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The Lincoln MKS Makes the Grade
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Make jokes about Lincoln if you will. Say that it's the brand that takes you to the airport and the cemetery, but not to the country club or to your friend's backyard picnic. But no matter what you may think of the cachet of Ford's (F) upmarket brand, it's hard to ignore that the newest model, the 2009 Lincoln MKS, has come to play for real against its longtime rival, General Motors' (GM) Cadillac, and even luxury import brands such as Toyota's (TM) Lexus, Nissan's (NSANY) Infiniti, and Honda's (HMC) Acura.
Until now, Lincoln has been getting along on some competent badge-engineered models: the MKZ (derived from the Ford Fusion) and MKX (derived from the Ford Edge). These models, while ho-hum to many, are nicely appointed in their interiors, and so quiet that I almost didn't mind somewhat average handling. The MKS, though, is the first unique model in the Lincoln lineup to come from the current revitalization team at Ford and a new design direction for Lincoln.
Ford has to rebuild Lincoln. For years, it neglected the once-iconic American brand as it poured billions into buying and trying to fix Jaguar, Land Rover, and Aston Martin. Within the last year, Ford has jettisoned all three of these British brands. It still retains Volvo, though the automaker has shopped it around as well. If it does sell Volvo, then Lincoln will be Ford's only remaining luxury brand.
The exterior design lines of the MKS evoke an almost generic European sedan look. That may not tickle serious sports sedan aficionados, but it's a big step up from past Lincolns and hardly polarizing like the origami-inspired design of the Cadillac CTS.
The MKS comes in both front-wheel drive and all-wheel drive, making it an almost must-look choice for luxury buyers in the snow states. Standard features on both include 18-inch wheels; heated power side mirrors with memory and auto-dimming; Xenon HID headlamps; a new capless fuel-filling system; and a cool touchpad entry system in which the keypad is buried beneath the surface of the car. Lincoln buyers are especially keen on the touchpad entry, which I have never understood. Inside, the four-door sedan comes standard with Ford's voice-activated Sync system (hands-free phone calling and MP3 player), leather, tilt/telescoping power steering wheel, dual-zone automatic climate control, heated and ventilated (cooling) power front seats, heated rear seats, rear center armrest with pass-through slot, and an eight-speaker, THX-certified AM/FM stereo system and Sirius Satellite Radio. It has all the little things I like, including rain-sensing wipers and a rearview camera system.
True confessions. When this car arrived for my week-long test, I didn't want to like it. C'mon, it's a Lincoln. The Town Car? Continental? Gas-guzzling Navigator for posers? It's not even my Dad's brand. It was my grandfather's brand. And I get hung up on Lincoln being the airport car. But as I settled down into the air-cooled leather driver's seat, punched up the sharp nav and Sync systems, and peeled out of my driveway, I felt different about Lincoln. For one thing, I am thinking about the cachet of being the only one at the barbecue I'm going to under 60 driving a Lincoln. I'm actually looking forward to telling people what I think: that I really like it.
http://www.businessweek.com/lifestyle/content/aug2008/bw20080812_717046.htm?campaign_id=yhoo
Make jokes about Lincoln if you will. Say that it's the brand that takes you to the airport and the cemetery, but not to the country club or to your friend's backyard picnic. But no matter what you may think of the cachet of Ford's (F) upmarket brand, it's hard to ignore that the newest model, the 2009 Lincoln MKS, has come to play for real against its longtime rival, General Motors' (GM) Cadillac, and even luxury import brands such as Toyota's (TM) Lexus, Nissan's (NSANY) Infiniti, and Honda's (HMC) Acura.
Until now, Lincoln has been getting along on some competent badge-engineered models: the MKZ (derived from the Ford Fusion) and MKX (derived from the Ford Edge). These models, while ho-hum to many, are nicely appointed in their interiors, and so quiet that I almost didn't mind somewhat average handling. The MKS, though, is the first unique model in the Lincoln lineup to come from the current revitalization team at Ford and a new design direction for Lincoln.
Ford has to rebuild Lincoln. For years, it neglected the once-iconic American brand as it poured billions into buying and trying to fix Jaguar, Land Rover, and Aston Martin. Within the last year, Ford has jettisoned all three of these British brands. It still retains Volvo, though the automaker has shopped it around as well. If it does sell Volvo, then Lincoln will be Ford's only remaining luxury brand.
The exterior design lines of the MKS evoke an almost generic European sedan look. That may not tickle serious sports sedan aficionados, but it's a big step up from past Lincolns and hardly polarizing like the origami-inspired design of the Cadillac CTS.
The MKS comes in both front-wheel drive and all-wheel drive, making it an almost must-look choice for luxury buyers in the snow states. Standard features on both include 18-inch wheels; heated power side mirrors with memory and auto-dimming; Xenon HID headlamps; a new capless fuel-filling system; and a cool touchpad entry system in which the keypad is buried beneath the surface of the car. Lincoln buyers are especially keen on the touchpad entry, which I have never understood. Inside, the four-door sedan comes standard with Ford's voice-activated Sync system (hands-free phone calling and MP3 player), leather, tilt/telescoping power steering wheel, dual-zone automatic climate control, heated and ventilated (cooling) power front seats, heated rear seats, rear center armrest with pass-through slot, and an eight-speaker, THX-certified AM/FM stereo system and Sirius Satellite Radio. It has all the little things I like, including rain-sensing wipers and a rearview camera system.
True confessions. When this car arrived for my week-long test, I didn't want to like it. C'mon, it's a Lincoln. The Town Car? Continental? Gas-guzzling Navigator for posers? It's not even my Dad's brand. It was my grandfather's brand. And I get hung up on Lincoln being the airport car. But as I settled down into the air-cooled leather driver's seat, punched up the sharp nav and Sync systems, and peeled out of my driveway, I felt different about Lincoln. For one thing, I am thinking about the cachet of being the only one at the barbecue I'm going to under 60 driving a Lincoln. I'm actually looking forward to telling people what I think: that I really like it.
http://www.businessweek.com/lifestyle/content/aug2008/bw20080812_717046.htm?campaign_id=yhoo
