Premium Plug-In Hybrid
When handed the keys to the 2024 Lincoln Corsair PHEV Grand Touring AWD, the experience ended up not only being pleasant, but one that raises the question—where has Lincoln been hiding this gem? The Navigator SUV and the chauffeured Town Car sedan are the most recognizable models from Ford’s premium division. But things are changing. The Navigator is still going strong but the Town Car is long gone as Lincoln now only offers crossovers and SUVs.
The Lincoln Corsair has gone through design evolutions beginning in 2020 when it was introduced as a completely new model, replacing the MKX, the first crossover SUV offered by Lincoln. The Corsair was first only available with a gasoline engine, but in 2022 the efficient plug-in-hybrid (PHEV) was introduced.
What the Corsair PHEV does, or should do, is open the brand to a new audience that will consider buying a Lincoln for the first time.
Squeezing-out that Extra Mile
Plug-in hybrids have gone from not having a big fan base to now becoming what many manufacturers are adding to their electrified line-up. The perfect bridge between a gasoline-propelled vehicle and one that runs purely on batteries is making more sense to people. Clean Fleet Report says it is about time, and something Lincoln should take advantage of aggressively.
The 2024 Lincoln Corsair PHEV Grand Touring, plug-in hybrid electric vehicle, is powered by a 2.5-liter non-turbocharged, I-4 hybrid engine and electric motor producing a total system 266 horsepower. Running on 87 octane, all four wheels are driven through a continuously variable transmission (CVT). To maximize performance and efficiency there are five driver selectable drive modes—Conserve, Normal, Excite, Slippery and Snow/Sand. There is a sixth mode of Preserve, which saves the battery charge for later use.
The Environmental Protection Agency, EPA, rates fuel economy at 33 highway and combined when running in hybrid mode only. That number jumps to 80 MPGe, or miles per gallon equivalent, when combining electricity and gasoline. MPGe is a measurement of how far a car can travel, electrically, on the same amount of energy as is contained in 1 gallon of gasoline.
The Corsair PHEV is rated at 28 miles of all-electric driving range, but with regenerative braking we were able to extend to 33 miles electrically. When driving, the regenerative system converts kinetic energy into electric energy and stores it in the battery when applying the brakes or coasting. The front drive motor gets most of the work with the rear 50 kW motor coming on for added acceleration or wet and slippery conditions.
Over 373 miles of Southern California city and highway driving the overall average was 37.6 mpg. On a 110-mile freeway run, setting the adaptive cruise control at 65 mph, after fully charging the battery, we averaged 58 mpg. The take-away is to plug-in the Corsair when possible, especially overnight, for maximum efficiency. Fuel economy numbers reported by Clean Fleet Report are non-scientific and represent the reviewer’s driving experience using the dash gauge computer. Your numbers may differ.
Charging
In addition to the regenerative charging, the 14.4 kilowatt-hour (kWh) lithium-ion battery is replenished by plugging into a charger or wall outlet. Charge times from an empty battery are:
Level 1 – 120V – 10.5 hours
Level 2 – 240V – 3.5 hours
The Corsair PHEV does not come with a 480V Quick Charge option.
Hitting the Road
With a charged battery there is no sound upon pressing the on/off button, as the Corsair PHEV defaults to electric mode, making it more like powering up as opposed to starting up. If it is cold outside or the battery charge is low, the engine kicks-in as it will under heavy acceleration.
Whether you will be using the Corsair PHEV for in-town errands or short commutes, the ride and ease of driving will make the time behind the wheel a pleasant experience. The drive modes present several options for tailored driving. If you want extra oomph, select the Excite mode and expect 0-60 mph times of 6.6 seconds. Normal mode is for around town, Conserve when on long stretches of open highway for maximum efficiency, and Slippery and Snow/Sand are self-explanatory. The Preserve mode is especially important to strategically activate to get the highest overall driving range. Saving the battery charge for when on city streets, and leaving the efficient hybrid engine to do its thing on the highway, is how that gaudy 50+ mpg number is reached.
