Review: 2024 Lincoln Corsair

A luxurious compact crossover

Review and photos by Tom Sedens. There are always more photos at the end of my reviews.

With its sleek design, luxurious cabin, advanced technology features and spirited performance, the Corsair sets the bar high in its class.

Pricing: 2024 Lincoln Corsair

Base price (AWD Reserve trim): $53,400

Options: $13,500 – Equipment Group 202A, $950 Pristine White metallic paint, $250 all-weather floor mats, $1,900 Perfect Position leather seats, $3,000 Jet Appearance package

Freight: $2,395

A/C tax: $100

Price as tested: $75,495

Exterior

Its cleanly sculpted lines and distinctive grille exude both elegance and sportiness and in a world of lookalike competitors, it makes a bold statement on the road. Part of that, on my review vehicle at least, comes from the expensive but awesome Jet Appearance package which replaces all exterior chrome with glossy black trim. The massive grille, mirror caps, lower trims, wheels, window trim and anything else that might normally be chrome is blacked out and it looks fantastic, especially with the stark white paint.

Jeweled LED headlights provide a constantly adapting view of the road ahead while giving the Corsair’s front end additional depth and captivating visual style. All exterior lighting is LED and the rear end gets a full-width LED light bar that ties for a nifty lighting signature.

The aforementioned black 20-inch rims are really nice too and wear fat 245/45-sized tires. The combination gives the vehicle another hint of muscularity.

Interior/Tech/Convenience

Inside the cabin, the Corsair envelops the driver and passengers in luxury and comfort. You will find premium materials everywhere, including supple leather upholstery (in a stunning red in my tester), genuine wood trims and (again, in my vehicle) optional backlit aluminum appliques on the dash for a highly unique appearance. I really liked the matching red leather dash trim, and my kids were thrilled about the many possibilities (colours and brightness settings) available for the ambient lighting.

Unique features like Lincoln’s Perfect Position heated and ventilated seats with five massaging settings and Auto Air Refresh make the Corsair’s interior a sanctuary of comfort. I found the seats comfortable and supportive, even for longer rides.

Behind the heated steering wheel is a customizable digital dash that allows the driver to display a number of different sets of information.

The heart of the infotainment system is a massive 13.2-inch touchscreen display that seamlessly integrates navigation, entertainment, and connectivity features. The screen itself is gorgeous and very responsive, and the user interface is easy to navigate. Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are standard – CarPlay worked very nicely for me. The optional 14-speaker Revel sound system is an audiophile’s dream.

Safety is paramount in the Corsair, with a full suite of advanced features and driver assistance technology included to provide peace of mind on the road. These include adaptive cruise control, lane-keeping assist, automatic emergency braking and an
excellent 360-degree camera system with parking sensors. These systems all work together unobtrusively to help keep occupants safe.

A dual panoramic sunroof overhead makes things feel very airy, particularly in the back.

Rear Seats

The interior is spacious for a compact SUV and offers ample legroom and headroom for rear passengers, ensuring a comfortable ride around town and on long journeys. The seats recline and slide fore and aft for plenty of flexibility. The middle position isn’t great – it’s raised, narrow and straddles a floor tunnel – in addition, the back of the centre console comes back quite a bit.

The outboard seats are heated and rear passengers get adjustable air vents and four USB-C plugs. The middle seatback folds down to become an armrest with two cupholders.

Storage

At the front of the centre console is a deep carpeted bin under a sliding lid. In that bin is the wireless charging area for a smart phone along with USB-A and USB-C plugs. Under the lid of the armrest is another carpeted bin along with a 12V plug.

The trunk is accessible by a handsfree powered liftgate and is nicely sized at 941L. If you need more space, the rear seats fold flat (they split 60/40) to create a substantial 1,583L cargo space. There’s a 12V plug back there, as well as power-folding buttons for each rear seat – they have to be flipped back up manually.

Under the Hood

Motivating the Corsair is a 250 horsepower turbocharged 2.0-litre inline-4. It puts out 275 lb.ft of torque. All-wheel drive is standard, and the transmission is an 8-speed.

Fuel economy is rated at 11.2/8.3 L/100 km (city/highway). We averaged an impressive 9.6 L/100 km during our week in it.

The Drive

The Corsair’s compact proportions ensure a dynamic and easily maneuverable vehicle for city driving. There was plenty of power for every driving situation. When called on, it jumps off the line and easily passes at highway speeds as well.

The gear selector uses “piano key” push buttons on the dash, which I don’t love. You can shift manually using the paddle shifters. The transmission is very smooth and quite intelligent, generally reacting properly and being in the right gear.

On the road, the Corsair delivers a refined and composed experience. Its adaptive suspension system instantly adjusts to varying road and driving conditions and smooths out the ride, regardless of the terrain. Combined with responsive steering and precise handling and a highly capable all-wheel drive system, this drivetrain made commuting easy and quite enjoyable – we felt the same on the open road for a longer trip too. If you head into a corner with speed, there will be some body roll, but overall, it’s a great suspension set-up that is perfectly suited for this vehicle.

There are some drive modes, and because it’s a Lincoln, they have fancy names – Normal, Excite, Conserve and Slippery.

Braking was powerful and easy to modulate. Visibility out of the Corsair was mostly excellent, and the raised driving position made for a commanding view of the road.

Details

Although Lincoln no longer offers the 2.3L engine upgrade with more power, this powertrain is perfectly fine for virtually any driver. That said, there is also a higher trim called Grand Touring trim that customers can step up to which, in addition to more goodies, includes a plug-in hybrid powertrain with even more power and of course the option to drive purely on electric power for a while.

Nitpicks

I didn’t like that the rear seating area felt much cheaper than the front cabin. Materials are definitely cheapened a bit for the back seats and some of the nice trims are left out, leaving more hard and scratchy plastics in their place. The backs of the front seats in particular stood in stark contrast to the luxurious front seating area.

The Verdict

WAF (Wife Approval Factor) was quite high. She enjoyed how smoothly it drove and how easy it was to operate, and really liked the styling as well.

The Corsair stands out as a competitive compact SUV, blending a luxurious, upscale cabin (especially in the front), strong, dynamic performance, plenty of space and utility and the latest technology in a refined and sophisticated package. The modern, stylish exterior is unique enough to stand out but not unique enough to offend anyone. Overall, it’s a great and complete package. Just watch out for those options and additional packages – they’re pricey and can add up very quickly and, as per my review sample, can make up over 35% of the final price.