Where the MKX really stands apart from the Ford Edge is in the availability of premium options including a 19-speaker Revel Ultima sound system and 22-way massaging seats. I found the former to be quite phenomenal, with tremendous presence, excellent dynamic range, and outstanding clarity, although I’ve heard committed audiophiles complain that it can sound artificially punchy. The system uses parent company Harman’s Clari-Fi sound processing to get the most out of digital music files, and together with the lower-spec 13-speaker Revel system, it was designed specifically for the MKX, with Revel sound engineers getting in on the vehicle’s interior design and speaker placement decisions early in the development cycle. Helping the audio system sound great is the MKX’s profoundly quiet listening environment – all that passive and active sound deadening mentioned earlier really does work.

I wasn’t quite as thoroughly sold on the leather-upholstered 22-way heated and cooled massaging contour seats. They’re certainly highly adjustable, and I was able to get good and properly comfortable, but only after completely deflating all the adjustable bolsters. At 5’11” and 165 lb I’m not a particularly big guy, so I can’t really imagine many people needing or wanting the bolsters inflated, and I’m surprised Lincoln didn’t scavenge some of the spare room between the seat and the door to make a slightly wider chair. As for the massage functions, they’re really quite something, although without exception my passengers and I all found the “High” setting to be just too much (and female passengers tended to find the lower seat portion of the massage to be surprisingly, umm… intimate, although fortunately you can turn the various massage zones on or off as desired). The three rear seats, while not massaging, are all roomy and comfortable, with recline functionality and heated seating in the two outboard positions.

Control of the audio system, massaging seats, navigation system and other infotainment features is via an eight-inch touchscreen running either the older Microsoft OS-based Sync 2 interface (the familiar MyLincoln Touch system) in early-build 2016 models, or the new Blackberry OS-based Sync 3 interface in later-build 2016 models. My test car was equipped with the old Sync 2 system, and so it was entirely familiar both in terms of the good (lots of functionality, decent voice recognition) and the bad (too-small touchpoints, laggy response times and a complicated menu structure). Which system you prefer may depend on whether you’ve previously owned a Sync 2-equipped vehicle (in which case you might perhaps appreciate the more familiar older interface) or whether you’re new to the Ford/Lincoln fold (in which case the Sync 3 system promises quicker response times, an improved and more intuitive smartphone-like interface, and better forward compatibility with upcoming new devices). The two systems aren’t upgradable or interchangeable, so if you want Sync 3, make sure the vehicle you’re purchasing is indeed Sync 3 equipped. Happily, regardless of what infotainment software is installed, the 2016 MKX ditches the previous generation’s finicky touch-sensitive volume and tuning sliders, and instead follows the trend back to proper volume and tuning knobs for quick and easy hardware control of these basic functions. Praise be!

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