What's New
The 2021 Lincoln Corsair is a compact luxury crossover that's the cheapest way to park a Lincoln in your driveway. This year, the Corsair lineup gains a plug-in hybrid powertrain through the new Grand Touring model.
Choosing Your Lincoln Corsair
The Corsair is available in three trim levels: Standard, Reserve, and Grand Touring. Pricing starts at $37,100 including destination for the Standard, $44,045 for the Reserve, and $51,385 for the Grand Touring plug-in hybrid.
Engine Choices
There are three powertrains available on the Corsair. The first two trims start with a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine, and offer a more powerful 2.3-liter turbo-four for $5,850 on the Standard and $4,200 on the Reserve because it requires all-wheel drive and additional equipment.
The Grand Touring alone gets the plug-in hybrid powertrain, which consists of a 2.5-liter four-cylinder gas engine and an electric motor.
Engine Type | Horsepower | Torque | Fuel Economy (Combined) |
2.0L Turbo 4-Cylinder | 250 hp | 280 lb-ft | 25 mpg |
2.3L Turbo 4-Cylinder | 295 hp | 310 lb-ft | 24 mpg |
2.5L 4-Cylinder Plug-In Hybrid | 266 hp | Not Rated | Not Yet Rated |
Both gas engines are paired with an eight-speed automatic transmission, while the plug-in hybrid utilizes a continuously variable transmission (CVT). The lower two trims start with front-wheel drive and offer all-wheel drive for $2,200. The PHEV comes standard with AWD.
Passenger and Cargo Capacity
The compact Corsair seats five passengers. It offers 27.6 cubic feet of cargo space behind the second row, which is solid for the segment. Space expands to 57.6 cubic feet with the back row folded down, which is great.
Safety Features
The Corsair comes with Lincoln’s Co-Pilot360 safety system. This combines forward collision warning, automatic emergency braking, lane keeping assist, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, and automatic high beams. Rear parking sensors are also included.
On either trim, you’ll have to raid the options list to get features like a surround-view camera, adaptive cruise control with stop-and-go, speed sign recognition, or an automated parking system. These features require the $3,100 Co-Pilot360 Plus Package.
Connectivity
Ford’s SYNC 3 voice-activated control hub is standard on the Corsair, while an 8-inch touchscreen provides visual control of Apple CarPlay and Android Auto integration. SYNC 3 also has an Alexa-enabled app, while a 4G LTE wi-fi hot spot enables up to 10 devices to connect to the Corsair from up to 50 feet away. There are front and rear USB ports including A and C connections, two 12-volt power points, and a 10-speaker audio system with MP3 capabilities.
Reserve and Grand Touring buyers receive navigation and an upgraded 14-speaker Revel audio system. There's also a head-up display on the options list on these trims.
Life feels good behind the leather-wrapped steering wheel of the entry-level Corsair Standard, with personalized memory settings for the seat, side mirrors, audio and dual-zone climate control. Even before you’ve opened the illuminated exterior door handle, there’s an approach detection system and signature cabin lighting. The cabin’s a quiet place to be as well, thanks to active noise control, while the front seats are heated with 10-way power adjustment including lumbar support. Other convenient touches include remote start and a power liftgate, while the heated side mirrors are power-adjustable and auto-folding.
Adding the $1,300 Convenience Package is the building block to every other pack on Standard models, additionally bringing voice-activated navigation, a power seatback release, and ambient lighting. You can then add the $1,100 Elements Package, which contains rain-sensing wipers and a windshield wiper de-icer function, a heated steering wheel and rear outboard seats. The front seats also gain ventilation. The $2,500 Premium Package adds 19-inch aluminum wheels and leather-trimmed front row seats beneath a panoramic vista roof with power shade.
Riding on larger 19-inch wheels, key upgrades on Reserve models include voice-activated navigation, a hands-free liftgate, and a larger 12.3-inch configurable LCD instrument cluster. A 14-speaker Revel audio system provides entertainment, while a power panoramic sunroof with powered sunshade improves the interior alongside ambient cabin lighting and seats clad in Bridge of Weir leather.
Reserve buyers can add adaptive suspension for $700. Unique to this model is the Technology Package; costing $3,000, it combines a head-up display and speed-dependent bending LED headlights with premium cabin lighting, four rear USB ports, a wireless charging pad, and the ability to use your smartphone as a car key.
The premium to move up to the Grand Touring is largely a result of the plug-in hybrid powertrain setup. The 2.5-liter engine, electric motor, CVT, and all-wheel drive come standard, and equipment is otherwise very close to the Reserve's specifications.
Compare Corsair Trims Side-By-Side
Given the steep cost required to move up the trim ladder, we recommend sticking with the 2021 Lincoln Corsair Standard. There are plenty of packages available there to suit a variety of borrowers.