The 2023 Lincoln Corsair is tweaked but still domestic

There’s a certain comforting symmetry to the circle of automotive life. New models tend to age up to citizenship in about six years, and most get a light makeover around the time they hit middle age to try and keep them fresh. That’s exactly where the Lincoln Corsair is right now. It’s no surprise, then, that Lincoln gave the 2023 model a slight makeover as it entered its fourth year on the market.

It would take a dedicated Corsair watcher to pick out the small revisions made to the latest version: the grille is slightly larger, the front fascia is slightly reworked, and there are a couple of new exterior and interior color combinations. That said, there are several notable changes inside, one of which is an impressive new piece of technology that makes it a perfect time to check in on this luxury compact SUV.

Since it’s been a while since we’ve visited the entry-level end of Lincoln’s all-SUV lineup, let’s recap: The Corsair’s svelte styling and gently sloping roofline may conjure up images of Range Rover products, but while you’ll never guess… this beautiful sheet metal is spread over the transverse engine front-wheel drive platform of a humble Ford Escape SUV. The Corsairs are powered by either a 250-hp turbocharged 2.0-liter or a 2.5-liter Atkinson-cycle inline-four hybrid that produces a total of 266 horsepower. (The previously available 295-hp 2.3-liter turbo four was dropped for 2023.) The smaller engine feeds its power to an eight-speed automatic; the hybrid sticks to a CVT. All-wheel drive is a $2300 option on standard and mid-level reserve models. The top-of-the-line Grand Touring only comes with the hybrid powertrain and four-wheel drive.

While the standard model starts at a reasonable $40,085, getting the features, amenities, and classy cabin materials that make the Corsair feel like a luxury ride drives the price up quickly. Our test Corsair, a stock 2.0-liter AWD, started at $46,770. Several equipment packages later, it was fully equipped and priced at $60,685. That’s the kind of money that will almost get you a well-equipped BMW X3 or Volvo XC60, and will easily put SUVs like the Genesis GV70 3.5T or Acura RDX SH-AWD A-Spec in your driveway.

Lincoln has been doing a creditable job of dressing up the interiors of its cars—er, SUVs—for its luxury mission, and there was no arguing the accommodations for our tester. The spacious, two-row interior has modern, attractive lines and was wrapped in elegant two-tone Ebony/Smoked Truffle leather, a black-taupe mix that sounds like something you’d hear. Project Runway. There’s beautiful wood in the dash and stylish bits of bright trim scattered throughout. All Corsairs have a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster and an easy-to-use 13.2-inch touchscreen with sharp graphics and connectivity with the Alexa app, the latter free for the first three years. Both screens were previously reserved for higher-end models. The convenient piano key change buttons are retained.

The top item on our test car was Equipment Group 202A ($10,730), which adds an avalanche of luxury features, as it should at this price. Extras include a heads-up display, panoramic sunroof, 14-speaker Revel audio system, heated and ventilated front seats, heated rear outer seats, adaptive dampers, a heated steering wheel and smartphone functionality as a key . Most important is the inclusion of Adaptive Cruise Control with ActiveGlide, Lincoln’s hands-free self-driving feature (more on that in a bit). The final bit of sybaritic equipment was a set of optional 24-way front seats with massage ($1285).

Upgrade or not, the Corsair drives just like it did the last time we pointed it down the highway more than three years ago. It’s a luxury car that’s cozy and comfortable, but makes no attempt to engage the part of you that likes to drive. Steering feel is muted and steering response is relaxed. Head out on a smooth interstate and you’ll notice just a little float in the ride. That smoothness lets it slide over bigger pavement undulations, but the 20-inch Continental CrossContact LX Sport all-season tires grip smaller road imperfections and send a shiver through the cabin’s otherwise calm down Switching the ride mode from Normal to Excite stiffens the adaptive dampers a bit, but does nothing to transform the Corsair into anything resembling a road cutter.

On the test track, the all-wheel-drive Corsair delivers performance that won’t get anyone’s pulse racing, but it’s about average for many of the vehicles in this segment, with a 60-mph time of 6.1 seconds and a quarter mile 14.7-second sprint to 93 mph. The engine works well with the eight-speed automatic and is a faint, distant presence throughout most of its rev range. The Reserve’s 0.83g skid grip and 179-foot stopping distance from 70 mph are also unexceptional, but more than enough for the kind of relaxed riding the Corsair inspires. Its EPA-estimated fuel economy is midpack in the luxury compact SUV segment at 21 mpg city, 28 mpg highway and 24 mpg combined.

That this vehicle does little to engage the driver makes it all the more appropriate that it now offers a feature that lets you not drive. Called ActiveGlide 1.2, it’s Lincoln’s version of Ford’s similar BlueCruise system, and it lets you take your hands off the wheel for extended periods on more than 100,000 miles of qualified divided US highways. ActiveGlide requires a subscription, but the first two years are included with the 202A package.

We took our hands-free drive down a local interstate and found the system, which works in conjunction with active cruise control, worked perfectly during our short cruise. It negotiated the curves with skill, made smooth and confident lane changes when we turned the turn signal, and had us almost comfortable when we passed semis in the next lane.

In fact, ActiveGlide fits the Corsair’s personality perfectly. We don’t expect the Corsair to turn people away from the Audi Q5 and BMW X3; the Lincoln is a completely different animal. A loaded example like our test vehicle doesn’t gain in value, nor does it offer the driver engagement we crave. But about halfway through its production life, the Corsair remains what it was at the beginning: a vehicle more than capable of making you feel pampered. So, welcome to the Middle Ages, Corsair. You haven’t changed at all.

Director, Buyer’s Guide

Rich Ceppos has evaluated automobiles and automotive technology during a career that has spanned 10 years at General Motors, two stints at Car and driver with a total of 19 years and thousands of kilometers registered in racing cars. He was in music school when he realized what he really wanted to do in life, and in a way, he has achieved it. Between the two of them c/d publications of which he served as executive editor Automotive magazine; was executive vice president of Campbell Marketing & Communications; worked in GM’s product development area; and became editor of Car week. He has raced continuously since college, held SCCA and IMSA pro racing licenses and competed in the 24 Hours of Daytona. He currently owns a 1999 Miata and a 1965 Corvette convertible and appreciates that none of his younger colleagues have yet uttered “Okay, Boomer” when telling one of his stories about the crazy old days at c/d