The compact luxury SUV segment has been on the rise ever since the start of the 21st century and is one of the most profitable segments in the United States. With the arrival of the 2022 Lincoln Corsair, Lincoln is here to take on the rivals with the help of a luxurious cabin that provides impressive space, sorted ride quality, and engine options with enough performance and excellent gas mileage.

Starting at a base MSRP of $36,370, it is also one of the cheapest offerings of the segment, especially when compared to the rivals like the Audi Q5, BMW X3, and the Mercedes-Benz GLC. The long list of optional extras, top-notch safety performance due to the solid build quality and many standard features, and classy design language come unchanged to this 2022 iteration as well. Here are 10 things you need to know before buying the 2022 SUV.

RELATED: Here's Everything We Expect From The 2021 Lincoln Corsair

10 Performance Feels Just About Adequate

Silver 2022 Lincoln Corsair Grand Touring
Via Ford

The 2022 Lincoln Corsair can be had with three different engines. The base engine is a 2-liter turbocharged inline-4 motor, producing 250 hp and 275 lb-ft of torque. When equipped with this motor and a standard 8-speed automatic transmission, the car feels adequately sprightly, especially when it comes to the low-end. However, it is not going to excite anyone with its mid-range performance.

Silver 2022 Lincoln Corsair
Via Forbes

If you want a bit more zest, the 2.3-liter turbocharged inline-4 motor is also available, which turned out to be slightly better in terms of acceleration when compared to the 2-liter motor, with a 0-60 mph time of 6 seconds. Apart from that, there is also a 2.5-liter naturally aspirated inline-4 motor mated to an electric motor that comes with the PHEV trim. The performance is nothing to rave about for this engine, and the CVT transmission makes it even worse when it comes to freeway drivability.

9 Fuel Efficiency Is Excellent

Blue 2022 Lincoln Corsair
Via Future SUVs

Even though fuel efficiency is not one of the biggest factors people often consider when looking for a compact premium SUV, the 2022 Corsair managed to impress us on this front. The 2-liter motor of the Corsair managed 22 mpg in the city and 29 mpg on the highway, producing a combined gas mileage of 25 mpg.

Blue 2022 Lincoln Corsair
Via: Lincoln

With a 16.2-gallon fuel tank capacity, the car could also do a decent 470 miles on the highways on a full tank. If you opt for the 2.3-liter motor with AWD, the fuel efficiency sees a minor drop of just 1 mpg on the highways. However, if you want the best gas mileage, we would recommend you to get the Corsair PHEV, which offers 78 mpg of combined gas mileage.

8 Interior Feels Premium

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Like the older MKC from Lincoln, the 2022 Lincoln Corsair manages to strike a perfect chord between luxury and versatility. Get into the plush-looking cabin of the Corsair and you would be greeted with something that looks way different from what you expect from German rivals like the Audi Q5 and BMW X3.

The interior comes covered in premium leather and genuine wooden accents, both of which make it look more upmarket and classy, quite different from the sporty characteristics of many of the competitors. All the switchgear feels like it's built to last, and chiseled aluminum inserts coupled with unmatched attention to detail look superb, too.

RELATED: 2020 Lincoln Corsair Debuts At New York Auto Show

7 Generously Spacious

Expressively designed and effortlessly nimble, the all-new Lincoln Corsair is a spacious two-row SUV that combines refined power and a wealth of purposeful technologies in a sanctuary from the outside world.
via Lincoln

With no major changes from the outgoing 2021 model, especially when it comes to the cabin, the impressive interior space remains unchanged too. The Corsairs have always been synonymous with its superb space and unmatched comfort provided by the plush and well-crafted Bridge of Weir leather seats, and all of this is brought forward to this 2022 iteration as well.

2022 Lincoln Corsair
Via: Lincoln

The front seat occupants would be happy with the best-in-class legroom and above-average headroom and shoulder room. The wide armrest and ergonomic layout are some of the other USPs of this cabin. The rear could accommodate three passengers with relative comfort with the wide rear seat on offer. There is more than adequate headroom and legroom as well.

6 Has A Sorted Ride Quality

Even though the 2022 Lincoln Corsair doesn't come with a sophisticated air suspension system, the ride quality turned out to be overall very pleasant. Take the cars through the broken roads of the cities and the car handles them very easily, transmitting only the biggest of the potholes. There is no major body roll either.

