Tested: 2023 Lincoln Corsair Is Tweaked but Still Tame

There’s a certain comforting symmetry to the automotive circle of life. New models tend to age into senior citizenship in roughly six or so years, and most get a light makeover around the time they reach middle age in an attempt to keep them looking and feeling fresh. That’s exactly where the Lincoln Corsair is right now. No surprise, then, that Lincoln gave the 2023 model a light makeover as it began its fourth year on the market.

It would take a dedicated Corsair spotter to pick out the small revisions made to the latest version: The grille is slightly larger, the front fascia is mildly reworked, and there are a couple of new exterior and interior color combinations. That said, there are several noteworthy changes inside, one of them a new-and-impressive piece of tech that makes it a perfect time to check in with this compact-luxury SUV.

Michael Simari|Car and Driver

Since we haven’t visited the entry-level end of Lincoln’s all-SUV lineup in some time, let’s review: The Corsair’s svelte styling and gently sloping roofline may evoke images of Range Rover products, but—though you’d never guess it—that handsome sheetmetal is stretched over a humble Ford Escape SUV’s transverse-engine, front-drive platform. Corsairs are propelled by either of two engines: a 250-hp turbocharged 2.0-liter inline-four or a 2.5-liter Atkinson-cycle inline-four hybrid that produces a total of 266 horses. (The previously available 295-hp 2.3-liter turbocharged four was dropped for 2023.) The smaller engine feeds its power to an eight-speed automatic; the hybrid is lashed to a CVT. All-wheel drive is a $2300 option on the Standard and mid-level Reserve models. The top Grand Touring version comes only with the hybrid powertrain and all-wheel drive.

Though the Standard model starts at a reasonable $40,085, getting the features, amenities, and posh cabin materials that make the Corsair feel like a luxury ride drives the price up quickly. Our test Corsair, a 2.0-liter Reserve AWD, started at $46,770. Several equipment packages later, it was comprehensively equipped and priced at $60,685. That’s the kind of money that will almost get you into a well-equipped BMW X3 or Volvo XC60, and it easily puts SUVs like the Genesis GV70 3.5T or Acura RDX SH-AWD A-Spec in your driveway.

Lincoln’s been doing a credible job of dressing the interiors of its cars—whoops, SUVs—for its upmarket mission, and there was no arguing our tester’s accommodations. The roomy, two-row interior sports handsome, modern lines and was swathed in ritzy two-tone Ebony/Smoked Truffle leather, a black-taupe mix that sounds like something you’d hear about on Project Runway. There’s good-looking wood on the dash and classy bits of bright trim scattered throughout. All Corsairs get a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster and an easy-to-use 13.2-inch touchscreen with crisp graphics and Alexa app connectivity—the latter free for the first three years. Both screens were previously reserved for the upper-level models. The convenient piano-key shifter buttons are carried over.

The big-ticket item on our test car was Equipment Group 202A ($10,730), which adds an avalanche of upmarket features—as it should at that price. The goodies include a head-up display, panoramic sunroof, 14-speaker Revel Audio system, heated-and-ventilated front seats, heated rear outboard seats, adaptive dampers, a heated steering wheel, and smartphone-as-key functionality. Most important is the inclusion of adaptive cruise control with ActiveGlide, Lincoln’s hands-free self-driving feature (more on that in a bit). The final bit of sybaritic gear was a set of optional 24-way front seats with massage ($1285).

Michael Simari|Car and Driver

Refresh or not, the Corsair drives just like it did when we last aimed it down the highway more than three years ago. It’s a luxury-first chariot that’s cosseting and comfortable but makes no attempt to involve the part of you that likes to drive. Steering feel is muted, and response to the helm is relaxed. Get it out on a smooth interstate and you’ll notice just a hint of float to the ride. That softness lets it glide over larger pavement swells, but the 20-inch Continental CrossContact LX Sport all-season tires clip-clop across smaller road imperfections and send a shiver up through the otherwise calm cabin environs. Switching the drive mode from Normal to Excite tightens up the adaptive dampers a bit but does nothing to transform the Corsair into anything like a road carver.

At the test track, the all-wheel-drive Corsair turns in a performance that won’t raise anyone’s pulse but is about average for many of the vehicles in this segment, with a 60-mph time of 6.1 seconds and a quarter-mile sprint of 14.7 seconds at 93 mph. The engine does work well with the eight-speed automatic and is a subdued and distant presence through most of its rev range. The Reserve’s 0.83-g skidpad grip and 179-foot 70-mph stopping distance are also unexceptional but more than enough for the kind of relaxed driving the Corsair inspires. Its EPA estimated fuel economy is equally midpack in the compact-luxury SUV segment at 21 mpg city, 28 mpg highway, and 24 mpg combined.

