[njlime]

Picked up our new MKC & immediately headed out on a 4,000 mile road trip to Denver & back to NJ.


The seats are quite comfortable for long cruising as are the ride & handling.
We had no vehicle problems with the MKC but there are a couple of "minor" frustrations.


We averaged 25.8 mpg(2.3 AWD) for the entire trip, including significant cruising at 70-80+ mph (highway speed limits were 65-75).


As with many recent Ford products, despite the gas mileage, the gas tank should be a bit larger. Cruising range is about 350 miles per tank. However, we often found ourselves starting to look for gas with 100 miles left because sections of the Midwest can be 50-70 miles between convenient gas stations & often the signs do not say how far until the next location. So effectively, the driving range is 250-275 miles. Manageable but another 75 miles (3 gallons) would be more convenient.


We also had a few frustrations with the Navigation system.
Directions seemed to occasionally take us on strange routes. We checked & changed preference settings but still got off the beaten path several times.


When pulling out of motels, gas stations, etc, directions on where to turn were sometimes incorrect or not clear.


The speed limit as shown by the navigation system was often incorrect, showing 65 mph speed limit in places where the posted speed was 60 mph & also where it was posted at 70 mph. This inaccuracy seemed much more frequent than in other vehicles we have owned in recent years with built-in navigation.


Frequently, as soon as we pulled off the highway, we got a message that the "map data was incomplete...drive at your own risk". And this was along Route 80 near larger cities such as Omaha, South Bend, etc. Again, this seems much more noticeable than the system in other vehicles we have owned with built- in navigation. Why doesn't Lincoln just buy the technology or software from Garmin?


The only malfunction was a sticking actuator on the passenger side mirror. When using the preset memory to switch between my wife's driving settings & mine, the mirror would get stuck & click until we manually moved it. Will have the dealer check this out.


All in all, a great trip in a great vehicle.

 

[mmoretti]

Wow. Nice trip for your first ride! I haven't used my navigation all that much so I haven't noticed any problems. I do recall someone else mentioning the clicking mirrors on this forum previously awhile back so it would be a 2015.

Do you know what version of nav you have? Another mentioned on the forum purchasing the upgraded memory card navigation. They bought cheap on eBay (burned unofficial copy) but Amazon sells the ones from ford.

Wondering what version nav chip ships with 2016? I think we have A5 in our 2015s, anyone know for sure? A6 is out

 

[RayoVac]

I can check, but am pretty sure its A6. But a quick comment about Garmin vs. NavTeq (which is Fords underlying NAV). I have spent a couple of weeks in a 2015 Chrysler 300s with the 8.4N UConnect system. Which is Garmin based navigation. Compared to what I have been used to in MFT/NavTeq based Fords... I really did not care for the Garmin based UConnect. Now standalone Garmin Nav units that you buy.. totally different deal and I like them. But the Uconnect implementation left me wanting more. Heck something as little as letting me know what the current speed limit was, lane change indications before I am right on top of it, POI search by name ease or results. All these things blew chunks in the highly regarded UConnect system. Well at least coming from a long time ford MFT/NavTeq user.

The ability of the NAV to keep you on the road vs. being in the middle of a field, when it does have the road in the data.. is not NavTeq's issue but your car's ability to get proper GPS lock. And lack of the lock can happen for sooooo many reasons. Yes... I had it happen plenty with the Garmin based UConnect as well. I live in the sticks, and give most GPS systems fits trying to get initial lock and figure out where I am.

The whole speed limit reported accuracies... well this is all about the NavTeq data. Unlike Volvo or a couple others that actually try to recognize the speed limit signs and use that data for your display... our Ford MFT/Sync3 systems use the known data within the GPS. So its only ever going to be as good as the revision you are on. This is one reason I will usually pony up the money for the Nav version upgrades as soon as I see they are out. To ensure things like speed limit are shown as accurate as possible.

The speed limit is one area where I wish Ford/Lincoln would try to do something cool like Volvo does and read the signs. But heck I want a Heads Up Display as well. So put it all on our wish list. Along with how about online NAV updating? With Sync3 we now can join a Wifi connection (at your house, McDonalds, HotSpotted off your phone etc.) to allow potential Applink or Sync3 system updates when connected. Why not get NAV data updates as well? I have not read anywhere that they are doing this or trying to do it with Sync3.

