Quiet, airy ride in 2023 Lincoln Corsair Reserve AWD

Part of Lincoln's lineup since 2020, the 2023 Corsair luxury small SUV benefits from an exterior face-lift, including a more prominent front grille and reshaped headlights. Corsair also features new wing-shaped daytime running lights. Besides aesthetics, there's a new standard digital instrument panel. Its large 13.1-inch central touch screen displays crystal-clear, easy-to-see, and select graphics.

Lincoln Corsair boasts three trim levels: Standard, Reserve, and Grand Touring. The first two models are powered by a 250-horsepower turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine mated to an eight-speed automatic transmission. Grand Touring, a plug-in hybrid, pairs a 2.5-liter four-cylinder gas engine with an electric motor, a continuously variable transmission (CVT), and an all-wheel drive. The duo gas engine and the permanent-magnet synchronous electric motor produce up to 266 horsepower.

The turbo-four equipped Corsair dashes from zero to 60 mph run in six seconds. Mileage matters. The EPA projects front-wheel drive models with the turbo-four that will travel 22 mpg on city streets and 30 mpg on the highway. Opting for all-wheel drive drops city mileage by a mere one mpg. For plug-in mileage, the EPA projects an all-electric range of 25 miles. Front-wheel drive is standard. All-wheel drive costs extra.

Five drive modes are standard on the Corsair: Normal, Conserve, Excite, Slippery, and Deep. Two are unique to the Grand Touring models. Preserve EV uses its gas engine and electric motor duo while recharging and conserving battery power. When Preserve Mode is active, the battery charges up to 75 percent of its capacity. Pure EV mode keeps the car in full-electric mode. When more power is needed, the gas engine revives.

My test drive for the week was a Reserve trim, boasting a litany of amenities: in-dash navigation, a hands-free power liftgate, fog lamps, a 14-speaker Revel stereo system, Sirius XM satellite radio, a power-adjustable steering column, genuine wood interior trim, and heated, 10-way power-adjustable leather front seats with memory settings for the driver. My favorite feature was the integrated heads-up display of speed, time, temperature, range, and direction. Note slipping on a pair of polarized sunglasses renders heads-up invisible.

As expected, with a car in this class, the ride was eminently comfortable, and the cabin was whisper quiet. Corsair's cargo bay is generously sized, with room behind the rear seats for eight carry-on suitcases. Lowering the rear seat backs opens up space for another three.

All Corsair models come standard with the Co-Pilot360 suite of advanced safety features, including adaptive cruise control and lane-keeping assistance.

Modern cars are more about electronics than pistons and transmission. For example, the Corsair app allows unlocking, locking, and starting a vehicle with a smartphone. BlueCruise allows a hands-free lane change upon tapping the turn signal. In slow-moving traffic, the system suggests a lane change. Approaching a sharp curve, it adjusts speed and keeps the Corsair in its lane. Mimicking a driver in heavy traffic, it subtly inches away from vehicles in the adjacent lanes.

2023 pricing for the Lincoln Corsair begins at $38,690 with Corsair Reserve pricing beginning at $43,075

Automotive journalist, Tim Banse, wrote The Gazette's Motoring car review column from 1989 to 2013 and has published stories in Popular Mechanics and Yachting magazine. He's toured carmaker factory floors in the U.S. and Japan and raced cars at Riverside, Watkins Glen, and Michigan International Raceway press events. He's stood close enough to a crash test to feel the shock wave reverberate off his chest. His first car was a vintage '56 Chevy Belair.