Lincoln MKZ Model Overview

The car now known as the MKZ has undergone enough recent name changes to make its head gasket spin. The mid-sized luxury sedan is descended from the rear-wheel-drive Lincoln LS, which was built on the Jaguar S-Type platform and debuted for the 2000 model year.
After a less-than-thrilling run of disappointing sales numbers, the LS became the front-wheel-drive Lincoln Zephyr for 2006. But then the maker's marketing minds decided to streamline their line's names into a letters-only scheme (except for the untouchable Navigator and Town Car), in hopes of attracting more - and younger - buyers.
So after just one year, the Zephyr became the MKZ, harking back to Lincoln's old (and beloved) Mark and Zephyr models and preserving the Zephyr's initial. It shows good promise among entry-level luxury sedans, standing out especially among the domestic competition.