Expressively designed and effortlessly nimble, the all-new Lincoln Corsair is a spacious two-row SUV that combines refined power and a wealth of purposeful technologies in a sanctuary from the outside world.
via Lincoln

Coming with the independent front and rear suspension system, the car also rides flat when on the open highways. The bumps and potholes that are met when at high speeds are ironed out very well, similar to some of the German rivals. This matured ride quality is one of the biggest of the USPs of the 2022 Lincoln Corsair as well.

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5 Driving Experience Is Not As Good As The Rivals

White 2022 Lincoln Corsair
Via Lincoln

The 2022 Lincoln Corsair is not a car that is going to create lap records and set the racetracks on fire. Even when compared to many of the rivals like the Mercedes-Benz GLC, BMW X3, and the Audi Q5, the 2022 Corsair feels a bit watered down in terms of handling and driving dynamics, as it is made for munching miles with utmost comfort.

2022 Lincoln Corsair

Take the corners a bit too enthusiastically, and the FWD drivetrain version of the Corsair only rewards you with understeer. There is a lot of tire squeal and the electric power steering further degrades the experience with no major feel and feedback on offer. Even the AWD versions have a similar character, albeit with more grip at the limits.

4 Has A 5-Star Crash Safety Rating

2021 Lincoln Corsair
Via greencarreports.com

The 2022 Lincoln Corsair comes loaded with a long list of safety and driver-assistance features, many of which are optional extras in the rivals. The standard driver-assistance tech includes automated emergency braking, pedestrian detection, lane departure warning, lane-keeping assist, and many more. Other features like adaptive cruise control come as part of the optional packages.

Expressively designed and effortlessly nimble, the all-new Lincoln Corsair is a spacious two-row SUV that combines refined power and a wealth of purposeful technologies in a sanctuary from the outside world.
via Lincoln

All the regular safety features like airbags, traction control, side-impact beams, stability control, tire pressure monitoring system, etc come standard as well. We were also quite happy with the sturdy build quality on offer. All of these helped Corsair to get a 5-star overall crash safety rating in the NHTSA crash test and was considered as the top safety pick of the small SUV segment by IIHS.

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3 Infotainment Is Very Polished

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The 8" Lincoln 3 touchscreen infotainment system which was found in the older model years comes with no changes to this 2022 iteration as well. The interface turned out to be pretty slick, with excellent touch sensitivity and display quality. There are multiple hard buttons and steering wheel controls to make the infotainment easy to use for the driver while on the move.

2022 Lincoln Corsair

Along with that, this infotainment also comes filled with all the features like Android Auto, Apple CarPlay, SiriusXM radio, navigation, Bluetooth, steering mounted audio controls, voice recognition, and many more as standard. The audio experience provided by the standard 10-speaker audio system and the Reserve trim's 14-speaker Revel audio system turned out to be superb, too.

2 Design Looks Elegant

Lincoln Corsair 2022
Via Lincoln

The exterior design of the 2022 Corsair looks very classy and gels well with the beautifully crafted interior. Like the other offerings from the Lincoln stable like the Nautilus, Aviator, and Navigator, the front-end looks elegant due to the chrome grille with nicely integrated design elements, a reasonably large air dam, and the striking LED headlights with LED DRLs.

The Lincoln Corsair parked by the coast
Via: Digital Trends

Even though there are many prominent character lines on the sides, the chrome window lines, 19" bright machined aluminum wheels that fill the wheel arch, and the well-proportioned front and rear overhangs add to the character. The rear end takes forward the simple design language with its LED taillight, dual exhaust system, and silver skid plate.

1 The Brakes Are Excellent

2022 Lincoln Corsair

The 2022 Lincoln Corsair offers sharp and sure-footed braking performance from its 4-wheel disc brake setup. The car comes with many features like ventilated rotors, brake assist, hill hold control, and many more, all of which help the car to shed the speed down pretty efficiently. The 8-speed gearbox could do aggressive downshifts too.

Lincoln Corsair 2022
Via Lincoln

The Corsair offered superb initial bite and the brake pedal managed to communicate well to the driver. When you stomp on the pedal, the progression turned out to be more than enough to stop on the car efficiently. Even though the initial bite is a bit high, the fade was minimal, and the car never exhibited any lack of stability. The 70-0 mph braking distance of 165 feet is one of the best of the lot, too.