2020 Corsair Debuts as Lincoln's Smallest SUV, Shares New Ford Escape Platform

The only thing stopping the Corsair from becoming a major player in the increasingly confusing Lincoln lineup. Everybody knows what size of SUV the BMW X5 or Mercedes GLA is. However, Lincoln launched the Nautilus, Aviator, and Navigator in quick succession. They are all interesting, but an alphanumeric system like even Cadillac has seemed easier.

There's nothing confusing about the Corsair's place once you understand the small one is named after pirates. This replacement for the MKC is based on the same Ford global platform as the 2020 Escape. So it's like a really fat Focus, though you wouldn't know it based on the size. This will easily compete with the Acura RDX and Lexus NX.

The engine range is in line with our expectations. It starts with the 2.0 EcoBoost turbo making 250-horsepower and 275 pound-feet (373 Newton Meters) of torque. But this high-grade show car has the 2.3-liter four-cylinder with 280 HP and 310 lb-ft (420 Nm), which suggests our hunches about an Escape ST were right all along. Lincoln is also working on a plug-in hybrid system that should offer just North of 200 horsepower form a 2.5-liter+electric motor combo.

The exterior styling is nearly identical to all the above-mentioned models, especially the ones that are based on normal platforms. It's got wrap-around taillights on a huge trunk panel, deep metallic blue paint and chrome trim all over. Somehow, this reminds us of a classic Audi Q7.

It also comes fully decked out with safety features, automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection, blind-spot monitoring, lane-keep assist, and automatic high beams. The optional ones are adaptive cruise control, lane-keep assist, reverse brake assist, and automatic park assist.