Lincoln MKZ Hybrid — You’re Weathering The Recession

You’ve decided to buy a luxury car. Nothing too over-the-top. You don’t want to shout to the neighborhood you’re the only one in your zip code that did more than just “weather” the recession.

So you decide Lincoln’s midsize, discreetly styled 2011 MKZ sedan might fit the bill. But Lincoln’s presented you with a mighty intriguing option: you can have the hybrid version — combined 39 mile-per-gallon combined fuel-economy — for exactly the same price as the “standard” MKZ with a V-6.

Now, part of the fun of buying a luxury car is getting the “luxury” of more power than most people get with their workaday conveyances. You should get something special under the hood for the extra dough you dish out, right?

In either case, you do. Opt for the 2011 MKZ Hybrid, and forgoing the standard car’s 263-horsepower V-6, brings a 156-horse 4-cylinder and an electric motor combo that don’t make as much power — but do combine to deliver a fat 18-mpg leap in the car’s combined fuel economy rating.

Yep, the 2011 MKZ Hybrid is rated at 41 mpg in the city and 36 mpg on the highway. The standard MKZ: 18 mpg in the city and 27 mpg on the highway.

As Donald Trump likes to say, “That’s Huuuge.” The EPA reckons it will cost almost twice as much to fuel a standard MKZ for a year of driving (15,000 miles): $2,206 to the MKZ Hybrid’s piddly $1,187. Drive 15,000 miles a year and the MKZ Hybrid will cost you less than $100 a month in gasoline.

You know the best part? Lincoln charges the same for either version of the front-wheel-drive MKZ ($34,330, plus $850 destination), but you give up almost nothing with the MKZ Hybrid for the advantage of sailing by the gas pumps.

Oh, all right, the MKZ Hybrid’s Continuously Variable Transmission — the mediator that helps dole out the right combination of power from the efficiency-enhanced 4-cylinder engine and electric motor — groans in a fashion unbecoming a luxury car when you demand full power. But that’s it. In almost any other situation, the MKZ Hybrid is the better, more interesting and vastly more efficient car.

More interesting because you get the coolest of liquid-crystal display screens flanking the analog speedometer, this “SmartGauge” cluster configurable to deliver all manner of efficiency metrics and even economy-driving “coaching” if you want.
More interesting because Lincoln’s hybrid technology makes it, according to the company, the most fuel-efficient luxury car you can buy. And more interesting because, well, conventional V-6 premium cars are just so — common.

Lincoln certainly holds up its end of the bargain with the goodies, too: standard stuff for the 2011 MKZ Hybrid includes the Sync voice-activation system to control onboard infotainment functions, heated and cooled front seats, wood trim and an acoustic laminated windshield (this car is stupid quiet. Except when you boot that CVT, anyway).

Do you care that the bones underneath Lincoln’s midsize luxury sedan are shared with the Ford Fusion or that it’s all getting a little long in the tooth? We wouldn’t. The MKZ Hybrid has an oozy luxury-car ride but the suspension always seems to have things under control, the steering is the most responsive and cooperative you’ll find short of an all-out sport sedan and the interior doesn’t have many downmarket plastic pieces, a matter not always assured at this luxury make’s reasonable price point.

So Lincoln’s leaving it up to you with the 2011 MKZ. Go old-school V-6 if you insist power has to be part of the premium-car deal, or get the MKZ Hybrid. Price is the same, but we think choosing the MKZ Hybrid over Lincoln’s standard MKZ is the no-brainer of the 2011 model year.

Source: askautoexperts.com

1949 Lincoln Cosmopolitan

In 1953 Tony Fotos purchased a used 1949 Lincoln Cosmopolitan convertible for $400. Although the 152 horsepower V-8 engine returned fuel economy of only 8 miles per gallon, gasoline was selling for 28 cents a gallon.

“With a dollar’s worth of gas,” Fotos says, “I could pick up my girl, Anne Green, and take her to the movies.”

After a few years the Lincoln was sold, the young couple married, and life went on. While attending a high school reunion in Maryland in 2005, many of the couple’s former classmates asked them about the old Lincoln. Those inquiries were the catalyst that sent Fotos on a quest to find a car like the Lincoln.

