Used 2021 Lincoln Corsair

The 2021 Lincoln Corsair enters its sophomore year relatively unchanged, but with one big exception: The Corsair Grand Touring – a luxurious all-wheel-drive (AWD) PHEV model originally slated for the summer of 2020 – makes its debut later this year as a 2021 model. Powered by a hybrid powertrain that features a 2.5-liter engine, a 14-kW lithium-ion battery and an electric motor that drives the rear wheels, the new hybrid Corsair has an all-electric range of 25 miles.

Other Lincoln Corsairs, as was true last year, come with front-wheel drive (FWD) or all-wheel drive (AWD), plus the choice of a turbocharged 2.0- or 2.3-liter 4-cylinder engine that mounts to an 8-speed automatic transmission.

The Corsair, now available in base, Reserve, and Grand Touring PHEV models, competes with multiple other compact luxury SUVs, most notably the Acura RDX, Cadillac XT4, Lexus NX, Mercedes-Benz GLC, Audi Q5, and BMW X3.

KBB has driven a Lincoln Corsair Reserve, an all-wheel-drive model equipped with the turbo 2.3, and an AWD Corsair Reserve fitted with the smaller turbo 2.0-liter engine. Our impressions were favorable:

Both engines are so quiet that it’s hard to tell they’ve started, in part because there’s no tachometer on the digital dash in the Corsair’s Normal driving mode. More significant, all the new Corsairs benefit from a dual-wall firewall that helps keep engine sounds completely out of the cabin. This is something Mercedes has done for years, and we’re glad it has been adopted by Lincoln.

Additionally, both engines provide the Corsair with confident and relaxed acceleration, their power sent to the wheels via a smooth-shifting 8-speed automatic transmission. You can tell the 250-horsepower 2.0 isn’t quite as mighty as the 295-horsepower 2.3, but it’s a good engine that feels totally at home in this quiet and luxurious Lincoln.

While driving the 2.3-liter Corsair, the mode we liked best was Excite, what most companies would call Sport. The suspension firms up a bit for better body control in the twisty bits, without compromising the ride in an adverse way. We also like the quickened response of the gearbox, and how it holds a lower gear while descending grades to make life easier on the Corsair’s 4-wheel disc brakes.

All told, we’re impressed with the way the 5-seat Corsair drives. It has great balance and excellent steering. About the only thing we’re not enamored of is the digital instrument panel, which is far too plain (and doesn’t offer enough information) in Normal mode. We’d prefer real analog gauges with real pointers.

That stated, the Corsair impresses us a luxurious and practical vehicle that’s small on the outside, but big in the areas of style, safety, tech, and performance.

The wide dash of the Corsair helps to emphasize the abundant space within this compact Lincoln SUV. A dual-wall dashboard isolates the 5-seat cabin from engine noise, while six unique symphonic chimes (recorded by the Detroit Symphony Orchestra) provide some aural charm to enhance the luxurious ambiance. We also like how the back bench can be slid fore or aft up to six inches, allowing owners to choose between extra rear-seat legroom or additional cargo capacity.

With premium interior materials in vivid colors, the 2021 Lincoln Corsair has a sumptuous cabin. Leather seats and door panels can be ordered in fun combinations like blue and white, tan and black, or soft gray and ebony. The control panel for the climate control drops down at an angle from the dash, which allows for generous storage well below.

What’s more, the Corsair has a digital instrument panel like that used on the Navigator, Nautilus, and Aviator. It animates to showcase the transitions between each of the Corsair’s five driving modes (Normal, Excite, Slippery, Deep Conditions, and Conserve). The new PHEV Lincoln Corsair, the Grand Touring, also has a Preserve EV mode (which charges the battery and maintains that charge for use later) and a Pure EV mode (that keeps the Corsair in electric mode as often as possible).

At KBB, we think of the Corsair as a handsomely scaled-down version of the Aviator, minus one row of seats. It looks rich and refined, far more reminiscent of the Aviator than the Ford Escape with which it shares a chassis. The Corsair definitely is a Lincoln, and we think it looks especially good in metallic finishes like Flight Blue.