The Corsair PHEV Grand Touring has good grip with the Continental CrossContact LX Sport 245/45 all-season tires, mounted on 20-inch bright machined aluminum wheels, a $1,150 option. The steering was on the heavy side, which we liked. Even with the Corsair’s 4,397 pounds, it gave a feeling of not being disconnected from the tires and the road, feeling planted around moderate speed sweeping turns. We did notice jolts when hitting larger bumps and road imperfections.
Make sure to have your dealer sales representative show you how to use BlueCruise, Lincoln’s hands-free driving technology.
While not designed nor marketed as a sports crossover, the handling was solid and the adaptive damping returned a generally comfortable ride.
The Face of a Continental
Paying tribute to the discontinued Lincoln Continental, the dark smoke signature grille, made-up of vertical bars that emulate the Lincoln logo, sparkled under certain conditions. The smooth front end, with no unneeded scoops, has wide-set jeweled LED headlamps that meld into the fenders, and sit above the LED fog and wing-shaped daytime running lamps.
The smooth sides, with a slight concave on the doors and just a hint of chrome framing the windows, have a distinctive character line that runs from the auto-folding heated sideview mirrors to the hands-free power lift gate. For a cleaner and more elegant look, the rear wiper should be tucked under the spoiler. That would increase rearward vision for the driver. Other than the extra door for charging, there is no indication the Corsair Grand Touring is electrified.
L-I-N-C-O-L-N is spelled-out above the LED tail lights, which are connected by a narrow light strip. They’re also part of the approach and farewell lighting elements. Dual exhaust chrome tips peek from below the rear fascia.
The Corsair comes in eight exterior metallic colors: Pristine White, Red Carpet, Silver Radiance, Ceramic Pearl, Crystal Red, Asher Gray, Infinite Black, with Whisper Blue ($750 option) the color of our test Corsair.
Premium Interior
The Lincoln Corsair is premium and hints towards luxury with an upscale interior featuring wood and aluminum trim, and adjustable ambient lighting in the door handles, cup holders and footwells.
And just for fun, the Lincoln Symphonic Chimes are six soothing and unique chimes, a blend of percussion, violin and viola, recorded by the Detroit Symphony Orchestra. The symphonic notes are heard on about 25 features in the vehicle and provide three levels of informational chimes–non-critical, soft-warning and hard-warning—that inform drivers of everything from an open fuel door to an unlatched seat belt. Introduced on the 2019 Lincoln Aviator, the chimes are now found on all Lincoln models.
The 12.3-inch fully digital instrument panel with large tachometer and speedometer gauges is full of driver information. The 13.2-inch capacitive touchscreen, new for 2024, with swipe and zoom, was home to the audio system with AM/FM HD radio, wireless Apple CarPlay, Android Auto and SiriusXM.
All of the infotainment and communication goes through the Sync 4 system. Lincoln Connect offers convenience features such as remotely locking and unlocking the doors, starting the engine and a 4G LTE Wi-Fi hotspot that can accommodate up to 10 devices, as far as 50-feet away.
In the interest of keeping the driver’s eyes on the road, a configurable head-up display provides vital driving and road information. In the same vein, the heated and leather-wrapped steering wheel has 16 buttons and toggles to operate the telephone, radio and voice activation functions.
Lincoln calls this its Vision Steering Wheel, where it “provides the ultimate ease of use and customization.” We took a few minutes to learn the button layout as Lincoln’s “vision” has a different layout from other steering wheel controls we see. For one, the push-to-talk button is on the steering wheel’s upper left, is activated with your left thumb. The cruise control settings are hidden on the lower, underside of the steering wheel and only are visible when activated. Then to control the settings, there are two four-way toggles, which Lincoln calls joysticks. It all works, with practice.
All seats are leather-covered with the front seats heated and ventilated with the Perfect Position 24-way power adjustments that were a $1,285 option.
The second-row passengers will appreciate the sliding and reclining seat that provides 36.4-inches of rear leg room. Head and shoulder room is also good, and the fold down center armrest has cup holders to join the rear ventilation vents and power ports in the center console. The 60:40 power folding rear seat opens up 56.2 inches of cargo space. The Corsair PHEV Grand Touring comes with a power panoramic vista roof, which didn’t reduce headroom for front or rear seat occupants.