He discovered that not many Lincoln Cosmopolitan convertibles were manufactured and very few survived. When new in 1949, the 4,419-pound car had a base price of $3,948. “I looked all over,” Fotos recalls. He finally found one for sale in North Carolina. The owner was in Florida and the broker handling the deal was in California. Regardless of the car’s condition, Fotos was confident that he could handle any restoration work. “I bought it sight unseen,” he says.

The seller wanted the car to be in perfect condition when he sold it, so he had the Lincoln trucked to a shop in Pennsylvania for some minor work. When Fotos was informed that the work was completed he was told other work also needed to be done: a new brake system, new shock absorbers, new tires and a new top with a tiny glass rear window. He says he had to stall because he needed more time to complete the garage he was building to house the Lincoln.

Finally the Chantilly Green convertible with the tan top arrived on the back of a truck. “I was astounded when I saw it,” Fotos recalls.

The headlights and the taillights are recessed into the fenders and the front wheel wells are crowned with eye appealing gravel deflectors in chrome.

Under the expansive engine hood is a 336.7-cubic-inch V-8 that Fotos says was originally designed as a Ford truck engine. As befits a luxury car, the interior is primarily covered in either green leather or tan carpet.
Fotos did add one item that was not on the Lincoln accessory list. He says he had a suicide knob on his Lincoln in high school, and so too, he now has one on this Lincoln. He explains that one-handed steering is possible when his right arm is around his best girl.

In that post World War II era, Ford Motor Co. was developing an automatic transmission for the big Lincoln but it wasn’t ready for production. Consequently, the Ford-produced Lincoln has a General Motors-produced Hydra-Matic transmission with a shift pattern from the left of Neutral-Drive-Low-Reverse. There was no parking gear.

Fotos has noticed that at a certain speed his transmission slips a little, but he is unconcerned because he remembers his first Lincoln exhibited the same slippage, which never caused any problems.

While cruising comfortably on the 125-inch wheelbase Fotos has an unobstructed view through the three-spoke steering wheel of the 120-mph speedometer. Just to see what the car would do, he says, “I’ve had it up to 95 and I still had pedal.”

The 1949-model-year Lincoln was a luxuriously appointed automobile with power windows, one-piece windshield, heater, turn signals and a radio. The radio has a signal-seeking function. On the back of each front seat cushion is a built-in ashtray for the convenience of smoking passengers in the back seat.

Now that he once more has a 1949 Lincoln Cosmopolitan convertible, Fotos can relive his youth and take his wife to the movies — only it’s going to take more than a dollar’s worth of gasoline.

Source: askautoexperts.com

Lincoln Sales Up 31 Percent

• Ford Motor Company March U.S. sales increase 3 percent compared to last year with 244,167 vehicles sold; retail sales of 166,030 vehicles up 3 percent for the best March retail result in eight years
• Ford Fusion posts record sales month with 32,963 cars sold, up 9 percent from last year’s record month
• Ford F-Series tops 70,000-vehicle mark with 70,940 vehicles sold, up 5 percent
• Lincoln MKZ sales increase 72 percent for a best-ever record sales month; Lincoln total sales up 31 percent

Download Full Sales Release (PDF)

DEARBORN, Mich., April 1, 2014 – Ford Motor Company U.S. total March sales of 244,167 vehicles are up 3 percent from a year ago. Retail sales of 166,030 vehicles are up 3 percent and represent the best March result in eight years.

“March sales turned noticeably higher mid-month and finished strong,” said John Felice, Ford vice president, U.S. marketing, sales and service. “Fusion set an all-time record in March, as overall retail sales in the West continued to expand at the fastest rate in the nation – including California being up 32 percent. F-Series also had a very strong month, as did Lincoln MKZ.”

Ford Fusion sales of 32,963 vehicles set an all-time monthly record since the vehicle was introduced in 2005. The western region of the U.S. continues to drive Fusion retail sales higher, including a 22 percent increase in March.

Ford F-Series surpassed the 70,000-vehicle sales mark with 70,940 trucks sold. During the last seven years, F-Series has surpassed the monthly 70,000 truck mark only four times. Last month marks F-Series’ highest March sales volume since 2008.

Lincoln MKZ sales of 4,052 vehicles are up 72 percent, setting an all-time monthly sales record. The strong performance of MKZ drove overall Lincoln sales to a 31 percent increase in March, the sixth straight month of sales gains. During the last six months, Lincoln has increased sales 27 percent with 43,445 vehicles sold.

