2025 Lincoln Corsair Grand Touring Review: Easy-Going, Super-Efficient Luxury

The 2025 Lincoln Corsair is a small luxury utility vehicle that perhaps flies a little too far under the radar for its own good. Rival models like the Acura RDX, BMW X3, Cadillac XT4, and Genesis GV70 all have higher profiles, and that’s a real shame because there’s a lot to like about the compact Corsair. Not only does this SUV have a real name, not some alphanumeric gibberish, but the vehicle presents a different vision of luxury than what you get from other companies, particularly sportier brands like Acura and BMW.

Making its case in this review – both for the Corsair lineup and Lincoln itself – is the range-topping Grand Touring model. This is the pricey plug-in hybrid variant that delivers plenty of luxury and staggering fuel efficiency when the all-electric range is fully utilized (which you should absolutely do if you own a PHEV). At nearly $66,000 with delivery, this vehicle is certainly not cheap, but it’s still a more compelling product than you might have ever realized.

2025 Lincoln Corsair Grand Touring All-Wheel Drive First Impressions

Setting itself apart from rival utility vehicles, the Corsair’s exterior design is straightforward and classy. There are no dramatic creases in the bodywork or unusual surfaces like the Lexus NX has, the shoulder line doesn’t zig-zag as the GV70’s does, and the headlights and taillamps aren’t highly exaggerated like what the XT4 is fitted with. Overall, this Lincoln’s design is honest, simple and unpretentious.

The Corsair’s flanks are smoothly sculpted, the elegant rear light assemblies resemble the outstretched wings of a bird, and “LINCOLN” is tastefully spelled out across the hatch. Additionally, the Corsair wordmark – rendered in blue and outlined in chrome on plug-in hybrid models – graces the upper portion of the front doors, while just a few bright accents around the side glass, front end, and rear add a touch of shine. This is a classy and handsome SUV that I think looks great.

Like practically every luxury vehicle these days, this Lincoln does have a case of big-grille-itis, something it caught a few model years ago following a modest refresh. The Corsair’s front end is dominated by a huge opening that’s framed in chrome and filled in with sprinkles of brightwork that are shaped like the Lincoln star. Despite its enlarged grille, I think this vehicle still looks better than the busy-and-angular RDX, techy X3, and overly aggressive Lexus NX.

As for quality, there don’t appear to be any issues with this vehicle’s exterior. The paint, called Infinite Black Metallic, is nicely finished and carries no upcharge, though I’d much prefer either Whisper Blue, a light grayish hue, or vibrant Red Carpet. Both of those colors cost $750 extra. When it comes to panel fitment, the gaps between this SUV’s various body components are consistent and reasonably tight, though Volkswagen and Audi typically do a better job of this, making their panel gaps paper-thin. In recent years, GM has been unexpectedly good at this, too.

Aside from visuals, the Corsair also feels like quality. Both the charging port and fuel filler doors are sturdy, the rubberized button that operates the power hatch is reassuringly firm and the door handles have an unexpected solidity to them, plus the swing panels they’re fitted to close with a dense thud you wouldn’t necessarily expect from a vehicle of this size.

Exterior Dimensions

Driving Impressions And Performance

What’s also surprising about the Corsair is its performance, or rather, lack thereof. To be clear, this vehicle is not sluggish, not at all, it just doesn’t accelerate like you might think a plug-in hybrid should. In the Normal driving mode, this vehicle delivers excellent around-town performance, everything you need and more. Switching to Excite (the equivalent of a sport mode) livens things up a skosh, but if you flat-foot the accelerator pedal, the Grand Touring doesn’t surge ahead. It certainly moves, just not in a way that will make your heart skip a beat.

This SUV’s performance is a bit surprising because the Toyota RAV4 Plug-In Hybrid (called the RAV4 Prime when it first came out), an SUV with a very similar powertrain and comparable dimensions, was the second-quickest Toyota after the Supra sports car when introduced. I was expecting similar fire from this Corsair, but it takes a slightly more leisurely approach.

