for this chassis. I find the ride to be both floaty and choppy and even with upgraded tires it likes to pull into ruts on the road pretty aggressively. MKC loaners I've driven with 18 and 19" wheels are much nicer to drive. The 20" looks great though. Unfortunately in black/black with the sonata silver trim this was the only one I could find at the time in late 14 and didn't have time to custom order one.

I think the 20" wheels have also caused the poor fuel economy as this car has been hard on fuel for its size since day 1.

My AC problem is a leak in the system somewhere as it had zero refrigerant in the system. Recharged and keeping an eye on it over the next few services. At 299,643kms now, will be over the 300k mark by the middle of this week!

 

[Alzee77]

Thanks for the post...today I will mark 100K miles and had similar concerns and experiences too with my MKC...definitely agree with the small fuel tank size. All and all no major complaints....

 

[Alzee77]

Just turned 100K and noticed a glitch in the odometer...before 100K the odometer tracks a tenth of a mile...after the 100K the odometer looses the tenth of a mile tracker. I’m a bit miffed at FMC engineering on this...they should’ve done better job with the QA !

 

[HCFX]

Update!

Despite the curveball that 2020 threw at us, it was yet another busy year. Unfortunately my MKC chapter ended last month when the transmission gave up at 414,453km. I knew something was wrong with it at around the 370k mark as it started shifting rough and taking a long time to go into gear. Ultimately it gave up completely and I opted to close the book and move on to a new vehicle instead of pumping money into it and rolling the dice on what it would need next. The MKC served me extremely well, I definitely didn't cut any losses by trading it in. It was running constantly for hours/days on end and I sincerely doubt it was a product designed for long-term severe duty like this. I'm not convinced any other vehicle in it's class would've gone much further than this one did without major repairs, so with hindsight being 20/20 I have no regrets about my 6 and a half years of ownership with the car. But there's a point in a vehicle's life where I believe one is better off getting out of it before you go too far down the rabbit hole of repairs when it's never going to last forever and it's only worth so much money.

The only complaint I can come up with is that the fuel mileage was absolutely dismal for a vehicle that size. From new I could barely squeak out 21mpg highway, and as it aged it was down to an average highway mileage of around 16-17mpg. Between that and the tiny fuel tank, there were times when I could barely get 180-200 miles to a tank of fuel. Yikes.

I moved on and went a different route within the Ford family and picked up a 2021 F-150. I'm clearly on the road a lot, and you can't beat the all around livability of a modern pickup. I love the space and comfort for long trips, and I feel as though the platform will hold up to heavy mileage better over time. So far I'm on par with the MKC for fuel economy at around 20mpg and hoping for a little better as it breaks in a little more.

I wouldn't hesitate to recommend the MKC/Corsair to anyone, but I probably would opt for the smaller engine.

 

[copbait]

Thanks for the update @HCFX. And you had the 2.3 l motor which people have stated has a little bit more transmission problems. Glad to hear you got so many miles on it I agree at that point that car didn't know you a thing