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American Cheese: 2017 Lincoln Continental AWD Reserve Review

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#1 ·
2017 Lincoln Continental AWD Reserve Review: American Cheese
Chris Davies - Feb 16, 2017
slashgear.com

PROS
  • Bold styling is eye-catching
  • 3.0 twin-turbo V6 has plenty of power
  • AWD makes the Continental sure-footed
  • Class-above space in the cabin

CONS
  • Six-speed gearbox struggles at times
  • Cabin finish lacks polish in places
  • Gets expensive with the right toys added

EDITOR'S RATING: 7/10

The 2017 Lincoln Continental had a strong start: indeed, few auto-show cars capture the spirit of their predecessors – and the attention of the buying public – like the 2015 Continental Concept did. Unapologetic in its lavishly-chromed exterior and purple shag-pile cabin, it was far from the milquetoast sedans that had ill-borne the Continental name up until their demise in the early ’00s. Instead, it summoned memories of icons from the fifties and sixties, a conspicuous and distinctive play on the “American Luxury” slogan of the brand.

A surprising amount of that concept made it through to the production model, even if hopes for rear-hinged “suicide doors” didn’t make it past the accountants. The 2017 Continental is a big, imposing car. Though ostensibly an E-Class competitor, at almost seventeen feet long the Continental is closer in size to the S-Class. The core shape is solid and slab-sided, punctuated with some flowing creases; Lincoln’s chrome-heavy grille pays not-so-subtle homage to Bentley. It all works better at the front than the back, which feels like an afterthought.

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Images courtesy of, and credited to, slashgear.com

 
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#2 ·
Choosing the Continental, then, has to be a purposeful decision. Coy, it’s not, though I think the “love it or hate it” design was the right route for Lincoln to take. There’s no shortage of premium sedans making restrained plays for the market Mercedes, BMW, and Audi do so well in; like the Continental, they undercut their German rivals, but competitive price alone is a soulless play in this segment. Better, surely, to capture the hearts of drivers, and win them over for more than just the possibility of saving a few thousand dollars. On that basis, with its brash attitude and a self-confidence that just skirts the line of caricature, just a few tweaks could see the Continental start the charm offensive Lincoln needs.
I usually don't post car reviews from tech sites, but this one was kind of interesting -- and more harsh than I would have figured from a gadget webpage.

I want this car to succeed for Lincoln, but I also wonder if the author realizes that Lincoln's "new direction" isn't about chasing the German Triumvirate?
 
#3 · (Edited)
I want this car to succeed for Lincoln, but I also wonder if the author realizes that Lincoln's "new direction" isn't about chasing the German Triumvirate?
It's not. It's about chasing this:




Frankly, the LaCrosse appears to be a better car. Volvo S90 is better than both of them IMO. Either way, if you want a front drive luxury sedan, those are probably your top 3 choices right now.
 
#4 ·
Bold styling is eye-catching
Generally speaking, "Bold Styling" is eye-catching. But I hardly think this applies to the Continental.
 
#5 · (Edited)
Funny how no matter the car the reviews tend to be all over the place. Just goes to show both how subjective it is and how few "journalists" truly understand the vehicle/brands they're reviewing.

R&T just published a Continental review and had rather high regard for it:

But these are quibbles. When properly (meaning expensively) optioned and configured, the Continental is easily the best and most competitive American luxury sedan in four decades.

http://www.roadandtrack.com/car-cul...e-2017-lincoln-continental-the-return-flight/
I'm a Ford guy and find that conclusion both heartening and a bit far fetched. I guess it in large part comes down to how the reviewer subjectively views luxury itself. If your perspective is more premium vs luxury then you're going to focus almost entirely on the platforms premium shortcomings. If on the other hand your perspective is luxurious comfort vs premium performance engineering then you'd likely fall much closer to Baruth's perspective in the R&T review. Jack Baruth has a history of taking a very tough view of Lincoln, in most cases deservedly so, the fact he would utter the bolded words doesn't necessarily make them true for everybody, but it does suggest just how far Lincoln has progressed in the past few years.

Progress with each and every new release is all I ask, in that regard Lincoln is doing great!
 
#8 ·
Funny how no matter the car the reviews tend to be all over the place. Just goes to show both how subjective it is and how few "journalists" truly understand the vehicle/brands they're reviewing.
In my humble opinion, you just described today's press/media in general --- regardless of industry or type of coverage. Objectivity, insight, and a sense of what the "journalistic standard" is has been kind of lost. That seems to happen in the car-industry more than most, but it's pretty much permeated everywhere.

Progress with each and every new release is all I ask, in that regard Lincoln is doing great!
Agreed. I want to see Lincoln succeed. In a strange way, elevating Lincoln also elevates Cadillac. Not only because competing brings out the best in companies and their products; but also because what is perceived to be "American luxury" is indirectly tied to your competitors (if Lincoln sells a crappy luxury car in China, then peer-consumers might come to believe that "all American luxury cars are crappy" etc).

Big steps in the right direction, followed by small improvements in between major launches, will eventually get them to where they want to go. But it's going to take time. The Continental is already miles better than the MKS, but they have a distance to go. I wish them well!
 
#21 · (Edited)
The 1991 Lincoln Mark VII was the last truly memorable car the company made.
No love for the 1993 Mark VIII? That was an interesting looking vehicle for its time. If I were any good at photoshop, I'd try to make a Conti coupe.

I actually have a weird appreciation for the big American coupes from that era. I'm not proud of it, but I liked these four a lot:

1993-1998 Mark VIII
1995-1999 Riviera
1992-2002 Eldorado
1986-1992 Toronado

The Toronado looked especially nice in a burgundy color.
 
#52 ·
This is one vehicle I do not get. The MKC and MKX, make sense, weird interior touches and terrible push button shifters aside, they offer great packages.

The MKZ? The Continental? Both have that excess appearance of a cheap car done up in excess chrome, pieces don't fit together well, the finishes look cheap, the buttons are weird...yet they have that odd "Lincoln is great" mantra. Lincoln almost has an image like Toyota did years ago, they can do whatever, and people oddly love them. Yet spend 5 minutes in one at an auto show, let alone drive, and if you're even moderately a car person you go..."THIS?"

All good examples referenced in this thread. 3.0TT and AWD? Cool, gas guzzler. More importantly, optioned up, $55-70k, why in the world would you even look at this car? S90, A6, on and on and on....classic American luxury, okay, but with a droopy look, crooked parts, big padded 1970's seats, and "is this an old Taurus with chrome stickers?" vibe, why?

Odd car. Cool image. Odd car. Where Cadillac does all the guts, performance, finishing, etc to the 9's and kill what used to be a BMW, and no one cars, Ford can pump out these weird tarted up pod cars with chrome and they're apparently the greatest...with extremely high stickers, and weird parts.

Ha, welcome to America:rolleyes:

A New Fusion Titanium...or even mid level model...looks richer, has nicer details, better parts, etc...which is strange.
 
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