In 2025, the Lincoln Motor Company carries forward its commitment towards luxury American style throughout its cadre of five-door crossover/SUV body styles. Consider Lincoln a step up from higher volume car brands, such as its own parent, Ford Motor Company. No sedans, convertibles or coupes dot Lincoln dealership lots, just four side doors and a tailgate. The company celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2022.
The Fab Four, from compact-ist to boldest, include: Corsair, Nautilus, Aviator and full-size Navigator. A pair of the foursome includes some form of ‘Electrification,’ extending driving range while at the same time cutting down hydrocarbon pollutants. Our tester this week, the compact Corsair, arrives in a plug-in hybrid electric version (PHEV) enabling an estimated 27 miles of pure electric travel before the gas-electric hybrid technology takes over promising a total range of around 400 miles before refilling the hybrid’s 11.1-gallon fuel tank with recommended 87-octane, regular-grade fuel. Expect an extended average of 33 miles per gallon in combined city/highway travel when the hybrid engine takes over primary operation.
The mid-size Lincoln Nautilus offers a hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) option, self-charging technology without the need for nightly plug in technology combining a small electric motor and high-voltage battery pack extending fuel economy.
The compact Corsair arrives in three trims: Premier, Reserve and Grand Touring; only Grand Touring includes the PHEV opportunity. Both Premier and Reserve offer either front-wheel or all-wheel drive while Grand Touring arrives strictly with part-time all-wheel drive standard. All build from Ford Motor Company’s C2 uni-body car-like platform shared with the Ford Escape and Bronco Sport crossovers. Expect a smooth, luxury ride via
Grand Touring’s adaptive suspension rather than a bumpy experience teamed with a welcoming, luxury-like interior.
Corsair arrived as an all-new compact-sized model in the 2020 model year (replacing the tri-lettered MKC crossover) and underwent a mid-cycle update in 2024. Changes to the 2025 model remain minimal, highlighted by new/deleted exterior/interior color selections and a Jet Appearance Package for Grand Touring including blacked out interior trim and black 20-inch wheels (and included within this week’s tester).
Premier and Reserve (both solely Internal Combustion Engined trims) include a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine standard. Our Grand Touring adds electrified slight-of-hand to its 2.5-liter hybrid powertrain consisting of an inline four-cylinder gas engine teamed with a permanent magnet synchronous motor generating a combined 266 horsepower, slightly more than Corsair’s ICE turbo version (250 horses). A second traction/electric motor helps power Grand Touring’s rear axle.
Our bright red Corsair Grand Touring PHEV included a $54,365 starting price. About $13,000 worth of factory options included a $750 hit for the premium exterior red paint, $2,250 covering twenty-inch black aluminum wheels, $1,280 upgrading front leather seats and a $8,675 equipment package (hands-free lift gate, heated rear seats, heads-up front windshield projection, front/rear parking sensors and a wireless Smartphone charging pad). The bottom line reached $68,820 after factoring in the $1,495 destination charge. By contrast, a front-wheel drive Premier trim with the four-cylinder turbo checks in at $39,735.
The prominent squarish front grille includes a continuous diamond pattern interspersed with long, narrow, upright rectangles reminiscent of Lincoln’s own vertical-style logo. It’s flanked by headlight housing consisting of two bulbs and frosted-style daytime running light under liners. In back, a light bar extends the power liftgate’s width with amber turn bespeckled bulbs under the light bar at each end.
First row bucket seats enjoy a relatively high seating position compared to many compact crossover rivals; not too high as to detour easy egress/ingress, but not uncomfortably low either; a very comforting sweet spot.
Second row seats include a 60/40 split with backrests folding flat upon the seat cushions below. When prone, seatbacks recline nicely giving travelers back comfort choices. These seats also slide fore and aft providing optimal leg comfort. With seats prone, a usable 27 cubic feet of cargo space remains. A temporary spare tire resides under the cargo area flat floor.
Shifting the power-split electronic continuously variable transmission (e-CVT) from park to reverse to neutral to drive involves the push of large, well-marking dashboard-located electronic buttons in the center dash below the sizeable, multi-function screen and horizontal, manually-adjusting air vents. No dials to turn or steering column appendages to shift, just a push of the five in-row buttons. To the immediate left resides the electronic push-button start illuminating with a convenient green glow when operational.
A drive mode dial within our Grand Touring trim between front buckets includes six choices (two more than ICE versions): Normal, Excite, Slippery, Conserve, Preserve EV and Pure EV. Choose Preserve EV and the system delivers gas-electric hybrid travel. Pure EV runs Corsair in pure electric mode off the high-voltage Direct Current Battery Pack. Also found between the seats, an illuminated, inline beverage holder
The 13.2-inch, flat multi-function screen incorporating Sync4 sits above a small shelf carved out by the horizontal-style vents serving double duty as a transition point between the upper and lower dash as the pattern travels from end to end through the power tilt-telescoping steering column. A volume on/off button works in tandem with the bright screen but it locates several levels down from the screen next to a mis-mashed row of push buttons under the inline push-button transmission shifter including hazard light, front defroster and in-screen camera feeds. The touch screen’s ‘Home’ option resided within Lincoln’s own logo tucked into the upper left corner, which took this luddite some time to discover.
Grand Touring has available a flat wireless Smartphone charging pad and both style USB ports: Type and Type C for when only a plug will do during Smartphone interactions. All reside at the bottom of the center console within a nook and vertical sliding covers above to keep Smartphones out of sight if desired.
