Lincoln Corsair delivers sophisticated styling, impressive turbo pop

The Corsair is the smallest of the Lincoln SUVs, but its more diminutive size is by no means a reflection of what it has to offer inside the cabin or under the hood. This is a handsome crossover with distinctive exterior styling that doesn’t look like anything else on the road (other than the larger siblings).

This year, the biggest news is the Corsair lineup gets a high-end Grand Touring model with a plug-in hybrid powertrain. My Corsair tester was the middle-slot Reserve trim that offers standard all-wheel drive and starts at about $42,000.

Exterior feel

You will hear a lot about how the Corsair looks just like a smaller Aviator and, In my book, that’s a very good thing. I think the exterior stylings of these SUVs look like nothing else on the road and that’s hard to say about such a competitive class.

Corsair features a bold horizontal grille and slim headlights that fold into the front fenders. There are touches of chrome trim and the faux vents on the front fenders that give it a sporty feel. My tester featured the upgraded 20-inch rims and they added a lot of attitude without being unrefined.

I like the clamshell-style look of the tailgate with its bold lights. The side panels are notable for what they are NOT – busy. This is a sleek and elegant crossover from nose to tail.

Performance

The Corsair comes standard with a 250-horsepower turbocharged 4-cylinder engine with either front- or all-wheel drive. My Reserve trim model with AWD had the larger engine with 295 hp.

The new Grand Touring (and hybrid motor) offers quiet acceleration with its 2.5-liter inline-4. The addition of the electric motor provides assistance that puts out a combined 266 hp.

A smooth-shifting 8-speed automatic transmission is mated to all of the available powertrain variants and it performed great during my test week on the highway and around town. The plug-in hybrid is good for about 28 miles of electric-only driving.

The base front-wheel-drive model with the turbo powerplant gets you an EPA rating of 22 mpg city, 29 highway, and 25 combined. Add the AWD and it drops a bit to 21/29/24 mpg.

The Corsair gets a top safety rating according to the NHTSA and the IIHS. Standard safety equipment includes active lane control, automatic emergency braking, and blind-spot monitors. My tester had add-ons such as an automatic park assist, a head-up display, and a surround-view camera system.

Cabin

It wasn’t that long ago you might have heard complaints about Lincoln looking and feeling a little too much like their more economic cousins at Ford. Fear not, my Corsair looked nothing like the Ford equivalents and there are plenty of unique elements inside to set this premium model apart.

I really liked the layout of the low-slung dash that is distinctly accented by rectangular vents, a wide touchscreen, and cutting-edge pushbutton transmission controls.

Like my comments on the exterior styling being minimal, the inside is great because it doesn’t try to do too much. I found the materials to be excellent in quality, with plenty of soft-touch surfaces and high-end trim.

Look for power-adjustable seats up front including adjustable under-knee support. The rear seat has room for two and enough space for three in a pinch. It also reclines providing long-distance comfort. Behind the rear seat, there are 28 cubic feet of cargo, and just under 60 cf with the seatback folded down.

Final thoughts

My tester had optional Light Blue Metallic Clear Coat paint ($695), as well as Tech ($2,800), Luxury ($2,200) and Sport ($2,500) packages. This elevated the entire driving experience as well as the final price to $58,505. This is a bit steep given the smaller footprint of Corsair and what others in the premium segment are selling for, but you are getting a distinct-looking SUV that is a premium-luxury ride.

• John Stein is a freelance journalist based in Chicago. He has more than 25 years of experience driving, testing, and writing about the automotive industry, its latest innovations, and vehicles.