[David_D]

We just purchased a 2016 MKC, Reserve 2.3, white pearl. So far we have only driven it about 50 miles but here's my first impressions:

The good:
Looks fantastic. I wasn't crazy about getting a white car, but this was a wife decision, so what the heck. The tri-color is very nice..no regrets.
The Welcome Mat is cool.
The 2.3 engine has plenty of torque/power.
The rear seats heat really well.
The ride is good. Takes the bumps well, and has a firm, yet comfortable feel.
I like that the steering wheel adjust is power assisted.

The bad:
The front seats do not heat well. I need to complain about this. Seems like this is common complaint.
The stock radio is meh. I guess you need to spend another 1K for the THX upgrade to get a decent radio. I haven't found any equalization/tone controls. No rear speakers either.
No chrome on the door handles.

Just wondering, what is the opinion of using 93 octane for this engine? The manual says 87 is minimum recommend, but just thinking that 93 would get better milage/performance.

and...Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays everyone.

 

[rocmkc]

Glad you are enjoying your MKC so far! Yes, the heated seat issue is common; I think most of us were hoping things would improve with the 2016 model. Guess not.

As for the 93 octane question, I have the 2.3 and am quite happy using 87 octane. I have tried 93 a couple of times but didn't feel a significant difference nor see a significant difference in gas mileage. I suppose it comes down to personal preference -- so give 93 a try and see if things seem better enough to you to justify the added cost. But as you have said, the 2.3 really has a great deal of torque/power even running on 87.

 

[blankster]

If the sound system has tone controls buried in the audio setup menu. I assume you have the same system I have which is not that bad if you adjust the equalizer. The thx system did not do much for me. Use regular for fuel unless your towing something. The seats are a bit slow but after a couple of minutes you can feel them warming. I used the app to start it the other day and by the time I got there the seats and interior was warm. It was a 3 minute walk. I'm guessing they have been improved from early 15s. Recording the ride we have ride control which is great. The 20 inch tires do ride a little firmer.

 

[5.0 Candy REDCS]

Welcome to the forum....Congrats on the new purchase I have the same 2016 2.3 Reserve package,I agree with you, regarding the sound system...lets just say it's ok, not stellar! Mine is the white pearl coat ( guess you could call it white lol).
93 octane burns a lil slower,which is why engines running 93 do NOT pull timing.....performance engines require the use of premium,for this exact reason....MKC will run just fine on regular, I would use 93 if I am towing a load.
You are not going to feel much of a performance jump between the 2 fuels tho....but as an example: HUGE diff in my Mustang GT 5.0 from the 2 different fuels....I say, night and day....runs pretty crappy with regular gas...usually I ONLY use 93 Shell.Selling dealer had filled it up with regular gas which is the ONLY time it saw reg gas!...
There have been numerous complaints regarding the front seats heating issue,I had mine checked at the dealer and nothing came out of it,given time, they do heat up...just not a whole lot...it has to do with the layered duel system embedded in the seats....cooling and heating.
The heated steering wheel is a great feature....The eject button for the passenger seat works great for getting rid of touchy/feelie passengers that insist in adjusting things within the interior hehehe!
For winter, I bought a set of 18" alloy rims shod with Michelin X Ice winter tires.... a lil pricy, but worth it in my book...cheap Chinese steel rims look crappy and the Bridgestone tires had terrible reviews ( the dealer offered this winter package as a promotional deal enhancer,I upgraded and paid the diff to the tune of another $800 bucks, all in.
Overall, Im happy with the MKC....only had it since October, so a couple of months....so far so good.

 

[David_D]

Thanks for your replies. At our local Costco in NJ regular gas is currently $1.61 .and Super is $1.96..so at those prices I can afford to use 93 octane.

Glad to hear there might be some audio/equalizer controls...I went looking for them the other day but couldn't find them. Will try again.

 

[5.0 Candy REDCS]

David....is that price for per litre of per gallon? Im assuming it's per gallon...

 

[mmoretti]

David....is that price for per litre of per gallon? Im assuming it's per gallon...

Yes it's gallons in NJ, and our gas is unbelievably cheap right now. Costco is the lowest. I've even been putting in higher octane sometimes because the price is so low

Lots of MKC in NJ, I see them constantly now.

 

[5.0 Candy REDCS]

I don't see many where I live, the odd one here and there.....although, the other day heading into town I saw a black 2016 MKC with, seriously the prettiest lady driver EVER! lol....whoever she was, definitely stunning lady....

 

[countryguy]

So far, my MKC is the only one that I have seen in this area.....I like that

 

[David_D]

Not a common vehicle

I haven't seen any other MKC's on the road since I've purchased mine. I like the fact that there's not a trillion of them on the road. I was just thinking the other day that in the compact SUV category all of the Japanese brands (Mazda, Toyota Honda, Accura, etc) pretty much all look the same, especially from the rear. Lincoln has a distinctive look which we like very much. For that matter, there no way you can confuse American cars. You can tell it's a Chevy versus a Ford right away.

O ya...found the audio controls...once I max'd the equalizer controls the improvement was substantial. For some strange reason the front/rear speaker fader came with the rears completely shut...so I discovered the rear speakers are there as well.

 

[5.0 Candy REDCS]

I haven't seen any other MKC's on the road since I've purchased mine. I like the fact that there's not a trillion of them on the road. I was just thinking the other day that in the compact SUV category all of the Japanese brands (Mazda, Toyota Honda, Accura, etc) pretty much all look the same, especially from the rear. Lincoln has a distinctive look which we like very much. For that matter, there no way you can confuse American cars. You can tell it's a Chevy versus a Ford right away.

O ya...found the audio controls...once I max'd the equalizer controls the improvement was substantial. For some strange reason the front/rear speaker fader came with the rears completely shut...so I discovered the rear speakers are there as well.

I suggest you do not load the Bass to high, it does distort on the rears! Keep the high's 2 notches down from max too, they are just too bright...mid delivers decent sound overall...