When it comes to luxury SUVs, the three-row seems to be king. Everyone seems to opt for something mid-sized or full-sized, even if their friends and family won’t be taking up all seven seats or they won’t be transporting enough junk to justify the extended trunk space. But after spending a week in the 2024 Lincoln Corsair, I’m set on the fact it may be worth considering something smaller.
The comfort and luxury is all there, and the driving experience is far better overall. Plus, beauty may be in the eye of the beholder, but the crossover segment may have more styling options than larger alternatives–which either go down the Land Cruiser or Range Rover route when it comes to appearances. The 2024 Corsair left a bit of an impression on me, and here are some reasons you may like it, too.
It packs a notable punch
Although it’s rocking the same 2.0-liter inline four you’ll find in many of Ford and Lincoln’s other SUVs, the Corsair gets a lot more from the 250 horsepower and the 275 lb-ft of torque said powertrain produces. That’s almost certainly down to the power to weight ratio. The smaller Corsair weighs a lot less than a Nautilus, and you’ll feel that weight difference every time you hit the gas or slam on the brakes.
There is a slight downside to this. In terms of fuel economy, you’re looking at between 20 and 25 miles per gallon in most cases. While this isn’t terrible in a historical sense, it’s far below par when it comes to many other crossovers. A Lexus RX is comparable in terms of class and cost but will do a lot less damage when it comes to refilling the tank.
Driving this is life on easy mode
Honestly, this is a very manageable vehicle if you’re in a medium-sized to large population center. It’s very easy to park, and you may be shocked at how roomy parking spaces look when you get out of the Corsair. You can squeeze through gaps that would see a full fat SUV lose both of its wing mirrors, probably. And even if you’re carrying a bit of pace, the Corsair feels surprisingly well balanced through curves and corners.
There are other touches that make life a bit easier, too. This includes BlueCruise, Ford’s handsfree Level 2 self-driving system. So you can sit back and enjoy your massage (with your eyes still on the road, of course) while the vehicle chauffeurs you along the majority of the United States’ highways. The Lincoln Corsair also comes with a pretty decent suite of driver’s aids, including a very good parking camera, sensors, lane change assist. It’s worth noting that many of these are standard amongst Lincoln’s peers too, but Ford’s systems work well and you’re definitely not missing out on the assistance front by opting for a Lincoln instead of a Mercedes or BMW.
Lincoln has nailed the interiors lately
Lincoln used to have it a bit rough in a few ways. Firstly, rival marque Cadillac was the undisputed daddy of the American luxury vehicle market. Then there was the fact American attempts at luxury cars were pretty awful. You don’t have to go too far back to see plastic-filled interiors, cheap foil in place of metal, and other corner cutting activities that would make a German, Italian, or Japanese luxury manufacturer crack a rib laughing.
This is no longer the case. Not even close. The inside of a Lincoln is a very pleasant place to be these days. You have plenty of wood, top-quality leather, and some wonderful comfort touches (including what may be the best massage seats on the market at the moment). The infotainment works well and has recently received an impressive rejig. And while most SUVs struggle to stand out in terms of exterior appearance, Lincoln is at least applying a few unique touches to its vehicles. The Corsair is one of the sportier, more standout models in the current lineup.
They’re probably killing this, and I hate that
Ford has been killing off its smaller vehicles for a while now, leaving the Corsair and its cousin the Ford Escape as the hypothetical last men standing. Unfortunately, 2025 may be the last year we see the both of them.
This is a bit of a shame, as the Corsair is a very solid vehicle and a little breath of fresh air when you’ve driven nothing but mid and full sized SUVs in the weeks before. The agility, maneuverability, and ease of parking makes up for the lack of a third row. And unless you regularly have your third row folded flat, you won’t notice a ton of difference between the storage in the back of an Explorer and the Corsair’s offering.
It’s not quite a tragedy on par with the death of the Focus, but it’s probably as close as Lincoln will get. If I was shelling out for something from Ford’s luxury line, or even if I was looking at crossovers in general, then a Corsair would be my vehicle of choice.
The 2024 Lincoln Corsair starts at $39,485. The vehicle tested was the AWD Reserve III trim with a few optional extras added on, taking it from a base price of $45,415 to $61,495.