Michael Simari|Car and Driver

That this vehicle does little to involve the driver makes it all the more apropos that it now offers a feature that enables you to not drive. Called ActiveGlide 1.2, it’s Lincoln’s version of Ford’s similar BlueCruise system, and it lets you take your hands off the wheel for extended periods on more than 100,000 miles of qualified divided U.S highways. ActiveGlide requires a subscription, but the first two years are included with the 202A package.

We did our hands-free driving on a local interstate and found that the system, which works in concert with active cruise control, performed flawlessly during our short cruise. It negotiated curves adeptly, made smooth and safe lane changes when we flipped the turn signal, and had us almost comfortable when we passed semis in the next lane.

Michael Simari|Car and Driver

Indeed, ActiveGlide fits the personality of the Corsair perfectly. We wouldn’t expect the Corsair to lure people away from Audi Q5s and BMW X3s; the Lincoln is an altogether different animal. A loaded example like our test vehicle doesn’t win on value, nor does it deliver the driver engagement we crave. But roughly midway through its production life, the Corsair remains what it was at the beginning: a vehicle more than capable of making you feel pampered. So, welcome to middle age, Corsair. You haven’t changed a bit.

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Specifications

Specifications

2023 Lincoln Corsair AWD

Vehicle Type: front-engine, all-wheel-drive, 5-passenger, 4-door wagon

PRICE

Base/As Tested: $42,385/$60,685

Options: Equipment Group 202A (rain sensing wipers, power tilt/telescoping steering column, auto-dimming rearview mirror, 60/40 split rear seat with power seatback release, head-up display, adaptive dampers, auto dimming and heated sideview mirrors with power folding, inductive device charging, hands-free liftgate, heated-and-ventilated front seats, panoramic roof, Lincoln Co-Pilot360 2.1 driver assist with a two-year subscription of ActiveGlide with lane-change assist and in-lane repositioning, intersection assist 2.0 and driver-monitoring camera, Active Park Assist 2.0, front parking aid, 14-speaker Revel stereo, windshield wiper de-icer, heated steering wheel and outboard rear seats), $10,730; Reserve trim (ambient lighting, leather seats, jeweled LED headlamps, if you’ve made it this far give the Tech Department a shoutout in the comments, roof-rack side rails), $4385; 24-way Perfect Position front seats, $1285; 20-inch Bright Machined alloy wheels, $1150; Whisper Blue Metallic paint, $750

ENGINE

turbocharged and intercooled DOHC 16-valve inline-4, aluminum block and head, direct fuel injection

Displacement: 122 in3, 1999 cm3

Power: 250 hp @ 5500 rpm

Torque: 275 lb-ft @ 3000 rpm

TRANSMISSION

8-speed automatic

CHASSIS

Suspension, F/R: struts/multilink

Brakes, F/R: 12.1-in vented disc/11.9-in vented disc

Tires: Continental CrossContact LX Sport

245/45R-20 99V M+S

DIMENSIONS

Wheelbase: 106.7 in

Length: 181.4 in

Width: 74.3 in

Height: 64.1 in

Cargo Volume Behind, F/R: 58/28 ft3

Curb Weight: 3983 lb

C/D TEST RESULTS

60 mph: 6.1 sec

100 mph: 17.5 sec

1/4-Mile: 14.7 sec @ 93 mph

120 mph: 28.8 sec

Results above omit 1-ft rollout of 0.4 sec.

Rolling Start, 5–60 mph: 7.0 sec

Top Gear, 30–50 mph: 3.6 sec

Top Gear, 50–70 mph: 4.3 sec

Top Speed (C/D est): 130 mph

Braking, 70–0 mph: 179 ft

Roadholding, 300-ft Skidpad: 0.83 g

EPA FUEL ECONOMY

Combined/City/Highway: 24/21/28 mpg

C/D TESTING EXPLAINED

Director, Buyer’s Guide

Rich Ceppos has evaluated automobiles and automotive technology during a career that has encompassed 10 years at General Motors, two stints at Car and Driver totaling 19 years, and thousands of miles logged in racing cars. He was in music school when he realized what he really wanted to do in life and, somehow, it’s worked out. In between his two C/D postings he served as executive editor of Automobile Magazine; was an executive vice president at Campbell Marketing & Communications; worked in GM’s product-development area; and became publisher of Autoweek. He has raced continuously since college, held SCCA and IMSA pro racing licenses, and has competed in the 24 Hours of Daytona. He currently ministers to a 1999 Miata and a 1965 Corvette convertible and appreciates that none of his younger colleagues have yet uttered “Okay, Boomer” when he tells one of his stories about the crazy old days at C/D.