Aside from Normal and Excite, this Lincoln also has a Slippery mode for traversing snow and ice, and there’s a fuel-saving Conserve setting. You also get Pure EV, which runs the vehicle solely on electricity (though the engine will engage on occasion, especially if you floor the accelerator pedal), and Preserve EV to save electric-only range, which is handy if you’re taking a long road trip and don’t want to inefficiently waste the battery charge driving on the highway.

Since Lincoln is not chasing lap records or courting Porsche owners, this SUV delivers a relaxed, serene driving experience, which, honestly, is totally refreshing. Not every vehicle needs a stiff, punishing ride, brakes that are grabbier than a hangry toddler or seats so heavily bolstered you need help with ingress and egress. In Normal mode, the Corsair glides over most roadway imperfections, its relatively soft springs eating up bumps and dips, though there is a touch of roll in corners and the body dives a bit under heavy braking and squats when you punch the accelerator. All this movement is expected, though none of it is egregious.

This SUV’s steering has a nice amount of weight to it, though the ratio feels a bit slow. Switching to Excite adjusts the variable dampers and basically eliminates the floatiness and body roll at the expense of a little added impact harshness. The difference between these settings is, admittedly, minor, though it is noticeable. Honestly, I just prefer Normal for its laid-back feel, but you do you.

Braking And Acceleration

As mentioned, the Corsair Grand Touring doesn’t feel quite as quick as you might expect, though it still hit 60 mph in a whisker less than 7 seconds in my testing, which is plenty speedy for nearly any situation. This performance is delivered by – you guessed it – a plug-in hybrid powertrain, one that’s built around a 2.5-liter Atkinson cycle four-cylinder. That engine is matched to an electronically controlled continuously variable automatic transmission and is augmented by some electric motors and a 14.4-kilowatt-hour battery pack. All this mechanical goodness provides an estimated 266 horsepower; all-wheel drive is also standard equipment in the Grand Touring model.

The Corsair is incredibly fuel-efficient, something we’ll cover in a few paragraphs, and it has an EPA-estimated 27 miles of pure electric range. That figure is respectable, though it falls far short of the RAV4 Plug-In Hybrid, which offers 42 miles of EV range, and even the closely related Ford Escape PHEV, which will do 37 on a full charge.

As with the Maverick Hybrid I recently reviewed, this SUV’s engine is a little grumbly. It’s not unbearably coarse or annoyingly loud, the powerplant just never sounds very pleased about working, kind of like a teenager with an after-school job. The Corsair’s under-hood components do work well, but they could use just a tiny bit of polishing to really shine.

When it’s time to stop, the brakes on this SUV do their job with confidence. The pedal is nice and firm, yet easy to smoothly modulate. Just like the Maverick Hybrid, this system’s tuning is excellent, the transition between regenerative braking and the friction binders is basically seamless. It’s preferable to drive hybrids with a gentle foot – both accelerating and decelerating – to save as much fuel as possible. The former wastes less gas and the latter recuperates energy that would normally be wasted, putting it in the battery pack where it can be used later.

• Estimated Acceleration, 0-60 MPH: 7.0 seconds
• Estimated Braking, 70-0 MPH: 160 feet

Performance Specifications

2025 Lincoln Corsair Grand Touring All-Wheel Drive Fuel Economy

Plug-in hybrids are generally super fuel-efficient, and the Corsair Grand Touring is no exception. This luxury SUV is rated at 33 miles per gallon combined when running as a conventional hybrid, that is, when the gasoline engine is working, though you should expect a whopping 76 miles per gallon equivalent (MPGe) when using the battery pack for propulsion. All told, this Lincoln has a theoretical maximum range of 450 miles with a full electron reservoir and gas tank.

This vehicle was delivered to me with zero electric range left, and I was able to put 5 miles into the battery before I took my first test drive. After running the Corsair for a whisker shy of 50 miles – neither babying it nor wringing its neck – the vehicle returned an estimated 42.6 mpg, a stellar figure I got without even trying. This little jaunt included some country two-lane roads, a little bit of stop-and-go congestion, and a brief bit of driving on the highway.