PHONE AS A KEY
This technology allows drivers to lock and unlock the Corsair, open the liftgate, and start the engine with nothing more than their smartphone. Your phone, in effect, becomes the key fob. The seats, mirrors, and audio preferences adjust automatically when a driver enters the Corsair.

PANORAMIC VISTA ROOF
This huge glass sunroof, with a power sunshade, is part of the Premium Package available on the Corsair Standard. The package also includes 19-inch alloy wheels and heated, leather-trimmed front seats.

As a compact Lincoln SUV, the Corsair is very well equipped. The front-wheel-drive Corsair Standard is powered by a turbocharged 2.0-liter inline-4 mated to an 8-speed automatic transmission, and the abundant standard luxuries include LED headlights, a power liftgate, a pushbutton starter, dual-zone climate control, active noise control, and 10-way heated front seats along with Sync 3 infotainment and an 8-inch touchscreen.

Better equipped is the Corsair Reserve. It comes with leather upholstery with wood trim, plus the panoramic sunroof, 19-inch alloy wheels, a 14-speaker audio system, and voice-activated navigation.

The new PHEV Corsair, the Grand Touring, basically is a Reserve model equipped with the hybrid powertrain, adaptive suspension, an audible pedestrian warning (that functions in EV mode), and a feature that allows the Corsair to be flat-towed in neutral behind a motorhome.

We’d be remiss not to mention that all 2021 Lincoln Corsairs come with the Co-Pilot 360. This standard safety suite includes a blind-spot monitor with cross-traffic alert, automatic emergency braking, lane-keep assist, and automatic high-beam headlights.

Notable options for the 2021 Lincoln Corsair include the Technology Package, which is available on the Reserve and Grand Touring models. This package includes a head-up display, active headlamps that point into corners, Phone As A Key, two rear USB ports (Types A and C), and a wireless charging pad for your smartphone.

The new Monochromatic Package, available on the Corsair Reserve, includes black 20-inch alloy wheels plus a body-color grille, bumpers, rocker panels, and badges.

Last, there’s the new Sport Package, available on the base Corsair and the Corsair Reserve. It adds the 2.3-liter engine, polished 20-inch alloy wheels, body-color bumpers, illuminated scuff plates (in the door jambs), and a black mesh grille.

The Corsair’s base engine is a turbocharged 2.0-liter 4-cylinder offering 250 horsepower and 275 lb-ft of torque. An available 2.3-liter turbocharged 4-cylinder produces 295 horsepower and 310 lb-ft of torque. Both engines are smooth, and they send power through an 8-speed automatic transmission. The 2.0 is available with front- or all-wheel drive, while the 2.3 appears only in AWD models.

The front-drive 2.0-liter Corsair is rated by the EPA at 22 mpg City/29 mpg Highway/25 mpg combined. With all-wheel drive, those figures are 21/29/24, respectively.

With the 2.3, the AWD 2021 Corsair returns EPA figures of 21 mpg City/28 mpg Highway and 24 mpg combined, which means the extra power doesn’t put a big hurt on fuel economy.

For 2021, a PHEV Corsair has joined the lineup, equipped with a 14-4 kW lithium-ion battery. This hybrid Corsair is powered by a 2.5-liter Atkinson-cycle gasoline engine and two electric motors. Combined output: 266 horsepower. The rear wheels of this AWD PHEV Corsair are driven exclusively by electricity. No torque figures or fuel economy figures have been announced, but the EPA says the new PHEV Corsair will have an estimated all-electric range of more than 25 miles.

2.0-liter turbocharged inline-4
250 horsepower @ 5,500 rpm
280 lb-ft of torque @ 3,000 rpm
EPA city/highway fuel economy: 22 mpg/29 mpg (FWD), 21 mpg/29 mpg (AWD)

2.3-liter turbocharged inline-4
295 horsepower @ 5,500 rpm
310 lb-ft of torque @ 3,000 rpm
EPA city/highway fuel economy: 21 mpg/28 mpg

2.5-liter Atkinson cycle inline-4/two electric motors
Total system output: 266 horsepower
EPA city/highway fuel economy: N/A