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.”
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Vick Apologizes for Dogfighting
NAACP weighs in
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Atlanta Falcons quarterback
Michael Vick pauses during a
statement to the press Monday
after pleading guilty in a
dogfighting case.
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w w w .m a g 7 io c le ty .c o m
W ilkinson, general m anagerand
head coach o f the Tim bers. “The
C opa del N oroeste will be a great
platform for the Ti mbers to reach
out into the Latino com m unity
and allow players and
c lu b s to s h o w c a s e
■ their talent on a re­
gional level.”
Each team is guar­
anteed am inim um of
three m atches with
the w inning side be­
ing outfitted by Nike with
new uniform s, equipm ent and
shoes - a value o f $3,500. T eam s
can register for $250 online at
w w w .copadelnoroeste.com by
Sept. 7.
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