Lincoln MKZ out front of a Lakewood traffic school

Would you?

Though it might be an eye-opening experience to go in there, I'd parked the 2007 Lincoln MKZ out in an exposed spot on a busy street to get a picture of it so, amid searing irony, I couldn't stop for long.

And I'd drive on by this pristine example of urban decay if I had to choose a traffic school, especially when you look at what's out there.

Perhaps a better option is to do your traffic school test online; once you've paid your citation the agency will send you a form with the web addresses of traffic schools on the back.  Completing the test, which takes about three hours, will usually drop a point off your license and, if it's your first minor offence, may result in no rise in your insurance payment.
 
Quite what all this means for the MKZ, Lincoln's entry-level luxury sedan I'm not sure.  I got a minor for speeding – an occupational hazard when you spend as many hours in a car as I do each week – in, I think, Ford Explorer. Very bad, I admit.

But now for the good.  The very good indeed: The MKZ I took near and far on California freeways and city centers and enjoyed damn near every minute in it.  I liked the look of it. I liked the feel of it.  Would I buy one of the one of the classy numbers?  The 30 per cent uptick in Lincoln sales in June this year are a direct result of the rollout of a rebuilt and sculpted range that has caught a lot of attention on our streets over the last year. 

Luxury on 17-inch rims

Reasons: it's probably got the best interior out there for its price range, which sits at between $29, 300 and $31,175. And they've got some of the most inventive factory grilles on the market. Some of these look like street-rod stuff and, if you choose your trim options wisely, will result in a domestic machine with serious attitude, all perched on 8-spoke 17-inch rims.

Power is good through a V6 or V8 – the test car –  through  front and all-wheel-drive options on the six-cylinder Duratec and sister eight. The V6 also pushes out more horsepower but less torque than the V8 at 263 horsepower.  It'll hit 60 in 6.8 seconds. So it's not  flier, but sub-seven-seconds is more than enough for most.

Which is why, with its luxurious interior, the MKZ was JD Powers' Highest Ranked  in Entry Premium Car Segment, following from similar accolades ladelled on its sister Ford Fusion, another car I loved.

Bold front grilles feature across Lincoln range

So can that propel Lincoln into Lexus' league, or Audi's? I say 'yea', as the range is strong and it's also a domestic, which always goes down well in the heartlands.  Has it got the best luxury marque?  For this price, it's definitely up there.

You'll also get lots of free add-ons including a funky Global Open moonroof, speed sensitive windscreen wipers, quad headlamps, dual-zone climate control, perforated leather, six-disc changer/mp3 player – the THX upgrade is extra – abut the touch-screen sat nav is, er, rather expensive at about $2,500.

Safety is good as in pretty much any Ford vehicle these days, as dictated by the importance of the family market to its core sales.

Trick about the MKZ is that, though it's certainly quick, you'll never feel all that inclined to push it to its limits, to put the foot down at lights if the road or freeway ahead is clear – not that you should, and not that that would not be serious fun –  as cruising in this amount of luxury precludes the need to seek adrenaline charges.

Cruising can be difficult too though: when it's a bright Sunday morning at 10 am and there's nobody – I mean nobody - on the Vincent Thomas bridge in Long Beach and you get nailed by a black and white which plainly had nothing better to do.

Refined, ergonomically-sound interior

All leather luxury

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