Both the multi-function center screen and completely separate animated 12.3-inch instrument panel display cosmic graphics when starting/stopping Corsair via the electronic push button. The multi-function center screen remains identical to what’s available in Corsair’s ICE version. The instrument panel includes basic graphics and information detailing charge levels and miles-to-empty of the large high-voltage battery without overloading the driver with volumes of EV data. Several different screen layouts select via a 3 o’clock button on the steering wheel face.
Corsair PHEV includes a long, snakelike, 20-foot long electric cord/plug with a J1772 head (or J Plug, resembling a small hand-held hair dryer) connecting to the car’s electrical port found on the driver’s side front fender behind a swing-out door. Included are two adaptors (dual voltage) allowing for selection between a household’s two main power source. A three-prong grounded plug (Level One) was the adaptor of choice for our week together as its other end slips easily into a conventional 120-volt wall socket for convenient albeit slow recharging.
Utilizing a 120-volt Level One wall charger adaptor takes approximately 10-11 hours to completely recharge Corsair’s high-voltage DC battery pack. Remove the Level One adaptor with a gentle pull and replace with the Level Two option if a garage already includes a prewired, heavy-duty, 240-volt outlet utilized for air conditioners, heating units and washer/dryers. Most garages are not this lucky, necessitating a specific wall unit investment. Lincoln Corsair Grand Touring is one of a growing number of PHEVs including dual adaptors standard. A majority arrived with only a Level One capability a decade earlier.
Utilizing the Level One adaptor during our time together, Corsair attained 32 miles of pure electric driving after less than 11 hours of 120-volt wall-socket charging, five more than the estimated 27 miles per nightly charge. Overachieving was made possible with optimal driving/charging conditions for EVs and PHEVs. Early June temperatures in the 70s during testing kept the high voltage battery very content and comfortable, happy to add a few extra miles as conditions are not-to-hot or too cold, the Goldilocks ‘just right’ temperature range.
Recharge during Chicagoland’s mid-winter and EV range estimates most likely fall back to 27, maybe less. After a night of recharging, Corsair defaults to pure EV driving once pushing the electronic push-button start. Pilots may switch to the hybrid option (and back again to EV) by selecting ‘preserve EV’ through the drive mode dial between the front buckets. Expect a seamless handoff when switching between pure EV and hybrid technologies as little-to-no-rumbling or gentle jolting was detected.
Invest in a higher voltage ‘Level Two’ 240-volt A/C EVSE wall unit, (EVSE represents Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment) and charge time reduces significantly to approximately 3-4 hours utilizing a 30-amp circuit. A comparatively pokey 3.3-kilowatt on-board charging module converts the A/C current from the household outlet to D/C current stored within the high voltage D/C battery pack when using either Level One or Level Two charging options.
Costs associated with a ‘Level Two’ 240-volt wall unit investment also come into play. The unit itself prices between $350 and $900 depending upon the amperage selected while labor rates vary widely depending upon multiple factors. Generally, expect between $400 and $1,700 for a certified electrician’s handy work depending upon the hours needed for the specific install. In February of 2024, Com Ed announced a $5 million EV Charger and Installation Program awarding up to $3,750 per household to offset costs to implement at-home ‘Level Two’ wall units. More information is at ComEd.com/clean.
As with most PHEVs, D/C fast charging is not an option within Corsair Grand Touring. This process overrides the vehicle’s on-board charging module, sending direct current into the 14.4 kilowatt-hour lithium-ion battery pack. Pure EVs with their larger battery capacity and 300 miles (or more) of pure EV travel benefit from commercially available D/C fast chargers especially when far from home. In any event, the DC Fast Charging hardware nose design will not connect up or fit into Corsair’s plug port outlet.
The 2025 Corsair Grand Touring PHEV fails to qualify for the Federal Government’s clean energy tax credit benefiting select EVs and PHEVs meeting certain criteria. As of January 2025, the only PHEV sold in America qualifying for the federal tax credit is Chrysler’s Pacifica minivan. However, leasing Corsair Grand Touring instead of a conventional purchase offers the opportunity to utilize some tax benefits. The State of Illinois offers an electric vehicle rebate program covering most electric vehicles, but Plug-In Hybrid Vehicles including Corsair Grand Touring don’t qualify for any portion of the rebate.
Often, those in the media get asked if investing in a Level Two garage-mounted wall charger is worth the expense when purchasing a PHEV. A conventional 120-volt outlet generally suffices for most PHEVs with their smaller battery packs and shorter charging times. For most consumers, a conventional 120-volt wall socket works just fine as long as the 11-12 hours or so of overnight recharging time fits into one’s personal schedule.
2025 Lincoln Corsair PHEV
Price as tested: $68,820
Gas Engine: 2.5-liter four-cylinder hybrid
Lithium-Ion Battery Pack: 14.4-kilowatt hour
Combined Horsepower: 266
Hybrid fuel economy: 33 miles per gallon
Pure Electric Range: 27 miles
Wheelbase: 106. 7 inches
Overall Length: 181.4 inches
Overall Height: 64.1 inches
Overall Width: 74.3 inches
Curb weight: 4,493 pounds
Powertrain warranty: Six years/70,000 miles
Hybrid component warranty: Eight years/100,000 miles
Assembly: Louisville, Kentucky