Also... yeah, UConnect has a 3G modem and the car can make its own data connection. Yes, it can use this data for Google searches (slow) and Yelp reviews (very slow). But they made it sound like you could update Garmin NAV with this. NOT... the only way you update the Garmin data in UConnect is via a download. And they have not updated the map data in close to two years now. There are lots of complaints on Chrysler/Dodge/Jeep forums about this and some hacks/work arounds where you get the updates Garmin releases for their handheld units applied into the UConnect NAV. And the whole "Bricking" opportunity of your shiney new UConnect system.

Wow. Nice trip for your first ride! I haven't used my navigation all that much so I haven't noticed any problems. I do recall someone else mentioning the clicking mirrors on this forum previously awhile back so it would be a 2015.

Do you know what version of nav you have? Another mentioned on the forum purchasing the upgraded memory card navigation. They bought cheap on eBay (burned unofficial copy) but Amazon sells the ones from ford.

Wondering what version nav chip ships with 2016? I think we have A5 in our 2015s, anyone know for sure? A6 is out

Amazon.com : Ford Lincoln Sync U.s. and Canada Navigation System A6 Maps Sd Card for Escape, Flex, Focus, Fusion, Taurus, Edge, Explorer, F150, Mks, Mkt, and Mkx Fm5t-19h449-aa Us/can : GPS & Navigation

 

[mmoretti]

You know I looked into all the others systems as well and although they had some great features I still thought SYNC was better. Maybe because I was biased/used to my husbands escape first though and already knew how to use most of it.


Is it true no wallpaper on SYNC3?!? That was a unique feature my son loves (to change the pictures). is the Lincoln symbol at least displayed or my guess it's a completely different "home" page where the wallpaper would reside.

 

[RayoVac]

I reread the Sync3 Owners Manual over the weekend, just to see if I could find mention of the wallpaper feature. It does not appear to be there as others have noted. I can also try to confirm once I have my vehicle.

I could see that as something they could easily add back in, in future updates. During the early MFT days, Ford's Sync team was pretty darn good at monitoring the Ford SYNC Forum forums and actually listening to our complaints. For example they had an update where they screwed up the ability to show the time/temperature at the top of the screen, another where they removed the artist info for song playing at the bottom when on the 4 quadrant. They listened to our complaints and put these things back in.

So there is hope that maybe we will have the same level of interaction with the Sync3 team. We need to get active on the Sync Forums. Ford SYNC Forum. They ARE actually monitored by real Ford In-Vehicle Technology Team members.

You know I looked into all the others systems as well and although they had some great features I still thought SYNC was better. Maybe because I was biased/used to my husbands escape first though and already knew how to use most of it.


Is it true no wallpaper on SYNC3?!? That was a unique feature my son loves (to change the pictures). is the Lincoln symbol at least displayed or my guess it's a completely different "home" page where the wallpaper would reside.

 

[njlime]

Thanks for the great comments.


I have no idea what version of Nav we have but we will certainly ask the dealership (MKC is going in this week for its first service) & request any available updates.
Interesting comments about the UConnect Garmin interface in Jeep/Chrysler.Why can Garmin sell fantastic portable nav units for less than $200 but nobody can provide an in-dash system costing $2,000-$3,500 that is as good. I did not realize that unlike Volvo, the speed limits are not "read" while in the MKC but are based on a database. My daily driver is a Volvo XC60 so that is my most recent comparison of an in-dash unit (the MKC is my wife's car).
However, previously, I had a 2011 Explorer & do not remember as many of these types of issues (particularly the speed limit) with this older version of Sync, although it certainly had other issues.
I think on future long trips, we will have to get driving directions from one of the internet services (Yahoo, Google, Rand McNally, etc). Once I have an idea of which way to go, the MKC nav can serve for local sidetrips, Points of Interest, etc. For that matter, we could just use an iphone. But that should not be necessary.

 

[Abraham]

Sounds like the Garmin's in dash systems aren't updated as frequently if at all. May be why it's wrong and missing roads.

 

[fixmdude]

The last (and only) Lincoln I've owned was a 1984 Grand Marquis that I bought used in 1996 for $2k. The engine died every time I stopped moving, at every stop sign and red light. The dealer couldn't fix it. I've avoided them since, until the MKC that I'm picking up this week. That old moto from Oldsmobile comes to mind, "This is not your father's Oldsmobile", which they used when they were trying to pick up a new generation of buyers a few decades ago... I think that applies to Lincoln today: This is not your father's Lincoln. Even with the issues and technology bugs, cars have come so far from where they were.

 

[midnite cruiser]

While the Nav is not perfect, it has trained me over time.
Be careful with "Shortest route" option. I found that on long trip calcs, it would do dumb things like take you off limited access US highways to some side road just to cut off a tenth of a mile.
Learning the voice commands for setting the destination is worth it. It saves the laggy typing.