The stereo control head occupies the top third of the center stack, with the air conditioning controls directly below. The bottom third is filled with a cigarette lighter and the reverse parking sensor on/off switch above an iconic Lincoln label. All controls are intuitively marked, finger-friendly and ergonomically arrayed. The only disappointment is the lack of a proper tuning knob for the stereo; in lieu, there's either scanning or seeking, both agonizingly slow processes. Give the Cadillac EXT credit, though, for a feature not offered on the '06 Mark LT: a navigation system.

A surprisingly comfortable, ice cream scoop handle-like gear lever stands proud out of a chromed shift gate in an equally sleek and uncluttered center console. Next door, on the passenger side, is a pair of cup holders with removable inserts to accommodate oversized soft drink cups. Just aft is the padded cover on the center console, behind which are two more cup holders serving rear seat passengers. The backside of the console houses a power point and, when so optioned, auxiliary jacks for the entertainment system. There's a choice of overhead arrangements: a longitudinal assembly of flip-down storage bins and, when ordered, screen and control head for the entertainment system all suspended from Ford's F-Series' powered rail system, or a power moonroof. Included with the entertainment system, and available as a stand-alone option, is Sirius Satellite Radio. Cadillac, however, includes XM Satellite Radio on the EXT at no extra charge. As for other storage on the LT, there's the glove box, of course, plus map pockets in doors and magazine pouches on the backsides of the front seatbacks, with space for occasional storage beneath the flip-up rear seat.

The Mark LT is a pickup, remember, which means there's a bed out back. Given the crew cab configuration, it's a moderately truncated box, a mere 5.5 feet in length. Lincoln offers an extender, a tubular construction that pivots up out of the bed to rest on the open tailgate, effectively lengthening the bed by about a foot and a half for some cargoes. When not extended, and with the tailgate up, the bed extender provides a confined storage area we found helpful for holding grocery bags, gardening gear and plants for weekend yard projects and the like. There is a downside to this setup, though. Because it creates two, smallish compartments of roughly the same size, the bed extender also renders the bed for the most part unusable for anything else. It's designed for easy removal and reinstallation, but you'll have to store it when it's not installed.

The Cadillac EXT counters with its mid-gate system, comprising a removable rear bulkhead and window. With the mid-gate out, the EXT's bed extends into the rear seat area, effectively stretching usable length from 5.25 feet to eight feet. There is a downside to the mid-gate, too, however. The tracks in which the mid-gate seats are known to collect dirt and other stubborn detritus over time that interfere with the mid-gate sealing properly. Plus, of course, you lose the back seats when the mid-gate is lowered.

On balance, we'll take the Mark LT's bed extender. We would, however, not opt for the chrome box rails. The LT's box sides, like those of the F-150, are already abnormally high, and adding the rails makes the bed even less accessible from the sides.

We also appreciated very much the Mark LT's Tailgate Assist, an internal torsion bar linked to the tailgate's hinge that bears some of the tailgate's weight, lightening the load when opening and closing it. And then there's the delicious irony of a tailgate that's both lockable to deter theft and fitted with hinges designed for easy removal.

Driving Impressions

A truck is a truck. No matter how it's featured and trimmed, or how sophisticated the suspension design and frame composition, a truck will drive, ride and handle like a truck. The Mark LT is no exception to this rule. This isn't to say it's uncomfortable, or unresponsive, just that notwithstanding its luxury nameplate, it's not a Town Car with an enlarged, open-air trunk.

The reality check starts with the engine. Despite the promise of three-valve-per-cylinder and variable-valve-timing technology, its 300 horsepower and 365 pound-feet of torque disappoint when called upon by the driver's right foot. Maybe the relaxed acceleration from a stop and middling mid-range punch are sufficient for a pickup hauling building materials or pulling a trailer, but they left us wanting more from a vehicle positioned principally as a people mover.

Fuel economy tried to make up for the lackadaisical performance, however; rated by the EPA at 14 miles per gallon in the city and 18 mpg on the highway, the four-wheel-drive Mark LT we tested averaged a respectable 15 mpg over the several hundred miles we racked up in our week with the truck. (EPA estimates the two wheel-drive mpg at 14/19 city/highway.) In contrast, Cadillac gives the '05 EXT 345 horsepower and 380 pound-feet to motivate approximately an equal mass, with the obvious result a sprightlier truck. Fuel economy is lower, though, on the EXT with an EPA mpg estimate of 13/17 city/highway.