Interior Design And Comfort

Inside, the Corsair’s cabin is elegant and well built, with plenty of premium, if not quite opulent, materials. This dashboard is strongly horizontal with four rectangular air vents and the controls are well placed for easy access. I particularly love the piano key-style push-button gear selector and the power seat switches mounted to the door panels where they’re easy to see and reach.

Pop open a door and you’re greeted by the smell of rich, perfumed leather. The hides wrapping this Corsair’s seats, including the optional $1,285 24-way adjustable Perfect Position front chairs are sturdy feeling and have a massage function. This material is also splashed across the door panels and dashboard, which feature a coarsely grained soft plastic on their upper sections.

Those front seats are absolutely lovely – firm, supportive, incredibly adjustable and fitted with both heating and ventilation. I especially love the split lower bolster that makes this Lincoln appreciably more comfortable on long drives, though I do wish these chairs were a little softer – they are quite firm – and when you move around, one section of the driver’s side backrest creaks very slightly, kind of like an old desk chair. The upcharge is modest, but I’m not sure the Perfect Position seats are worth getting in this SUV.

The Corsair’s backseat isn’t going to win any awards, but it still has plenty of room for 6-foot-tall passengers to ride in comfort without their knees hitting the front backrests or their heads grazing the ceiling. That rear bench also adjusts fore and aft for greater versatility, and the backrest is adjustable. Passengers are also treated to heated outboard positions, a godsend in frigid weather, though they also get air vents and four, yes, four USB type-C ports.

Interior quietness is another factor in vehicle comfort, and this Lincoln’s cabin remains reasonably hushed. A tiny amount of wind rush can be heard at highway speeds, which is to be expected, but this hybrid’s Michelin Primacy Tour A/S tires mounted to 19-inch wheels make a fair bit more noise. They thwack over bumps and expansion joints, and generally feel quite stiff.

Interior Dimensions

Technology And Ease Of Use

Another element of the Corsair Grand Touring that I love is the technology. Yes, this vehicle offers loads of features and amenities, and nearly all of it is very easy to use, including the Lincoln-specific Sync 4 infotainment system. This is a luxury car you don’t have to spend a lot of time figuring out, you can pretty much hop in and drive without too much trouble.

Ahead of the pilot is a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster that looks sharp and is exceptionally easy to use. On the center of the dashboard is a 13.2-inch touchscreen that is even nicer. The multimedia array that runs on there is very intuitive and quite responsive, though it doesn’t seem to respond quite as quickly as the one in the Ford Maverick, there’s often a tiny delay from when you tap an icon and an action happens. As is expected, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are both supported.

Further elevating the experience, the Corsair is available with a wireless charging pad, a head-up display is also optional, you can get this SUV with a powerful 14-speaker Revel audio system, and Phone As A Key is available, too, which allows you to access and drive the vehicle using just your smartphone.

But one of the best features you can get in the Corsair is BlueCruise, Ford’s sublime adaptive cruise controls system with hands-free functionality. Not only does this system give you access to adaptive cruise control with lane centering on nearly any road, the technology also lets you sit back and relax on long drives. The hands-free feature can be enabled on more than 130,000 miles of approved highway (called Blue Zones) in North America. Now, this is not an autonomous technology, you still have to watch the road and be ready to intervene at any moment if BlueCruise has an issue, but this system works remarkably well. The latest versions are far more confident than the first generation, keeping the Corsair locked in the middle of its lane, even as you navigate corners. BlueCruise also offers automatic lane change capability, just tap the turn signal stalk and the vehicle will shift over when there’s a break in traffic. Overall, this is one of the greatest driver aids ever offered and is right up there with GM’s pioneering Super Cruise system.

