We have about 3000 miles on our MKC. 2.3 AWD. Without a doubt it is the most comfortable, most refined ride and handling, most ergonomically correct package I have ever driven for any length of time. My sciatic nerve will usually put up with about 3 hours in the car before it acts up. Not in the MKC. 6 hours to central Kentucky and I was just fine. I threw this thing around some great country roads down there. The at-limit handling is more like a Focus ST than any Lincoln or CUV I have ever been in. The brakes are as good as anything you will buy with all-season tires on it. They're really good! Lots of attention to detail inside and some nice features. The puddle lamps are something that you wouldn't think mean diddly, but on a dark, rainy night, they are just cool. Same with the LED lighting inside and out. Very upscale.
Drawbacks: To be honest, the rear seat room is a little tight for me. The smaller fuel tank and the mileage are somewhat of a disappointment. We see 23-25 highway and 20 city. That's IT as far as I am concerned. And I think our friends at Livernois can help to fix the mileage issue for me....