2023 Lincoln Corsair

Based on Ford’s Escape SUV, the 2023 Lincoln Corsair appropriately brings the land-yacht feeling for this more expensive version. A relatively compact two-row crossover, the Corsair is a small family car for freeway-based road trips and daily activities in the suburbs—and goes for miles as a fuel-efficient plug-in. But it’s limited enough to wish it was a fully electric SUV or a traditional hybrid.

With a more modern front-end featuring a bigger grille and new, sexier light arrangement and design, the 2023 just looks better. The new Whisper Blue (and Crystal Red) exterior paint help it look less like a dowdy family car. Inside, ActiveGlide 1.2 hands-free driving is available. There’s the 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder gas engine or the 2.5 liter plug-in hybrid, only available in the highest Grand Touring trim. The base Standard and mid Reserve trims are available in front- and all-wheel drive. 

Not many SUVs of this size offer a plug-in option, but the new Alfa Romeo Tonale and Lexus NX do, although the Alfa comes in at much lower pricing. The 2024 Dodge Hornet will soon have a plug-in version available, as well. The BMW X3 no longer offers a plug-in hybrid xDrive30e, but is a similar size with a more luxury bent.

The three Corsair trims—Standard, Reserve and Grand Touring—offer two different drivetrains with the GT only available as an AWD plug-in hybrid. The base ($38,690 to start) and mid trims come with a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine producing 250 horsepower and 275 pound-feet of torque driving the front wheels. All-wheel drive (AWD) is a $2,300 option on the 2.0-liter Standard and Reserve. The Grand Touring ($53,885) is a 2.5-liter Atkinson engine with continuously variable transmission (CVT).

While heavily bolstered and firm, the Corsair offers a good amount of legroom up front and a reasonable amount in the back, even if the plug-in version eats up some backseat comfort. The available cargo space is more than enough for a compact SUV and the back bench is easy to fold into different arrangements. A front-end redesign and light update inside make the Corsair a more modern SUV, especially with a 13.2-inch touchscreen with Ford’s latest Sync 4 infotainment system. 

Lincoln’s ActiveGlide is an expensive add-on, but for frequent highway drivers or roadtrippers it’s a feature that makes long drives more tolerable and gives a taste of what’s coming in auto tech. The plug-in hybrid makes the most sense for fuel efficiency but its high price with so-so range makes other PHEV SUV options look better. For a gas-powered premium SUV with robust standard features, the Corsair’s base version fits the bill.

Performance: 12/15 

It’s no race car, but the 3,685- to 4,397-pound SUV can move off the line quick enough, reaching 60 mph in under 8 seconds. The Tonale, BMW and Lexus are all faster, but a second isn’t that meaningful for a family car mostly driven on highways and suburban thoroughfares. 

The gas-only trims offer a 2-liter turbocharged inline-four engine with an eight-speed automatic transmission. The gas version has 250 horsepower and 275 pound-feet of torque. The plug-in hybrid is a 2.5-liter Atkinson inline-four with a continuously variable transmission (CVT). The heavier PHEV has 266 horsepower. 

The most frustrating part of the plug-in was constantly forcing it to use the battery. Pure EV mode was not the default and once selected the car would revert to using the gas engine with a pop-up notice that “engine enabled for system performance.” It was easily triggered and made using only the battery a Herculean endeavor. The other EV mode was Preserve, which saves battery power, which felt like Lincoln’s prerogative. As an EV-focused driver, it felt like I was forcing the car to use its 28-miles of pure battery before switching to the engine. 

When not functioning as a hybrid there’s Normal, Excite, Slippery and Conserve modes. The CVT was somewhat noisy, but after using battery-only mode it felt more jarring than it actually was. Overall driving was smooth and could handle quick turns and movements despite its size. After a long 1.5 hour drive of heavy highway traffic, the drive was tolerable long after the battery died. 

Easily something to get used to, but the piano key gear shifter feels like a solution searching for a problem. It detaches the driver from the driving experience, even if that’s not the intention.

All three trims can tow up to 3,000 pounds.

Fuel Economy: 14/15 

The Corsair is an average SUV in terms of fuel economy, and not in a bad way: 25 mpg combined (22 city and 30 highway) for the front-wheel drive and a 1 mpg loss for AWD. That compares to similarly sized gas-only SUVs like the base Lexus NX (28 mpg) or AWD NX with 25 mpg, Alfa Romeo Tonale’s 29 mpg combined and BMW X3 rear-drive’s 25 mpg.

But the plug-in version changes the playing field. The Grand Touring is heavier (4,397 pounds) but has improved fuel efficiency. With 28 miles of pure battery range, the overall MPGe is 78. This compares to the NX’s 84 MPGe and the Tonale’s 77. The Tonale has 33-mile range and the NX is a hefty 37 miles of pure battery.

The Corsair overall considering the plug-in boost achieves 33 mpg combined. 

Charging the Grand Touring is fairly slow, especially if on a Level 1 home charger. Level 2 speeds things up to about 4 hours, but the PHEV Corsair can’t handle fast charging. The 14.4 kWh battery drains quickly with only 28 miles of battery range, so prepare to plug in constantly. 

Safety & Driver Assistance Tech: 13/15

While not especially impressive, the Corsair is a solid SUV in terms of safety. Lincoln generously includes most advanced safety features on the base as part of its Lincoln Co-Pilot360 Technology suite—a good reminder that this is a premium Ford—with blind-spot and lane departure warnings, collision prevention and cross traffic alerts and more. 