Convenience and Safety
Interior convenience features include a rear view camera, auto dim frameless rearview mirror, wireless phone charger, compass, dual zone automatic climate control, rain sensing windshield wipers with de-icing, power tilt and telescoping steering column, height adjustable front seatbelts, temporary spare and a tire inflation kit.
Lincoln’s driver-assist technology is standard and includes blind spot with cross traffic alert, lane keep alert and assist, pre-collision assist with automatic braking, rear pedestrian detection, forward collision warning and a post-crash alert system. Additional standard safety features include front, knee, side, and side curtain airbags, an anti-theft engine immobilizer, a tire pressure monitoring system and front and rear parking sensors.
The 2024 Corsair has been safety rated by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) with a 4 out of 5 Stars for frontal and barrier crash ratings, and a 5 Star rating for passenger safety. It also earned an overall Good rating by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS).
Pricing and Warranties
The 2024 Lincoln Corsair comes in four models, with only the Grand Touring AWD being the plug-in hybrid. These are the base prices including the $1,395 destination and delivery fee.
- Premier — $40,385
- Reserve — $44.670
- Grand Touring PHEV AWD – $55,420
The 2024 Lincoln Corsair PHEV comes with these warranties.
- Drivetrain – Six years/70,000 miles
- Hybrid Components – Eight years/100,000 miles
- Basic – Four years/50,000 miles
- Corrosion Perforation – Five years/Unlimited Miles
- Roadside Assistance – Six years/Unlimited Miles
Observations: 2024 Lincoln Corsair PHEV Grand Touring AWD
The compact 2024 Corsair PHEV Grand Touring AWD, built in Louisville, Kentucky, fits nicely as the smallest of the four Lincoln SUVs. While related to the Ford Escape SUV, any thoughts they are the same vehicle would be misplaced. The Corsair has refined styling, a much more upmarket interior and technology not offered on its sibling.
Gimmicks or trendy designs would be far from in step with the Lincoln philosophy that puts style and class over flash and glam. The exterior and interior say premium, the ride is comfortable, and the plug-in hybrid efficiency delivers respectable fuel economy.
The key to owning a plug-in hybrid is plugging it in whenever possible—especially overnight. If you were to do so every night, that daily fully charged battery with a 28-mile range would be good for about 10,500 miles of all-electric driving annually. You can do the math on how much money you would not be spending on gasoline. But more than the savings is the satisfaction of driving past gasoline stations as you go about your daily routine knowing the Corsair PHEV is reducing the need for oil extraction while treading a bit lighter on the environment.
The importance of the Corsair Grand Touring PHEV to Lincoln is clear, as it is their entry into the electrified vehicle market. Five years is the industry norm for a model before going through a complete redesign, which has the Corsair hitting that mark in 2025. Will Lincoln introduce an all-new Corsair in the next year or go in a different direction?
The brand needs consistency to build name awareness and model recognition. Dropping the Corsair, or at least the name, would mean Lincoln starting over. Again.
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Story and photos by John Faulkner.
Disclosure
Clean Fleet Report is loaned free test vehicles from automakers to evaluate, typically for a week at a time. Our road tests are based on this one-week drive of a new vehicle. Because of this we don’t address issues such as long-term reliability or total cost of ownership. In addition, we are often invited to manufacturer events highlighting new vehicles or technology. As part of these events we may be offered free transportation, lodging or meals. We do our best to present our unvarnished evaluations of vehicles and news irrespective of these inducements.
Our focus is on vehicles that offer the best fuel economy in their class, which leads us to emphasize electric cars, plug-in hybrids, hybrids and other efficient powertrains. We also feature those efficient gas-powered vehicles that are among the top mpg vehicles in their class. In addition, we aim to offer reviews and news on advanced technology and the alternative fuel vehicle market. We welcome any feedback from vehicle owners and are dedicated to providing a forum for alternative viewpoints. Please let us know your views at publisher@cleanfleetreport.com.