Source: Ford.com

1966 Lincoln Convertible

The four-door Lincoln convertible that Rick Parker owned in his younger days is gone, yet not forgotten.

Desiring to acquire an old Lincoln convertible, Parker has investigated several models, but for one reason or another each of them fell short of his requirements.

Then came the summer of 2010 when Parker received a reliable tip that a 1966 Lincoln convertible painted Pitcairn Blue was for sale — and pictures of the car were promising. Parker mistakenly thought the Lincoln was in Virginia, where the seller was located, however, the Lincoln was in Boynton Beach, Florida.
Parker then took the only practical action imaginable — he flew to Florida to inspect the Lincoln.
Between the massive bumpers the impressive convertible stretches 18 feet, 5 inches long. Paperwork accurately detailing the history of the 1966 car showed that it had been ordered on April 15, 1966 at the Barry Lincoln-Mercury dealership on Detroit Avenue in Lakewood, Ohio.

Included in the delivered price of $6,514.08 were: Air Temp air conditioning ($523.55), AM/FM radio with rear speaker ($244.54), 6-way power seats ($83.23), power door locks & guards ($75.26), power vent windows ($71.64), white sidewall 15-inch tires ($56.80), tinted glass ($52.53), license plate frames ($9.65), 3-way non-glare inside mirror ($4.65).

The four-door convertible Lincoln, one of 3,180 such models manufactured, was delivered May 10, 1966, just in time for delightful top-down weather. When Parker saw the car the odometer had recorded only 81,000 miles. Up until 2007 the convertible was driven regularly, but records indicate that between 2007 and 2010 the car had been driven only 40 miles.

The slab-sided Lincoln was parked in a garage with the white top in the raised position. Parker describes the Lincoln’s appearance as “very smudgy.” The smell of mildew permeated the garage.

Parker recalls that once started, the massive 462-cubic-inch V-8 engine ran, but not right. It certainly was not producing 340 horsepower as it once did.

As attracted to the Lincoln as he was, Parker and the owner could not agree on a mutually acceptable price. Parker went home to Rockville, Md.  Sometime later Parker’s telephone rang. The Lincoln owner was calling to accept Parker’s offer. “I was thrilled,” he said.

Parker promptly arranged to have the convertible trucked to the west side of Florida where he knew a trusted technician who would bring the car back to good health. “I wanted a re-commissioned car,” Parker says.

That is what he got. The 1966 Lincoln is loaded with power assisted equipment including vent windows, antenna, seats, steering, brakes and convertible top.

Near the gasoline tank filler door on the left rear fender is what appears to be a key operated lock. After inserting a key a twist of the wrist electrically operates the convertible top.

“Ten relays run the top,” Parker explains. The enormous deck lid is hinged at the rear.

By the first weekend of October, 2010 the Lincoln had been put back into original condition from the black carpet to the black dashboard with the stark contrasting white leather upholstery.

The Lincoln rolls on a new set of 15-inch tires on a 126-inch wheelbase. As the 5,480-pound car approaches 83,000 miles, Parker admits the gasoline mileage ranges from, “miserable to very poor.”   He says the 340 horsepower is necessary to move the heavy car. “I need it!” he exclaims.

With the convertible top lowered visibility is of course, splendid. While sitting behind the two-spoke steering wheel, Parker says he enjoys, “a toy of such magnitude.”

Source: askautoexperts.com

Rentin’ The Blues: First Place: 2010 Lincoln Town Car Signature Limited

I’m going down to Memphis

Where they really playin’ the blues

I’m going down on Beale Street

And have a good time like I choose

“Thank you for coming to Budget. I have you booked for a Kia Optima.”

“The hell you do.”

“That is a full-size car as you requested.”

“Well, in that case, I want something that is not a full-size car.” And that is how I came to be rolling through the proverbial Dirty South in a 2100-mile, 2010-model-year Town Car. Yes, they still make ‘em. The current lineup has been rationalized to Signature Limited (117-inch wheelbase) and Signature L (123-inch). There’s absolutely no reason of which I can think to take the SWB car, but that’s what the rental fleets have, and it’s what you can easily buy off-lease. I’ve found plenty of essentially identical two-year-old SigLims for under $20K, so this car is not only a direct used-price competitor for the 2009 Sable I reviewed previously, it’s also in the same ballpark as… a Kia Optima.