Cargo And Storage Space

The Corsair is a small SUV, so don’t expect this vehicle to swallow 4-by-8 sheets of building material. Still, there’s a respectable amount of room in this Lincoln’s cargo area. In the Grand Touring model, you get up to 27 cubic feet of space behind the 60/40 split second-row backrest, which folds at the push of a button, and 56.2 cubes with everything dropped down. That’s a TINY bit less in each category than the non-plug-in-hybrid model provides but this difference is negligible.

2025 Lincoln Corsair Grand Touring Vs. Its Competitors

At a high level, this Lincoln competes with other luxury SUVs like the Acura RDX, BMW X3, Cadillac XT4 and Genesis GV70. These vehicles are all roughly analogous, being about the same size and emphasizing luxury in various ways, but the Grand Touring model is a plug-in hybrid, and none of those models are offered with this kind of drivetrain. The Lexus NX, however, is, making it one of this Corsair’s top competitors.

How The 2025 Lincoln Corsair Grand Touring Compares To The 2025 Lexus NX 450h+ AWD

While these two SUVs have the same mission, they go about fulfilling it in unexpectedly different ways. Where the Lincoln is understated, conventional and easygoing, this Lexus looks far more aggressive, offers greater efficiency and is likely more engaging to drive. Both of these vehicles should be pleasant to live with, but their personalities are about as far apart as you can get.

Performance

Curiously similar, the Corsair and NX plug-in hybrids both have 2.5-liter four-cylinder engines, eCVTs and all-wheel drive, but their performance is quite different. The Lincoln has 266 system hp, though the Lexus is graced with 304. This significant difference allows the NX 450h+ to hit 60 mph in an estimated 6 seconds flat, about a second quicker than the Corsair. The Lexus also has 37 miles of all-electric range opposed to just 27 for the Lincoln. Accordingly, the NX is more efficient, delivering 36 mpg and 84 MPGe combined compared to just 33 and 76, respectively, for the Lincoln.

Comfort

The Corsair Grand Touring is, however, probably the more comfortable of these two SUVs thanks to those highly adjustable Perfect Position front seats. This Lincoln also has more space for legs and heads in both rows of seats, though the difference compared to the Lexus is very small.

When it comes to cargo space, the Corsair has a more significant advantage over the NX 450h+. The Grand Touring is graced with 4.2 additional cubic feet of luggage space behind the second-row seat and a surprising 9.3 cubes with the backrest folded down. If luggage capacity is a top priority, the Corsair beats the NX 450h+.

Technology

These two SUVs are pretty much a draw when it comes to technology. The Lexus has a slightly larger 14-inch touchscreen, but I don’t like Toyota’s and Lexus’ infotainment system as much as Sync 4, so this is kind of a wash. The NX is available with a 17-speaker Mark Levinson sound system, which has more sound emitters than the Corsair’s optional Revel offering. Both vehicles are available with a head-up display, come with a wide range of advanced driver assistance technologies (road sign recognition, rear cross-traffic alert, automatic high beams, blind spot monitoring, lane-keeping assist and much, much more) and are available with digital key technology. The availability of hands-free BlueCruise is a big advantage for the Lincoln, but Lexus’ implementation of adaptive cruise control with lane centering is also very good.

Our Recommendation For Which Model You Should Buy

Comparing the Lincoln Corsair Grand Touring to the Lexus NX 450h+ AWD is tough because each of these plug-in hybrid SUVs has a different mission statement, yet each one is a great foil for the other. They both offer loads of great technology, are incredibly efficient, and come with suitably luxurious interiors.

The Lincoln in this toss-up is more spacious and likely more comfortable to ride in, plus it has BlueCruise, which is awesome, but the Lexus is more efficient, has much greater all-electric range, and should be noticeably more engaging to drive, plus this automaker has a long track record of building vehicles that are damn near bulletproof, so, if long-term dependability is a top concern, that’s another reason to consider the NX.

Overall, if you want a small hybrid luxury SUV that’s comfortable, classy and super easy to live with, grab the Corsair Grand Touring. If you want a little more visual zest and driving fun in your life, consider the Lexus instead.