The available ActiveGlide 1.2 (a two-year subscription is required for access) makes for almost too easy highway driving. It’s Lincoln’s version of Ford’s BlueCruise with hands-free automated driving on 130,000 North American miles and functions nearly identically to General Motors’ Super Cruise, however, that system feels more confident and robust. ActiveGlide is more diminutive, as if the carmakers don’t really want you to use it unless absolutely necessary, but once you turn it on it works well. In heavy traffic it’s less sure of itself, but simple highway driving day or night helps with fatigue—and the system even recommends changing lanes. 

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) isn’t effusive about the Corsair but gives it all “Good” marks except for in its new side impact test where it’s only marginal. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) gives it five-stars as it has for the past few years.

Comfort & Room: 12/15

As a compact two-row SUV the backseat is fine, but if packed full it’s not as comfortable a space. Instead up front is where Lincoln put its focus—although the driver and passenger seat feel overly bolstered and firm. It’s easy to adjust all the seats and set comfort features like cooling and heating, if added on.

In terms of space, the back seat is in line with the competition: 38.6 inches of legroom. The NX is a tighter 36.1 inches while the BMW is 36.4. The Tonale is a similar 38. The Ford Escape is a smidge bigger with 38.9 inches in the back. The double panoramic glass roof, which comes standard, opens the space, especially in the back. 

Disappointingly the PHEV version doesn’t offer the same amount of legroom and headroom, up front and in the back, but the back legroom takes a big hit down to 36.7 inches. 

Infotainment: 14/15

The Corsair is a premium SUV and the standard offering for tech features reiterates why you spent extra dough to level up. With 14 speakers as standard to ambient lighting and wireless smartphone connections, these base-level features make it feel luxurious inside even on the Standard trim. 

For 2023 the front console has been rearranged and it feels natural and intuitive enough to change (and find) settings, though the Sync 4 system moves almost everything to digital control. A bigger 13.2-inch touchscreen becomes the control center, even for temperature settings which is frustrating in a pinch.

The availability of ActiveGlide (part of an extra package) makes good use of the driver screen, though many of the advanced system driver controls are on the steering wheel and not always intuitive or easy to find.

Additional features in add-on packages can make the ride even more luxurious like a head-up display. An Auto Air Refresh air filter system is also available in an add-on package, bringing in air quality as a premium feature.

Cargo Space & Storage: 12/15

A true compact SUV, the Corsair is aligned closely to its competitors when it comes to cargo space. With 27.6 cubic-feet in the hold it expands to 57.6 cubes with the backseat folded. The NX is smaller with 22.7 cubes in the back and 46.9 with all the seats down. The Tonale is also smaller with 22.9 and 50.5 cubes, respectively. The BMW X3 is the best here: 28.7 cubic-feet and 62.7 with seats folded. The Escape is more spacious than the Corsair with 34.4 with seats up, 60.8 with down. 

Cargo space is sacrificed in the Grand Touring PHEV, dropping to 26.9 cubic-feet in the back and only 56.2 cubes with all the seats down. 

Up front, side and front storage space was plentiful with plenty of cubbies and cutouts for drinks, devices and other items. But available space was more spare in the back with small seatback storage. It was easy to open and load the trunk and the backseats would be wide enough for loading in kids and carseats. 

Style & Design: 8/10

A handsome SUV, the Corsair isn’t eye-catching but it’s refreshingly compact—not something always associated with Lincoln SUVs (the looming Aviator and Navigator come to mind). The improved front-end does a lot of work overall, giving the Corsair an updated look and energy. The bigger grille is the most noticeable feature—and in a good way. The longer front lights also modernize the front. 

New colors like Whisper Blue are sophisticated touches that bring the SUV into a more modern era with the on-trend matte color. 

Inside it’s understated but not sparse like a Tesla Model Y and doesn’t feel as plasticky as a Ford SUV. Interior packages like the new Smoked Truffle and Eternal Red are fun and give it some life though it’s still a fairly boring inside space. That doesn’t take away from the high-quality feel. It feels as premium as any Lexus, BMW or Alfa, because it is.

Is the 2023 Lincoln Corsair Worth it? Which Corsair is the Best Value? 

The Corsair breaks down to three trims with two engine types: 

• Standard: Starts at $38,690 (not including the destination fee) with a 2-liter engine in either AWD or front-wheel drive
• Reserve: $43,075 with the same  I-4 engine in AWD or FWD
• Grand Touring: $53,885 for the 2.5-liter VCT Atkinson I-4 plug-in hybrid engine, only in AWD

Each trim offers packages, called Collections, which are different prices at each trim level. A comfort and safety package (Collection II) is $2,940 on the Reserve trim and includes heated and ventilated seats, powered seatbacks and a hands-free liftgate. A full tech package that layers onto Collection II with ActiveGlide is the $10,730 Collection III. But on the Standard trim, Collection II is $3,595 and the ActiveGlide package $10,360. On the PHEV Grand Touring trim the extra packages are even less ($2,940 and $8,005, respectively). 

The extra features push the Standard into $40,000 territory, which we’d recommend if going for a gas-only version of the Corsair or just take the base as it is if some extra comfort isn’t necessary. If an electrified version is calling, jump to the Grand Touring. But at its price point, we’d advise other plug-in compact SUVs with more range and similar (or cheaper pricing). The NX gets almost 10 more miles on a charge and starts at $56,555. The Tonale is the best deal at $42,995 to start for a similar range and experience.

How Much Does it Cost to Insure the 2023 Lincoln Corsair? 

The Corsair’s insurance costs are similar to many of its competitors. According to our data, a typical 30-year-old female driver with a clean record can expect an average annual premium ranging from $2,107 to $2,321, though this averages all 50 states. That compares to $2,290 for the BMW X3, $1,790 for the Alfa Romeo Tonale and $2,136 for the Lexus NX and $2,334 for the plug-in NX. To get a more accurate picture of your potential insurance expenses, visit our car insurance calculator.