Automotive experts of the Internet, when they are not telling people that a 2009 Sable is virtually the same car as an old Volvo S80, like to tell people that a 2010 Town Car is virtually the same car as a 1979 Lincoln Continental sedan. This is true in the same sense that a 2000 Honda Civic Si is the same car as a 1988 Civic. In both cases, there were major dimensional and engineering changes across multiple generations of the same basic design. I am the former owner of a 1980 Mercury Marquis Brougham Coupe and I can state with authority that the current Town Car is nothing like that car in terms of driving dynamics.
This does not mean that recent Crown Victoria owners won’t be perfectly at home. Ford has steadily rationalized the differences between the Panther cars over time and this 2010 car is the most egregious example of that. Town Car aficionados (yes, they exist) will tell you to avoid Canadian-built TCs in favor of the Wixom, MI-assembled 2008 and earlier model years. They may have a point. The plastics and leather are okay, but they are nothing like what you would find in an Audi. Come to think of it, they aren’t close to what you would find in a new MKS.

 Also not up to MKS spec: the sound system. You can get SYNC in a fifteen-grand Focus but not in a Town Car, and for the first time in my recent experience, the stereo simply isn’t loud enough. There is no navigation screen, no aux plug, no USB support, no nothing. The center console features dual-zone climate control and that’s more or less it.

Once in motion, the Town Car has a surprising flaw: it’s a wanderer on the highway, requiring constant correction and displaying quite a bit of sensitivity to side winds. My displayed mileage for the trip was 22.7 over the course of 2,635 miles, including a day in New York and one cruising around Memphis. There’s more than adequate power and the four-speed transmission rarely feels as if it needs additional ratios.
A snowstorm outside New York revealed why a whole generation of drivers abandoned big RWD cars: it was an absolute nightmare on a high-crowned, icy two-lane, requiring frequent, violent corrections at the helm to keep pace with the rest of the traffic. When the road turned dry, it was time to take advantage of the anonymity afforded a black Lincoln on I-95, pushing into the triple digits and pushing traffic out of the left lane with a double-blink of the brights and a bullying chrome grill. This is no sports car but it has some fundamental balance to it at speed. Too bad it has no brakes.

 In traffic anywhere, the Lincoln is a fearsome weapon. It’s big, it’s official-looking, and it brake-torques from the lights like a Fox Mustang. The steering is light but accurate enough to place the car inches from a falafel vendor or inebriated pedestrian. Potholes don’t faze it. And Ford’s never bothered to put anything like advanced engine electronics in it, so you can wrap the seatbelt tight and left-foot-brake all day, standing the car on its nose on corner entry and then spinning the inside rear wheel on the exit.

If I came to admire the Town Car — and I did — my passengers admired it from the beginning, rating it above not only the Sable but vehicles like the Audi A6. Only my Phaetons have received higher ride-along reviews.

You’ll miss this car when it’s gone. It’s old, it’s flawed, it’s imperfect. Still, it’s utterly authentic, and when the last one rolls off the line we will never see its like again. If you haven’t driven one, it’s worth doing, and it’s as close as your local Budget Rent-a-Car. Unless, that is, you prefer a Kia Optima.


Source: thetruthaboutcars.com

Lincoln to Consider “Legacy” Names Due To Chinese Influence

Remember when Lincoln had cars with names such as Mark, Continental, Zephyr, Town Car and Versailles? Alas, unless you want to own a body-on-frame SUV from the newly renamed Lincoln Motor Company, your choices begin with MK, and end with a letter that somehow corresponds to the model in question.
Should Ford’s VP of Global Marketing Jim Farley have his way, however — and you happen to also be a resident of China — the next Lincoln to be sold may have a real name upon its backside once more.

Why? The Blue Oval plans to reintroduce Lincoln to the Chinese market, who still remembers when many a government official and president turned up in a Continental; this may also explain in part why the lead car in the funeral for North Korean dictator Kim Jong-il was a Lincoln, if not how it got there in the first place.
Farley believes the concept of non-alphanumeric nomenclatures is worth revisiting, though no current model will receive a proper name for the foreseeable future. Until then, Lincoln’s customer base will continue to need to remember which MK is the right MK for them, unless they want a Navigator, of course.

Source: thetruthaboutcars.com

1959 Lincoln Continental

1959 Continental