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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 29, 2007)
August 29. 2007 Page B6 R e v ie w News and reviews on new motor vehicles 2007 Lincoln MKZAWD Zephyr Yesterday ~ MKZ Today m K athleen C akr In an unusual twist, Lincoln has renam ed one o f its vehicles after just one year on the market. In order to more closely align its vehicles with a new nam ing structure, Lin coln has renam ed last year's Z ephyr sedan the 2(X)7 M KZ Most noticeable is the M K Z's exclusive new engine. U nder the hood is a larger, m ore pow erful 3.5- liter V6. The bigger engine m akes 263 horsepow er, 42 m ore than last year's 3.0-1 iter V6. It also develops more torque (249 pound-feet this year) and is available with either front-wheel or all-wheel drive. Handsom e, classy and nicely turned out, Lincoln's first all-new sedan since the Jaguar-based, rear- wheel-drive LS is well suited to compete with "near-luxury" imports and attract more affluent buyers to Lincoln-M ercury show room s, and the renam ed 2<X)7 M KZ's much- im proved pow ertrain and other upgrades m ake it that much more com petitive. But why jettison an excellent name with strong Lincoln heritage in favor o f a soulless acro nym after just one year? We think this car is good enough to succeed, w hatever it's called, but the label change is confusing. The Lincoln M KZ is a distinctly A m erican take on the entry luxury sedan. The interior is suitably roomy and com fortable, and although the m a te ria ls a re n 't c la s s -le a d in g , they're a noticeable step up from the Lincoln's low er-line siblings. A nd with peppy acceleration from the new V6 and a plush ride, the M K Z is pleasant to drive. Then there's the m atter o f the M K Z 's styling, w hich although unusual, doesn't seem likely to reso nate well with the younger custom Specifications: 3.5-Liter 263 hp @ 249 Ib-ft torque V-6 Engine: 6-Speed Automatic Transmission: 18-City 26-Highway MPG: $ 35,640 MSRP ers Lincoln hopes to attract. Still, for buyers seeking an entry-level luxury sedan w ith a little more inte rior space and a fairly reasonable price, the 2007 Lincoln M KZ is worth a look. A m idsize prem ium sedan, the 2007 Lincoln M KZ comes in a single trim with either front-w heel drive or all-w heel drive. The M K Z com es nicely equipped with such stan d ard featu res as 17-inch alloy w heels, leather upholstery, wood trim, power seats with memory, dual- zone autom atic clim ate control and a seven-speaker C D stereo with an MP3 player input jack. Notable options include chrom e w heels: xenon HID headlights, a sunroof, an upgraded T H X -certified sound system , satellite radio, a navigation system , and heated and cooled front seats. Standard safety features include front-seat side im pact airbags as well as full-length head curtain airbags. Those head airbags include a "roll-fold" feature that helps to keep the airbag against the glass even if the occupant is out o f posi tion. All M K Zs include disc brakes with ABS. T raction control is also standard, but oddly, stability co n trol is not available. In N H TSA crash tests, the 2007 Lincoln M K Z re ceived four out o f five stars for driver and front passenger safety. T he M K Z is capable around turns, but doesn't offer handling dynam ics on par w ith its m ore ath letic com petitors in this price range. Steering feedback, in particular, is unim pressive. On the flip side, the M KZ offers a typical Lincoln "big car" ride on the highw ay, m aking it an excel lent candidate for road trips. Lincoln says its m odem im age target is "earned reward" or "A m eri can dream ," ratherthan "old world" flashy o r "ostentatious luxury," w hich translates to quiet, casual, confident and m ore understated style. S ports _____________________ Portland State Football Goes Black When Portland S tate's football program released its new look d e signed by Nike. PSU Head Coach Jerry G lanvilleexpressed his appre ciation for a vast im provem ent over an original design o f his. “When Nike presented their new look, I realized I may be in the wrong business designing uniform s,” said Glanville. "W e put their uniform next to (the one G lanville and PSU e q u ip m e n t m anager R ick M cReynolds) designed, and it was no contest. The players all voted for the Nike uniform .” T he u n ifo rm s d e s ig n e d by Glanville and M cReynolds sold on eBay for about $ 1.50. Todd Van Home, creative direc tor for Nike, led a team that created the stylized and Viking-inspired spear logo and uniform s leaning heavily toward G lanville's favored black color scheme, while the hel mets will have the new spear logo running over the crown. “C oach describ es black as not a co lo r but an attitu d e, and we th ought ‘w ell, there it is.’ L e t’s bring a new attitu d e and show a visual d ifferen ce w here P ortland State U niversity is now ," said Van Horne. “ 1 think you w ill see the very distin ct d iffe ren ce o f color, and the d istin ct d iffe re n c e o f spear design that is m uch m ore aggressive, fitting into that new a ttitu d e ." Timbers Host Latino Soccer In their continuing efforts to fu rth er develop soccer in the greater-Portland com m unity, the P ortland T im bers w ill host a L atino so ccer to u rn am en t on Sept. 21-23 at Delta Park. The C opa d el N oroeste is open to a ll a d u lt s o c c e r leagues and clubs around the N orth- I w est. “T his tournam ent is a great opportunity for the T im bers to continue to be an active m em ber in the com m unity and to continue our efforts in the developm ent o f soccer in the N o r th w e s t,” sa id G a v in T Nike designed black jerseys and helmets to bring a new attitude to the Portland State University football program. Mayor Declares PSU Day Sept. 8 M ayorT om Potter has declared Portland State U niversity Day as Saturday. Sept. 8, w hen he will m ake the official proclam ation and p r e - g a m e c o in to s s at PSU football’s hom e opener against UC Davis. The 6:05 p.m. m atch at PG E Park will be the 13th-ranked Vikings' first in Portland under Head Coach Jerry G lanville. Portlanders are encour aged to attend the gam e w earing black, green and w hite to celebrate their affiliation with the university. “T he V ikings are back, and Coach G lanville is going to shake things up - not to m ention shaking up UC D avis," said Potter. “ I hope Portlanders will jo in me at PGE Park to w elcom e the coach and the new season o f V iking football.” (AP) - Michael Vick apologized to the NET and his A tlanta Falcons team m ates M onday for "us ing bad judgm ent and m aking bad decisions" and vowed to redeem him self o f charges in a dogfight ing case. The apology cam e after the national president of the NAACP said Thursday that Vick "is not a victim" and should be held responsible for his actions involving a dogfighting ring in Virginia. “He absolutely must account for what he has done," Dennis Courtland Hayes, interim NAACP president. “1 think there is reason to believe in his redemption.” H ayes’ com m ents cam e a day after the head o f the N A A C P 's A tlanta chapter said Vick should be allow ed to return to football after the case is resolved. “As a society, we should aid in his rehabilitation and w elcom e a new M ichael V ick back into the com m unity w ithout a perm anent loss o f his career in football," Atlanta N A A C P President R.L. W hite said. The star quarterback pleaded guilty M onday to a federal dog fighting charge and aw aits a Dec. 10 sentenc ing date that likely will send him to prison. “First 1 want to apologize for all the things that I've done and that I have allowed to happen," Vick said at a news conference following his appearance in U.S. DistrictCourt. “ I m ade a m istake in using bad judgm ent and making bad decisions," he said. "D ogfighting is a terrible thing.” F e a tu r in g B r e a k in g D o w n t h e W a l l s T o u r F e a t u r in g T h e L ig h t, R a p in e C AUTO SALES * LICENSED • BONDED • INSURED A Tim Wilson 5 0 3 -5 5 0 -3 8 4 1 ATTENTION!!! Vick Apologizes for Dogfighting NAACP weighs in AND In my continual efforts to offer you reliable used cars, I am now based out of Beaverton Toyota. Now I can also assist you in the purchase of your next new or used Toyota. So call first - then come see me. Special Financing is Available! “If I Don't Have It In Stock, / Will Get It For You! ” Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick pauses during a statement to the press Monday after pleading guilty in a dogfighting case. S h o w y o u r lo v e fo r th e U p r o o te d G o s p e l S how : 5 0 3 -6 5 2 - 8 1 0 0 5 0 3 -9 2 2 -0 0 0 6 T erry (U p ro o te d C o rp ) e m a il ¿ c le n n i$ h @ lrj3 d q -c o m I n t e r v i e w w it h L o c a l a n d N a t i o n a l R e c o r d in g A r tis ts 2337 N. Williams Ave. Portland, OR 97227 T h e U R C o m m u n it y C a l e n d a r Portland’s Newest Funeral Home Serving the Metropolitan Area. 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