When my family took the 2012 Ford Focus for a test-drive a few weeks ago, I mentioned that while it was a sleek, affordable and technologically-advanced option for a commuter car, a college car or a couple, it didn’t quite have the roominess I would ideally want in a regular family vehicle. That’s one of the reasons I was especially excited when we got to test out the 2012 Lincoln MKZ Hybrid from Ford Canada last week. The car that had earned the title of the most fuel-efficient mid-sized luxury sedan in Canada seemed like a great choice for regular family driving and I was excited to see if it might fulfill my long list of requirements that the perfect family car “has to have.”

When my husband headed to the dealership to pick up the car, he got quite the shock when he turned the key and nothing happened. He headed back into the dealership to tell them that the vehicle wouldn’t start. And that’s how our family got its first introduction to driving a Hybrid vehicle! When the key is turned, the battery kicks in first and the gasoline engine starts up only when necessary. It’s a very surreal experience to hear no noise whatsoever as the car first drives forward!

This car is significantly roomier than the Ford compacts and for our family of four it had just the right amount of space for our regular family activities. Whether we were packing up Zackary’s ball equipment to head over to a game or filling the trunk on our weekly family grocery trip, we always had plenty of space to tote around our boys and our gear in comfort.

Of course, the downside of a mid-sized vehicle is that the gas consumption is usually noticeably higher but since the MKZ we tested was a Hybrid vehicle, that wasn’t a concern! In fact, in one week of regular driving, the vehicle used only $30 of gas! Driving a Hybrid takes a little bit of an adjustment; there are two different gauges to measure the fuel and the battery power and an indicator light to let the driver know which resource is currently being used to power the vehicle. My husband spent some time studying the dash to ensure that he was reading the various gauges correctly but once he’d gotten used to the MKZ, he absolutely loved the power and fuel efficiency of the vehicle.

And of course, the 2012 Lincoln MKZ came with the same newly redesigned MyFord Touch system as Ford’s other most popular vehicles so that climate, navigation, entertainment and phone management could all be controlled with the clever touch screen, the steering wheel controls or the voice activation. For a regular family vehicle, it really did offer the best of all possible worlds.

The 2012 Lincoln MKZ Hybrid is a little pricey, but the comfort, convenience and fuel efficiency it provides makes it worth the extra expense if having a comfortable and versatile family car is a priority for your family. Why not stop by your local Ford dealership, check it out and see if it might be the perfect family vehicle you’ve been wanting!

Disclaimer: I was loaned the 2012 Lincoln MKZ Hybrid media fleet vehicle for one week to review. All opinions belong to Mommy Kat and Kids and have not been influenced in any way. Please view full Terms and Policies.