2014 Lincoln Mkz/zephyr Base Awd 4dr Sedan on 2040-cars

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Car-crazy 5-year-old boy writes automakers for treasures, gets big response

Part of the beauty of children is that they can find worth in something adults might deem unworthy or overlook entirely. Five-year-old Patch Hurty didn't see garbage or a broken piece of a car when he spotted a Ford badge lying on the side of a road. He saw an artifact, a souvenir, a start to a collection he could only dream of. Ezra Dyer of Popular Mechanics tells the story of Patch and his quest to turn that one lost badge into a museum of manufacturer logos. According to the article, Hurty is a car fanatic through and through, even using car names as a way of learning to read. After finding the Ford badge near his Connecticut home, he and his mom put together a plan to reach out to dozens of automakers, confessing his love of things on four wheels. In each letter, Patch assembled a picture of himself standing next to one of the cars, and a penny to pay for whatever he hoped was sent his way. The response was unexpectedly and overwhelmingly positive. Of the more than 50 letters he sent out, including to obscure or defunct companies such as Bugatti, Suzuki, and Saturn, a majority responded with warm notes and some type of souvenir. Two of the coolest responses came from Lincoln and Bentley. Lincoln sent a sketch of a Continental (all car lovers enjoy drawing cars, right?), and Bentley sent a wheel center cap. How awesome is that? The story reminds us of something that can easily be lost in all of the negativity involved with the auto industry: Everybody is in this because of a common infatuation with automobiles. For more details on the souvenirs Patch received and accompanying photos, read the rest of the story. Related Video: News Source: Popular Mechanics Read This Bentley Bugatti Ford Lincoln Saturn Suzuki

Autoblog's Editors' Picks: Our complete list of the best new vehicles

It's not easy to earn an “EditorsÂ’ Picks” at Autoblog as part of the rating and review process that every new vehicle goes through. Our editors have been at it a long time, which means weÂ’ve driven and reviewed virtually every new car you can go buy on the dealer lot. There are disagreements, of course, and all vehicles have their strengths and weaknesses, but this list features what we think are the best new vehicles chosen by Autoblog editors. We started this formal review process back in 2018, so there's quite of few of them now. So what does it mean to be an EditorsÂ’ Pick? In short, it means itÂ’s a car that we can highly recommend purchasing. There may be one, multiple, or even zero vehicles in any given segment that we give the green light to. What really matters is that itÂ’s a vehicle that weÂ’d tell a friend or family member to go buy if theyÂ’re considering it, because itÂ’s a very good car. The best way to use this list is is with the navigation links below. Click on a segment, and you'll quickly arrive at the top rated pickup truck or SUV, for example. Use the back button to return to these links and search in another segment, like sedans. If youÂ’ve been keeping up with our monthly series of the latest vehicles to earn EditorsÂ’ Pick status, youÂ’re likely going to be familiar with this list already. If not, welcome to the complete list that weÂ’ll be keeping updated as vehicles enter (and others perhaps exit) the good graces of our editorial team. We rate a new car — giving it a numerical score out of 10 — every time thereÂ’s a significant refresh or if it happens to be an all-new model. Any given vehicle may be impressive on a first drive, but we wait until itÂ’s in the hands of our editors to put it through the same type of testing as every other vehicle that rolls through our test fleet before giving it the EditorsÂ’ Pick badge. This ensures consistency and allows more voices to be heard on each individual model. And just so you donÂ’t think weÂ’ve skipped trims or variants of a model, we hand out the EditorsÂ’ Pick based on the overarching model to keep things consistent. So, when you read that the 3 Series is an EditorsÂ’ Pick, yes, that includes the 330i to the M3 and all the variants in between. If thereÂ’s a particular version of that car we vehemently disagree with, we make sure to call that out.

2023 Lincoln Corsair gains a new face and more tech, loses buttons

The 2023 Lincoln Corsair heads into its next model year with a notable refresh inside and out.  Lincoln’s best-selling vehicle gains a number of items, but it also loses a big one: the previously optional 2.3-liter turbocharged four-cylinder. Due to low take rate, Lincoln is dropping its most powerful engine from the lineup, making the 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder with 250 horsepower the only pure-gasoline version of the 2023 Corsair. Lincoln says the 2.0-liter is updated and changed for emissions reasons, but it returns the same output and fuel economy as before. The Grand Touring PHEV carries over unchanged, so itÂ’s still rocking the 2.5-liter naturally aspirated four-cylinder and single electric motor for a combined 266 horsepower. The exterior changes are largely contained to the CorsairÂ’s new face. It gets a totally new grille that is much larger than before. It features a wavy surface, and for the PHEV, it has a metallic foil surface with blue accents to denote its hybrid status. The lower front bumper is revised to accommodate the new grille design, and new wheel options are available across the board. No changes are made to the rear. Lastly, two new color options are available: Crystal Red and Whisper Blue. The blue is new to Lincoln, and seeing it in person, it skews more towards periwinkle than blue — we like it a lot. As for the interior, Lincoln has redesigned the center stack with a new 13.2-inch infotainment touchscreen taking center stage. It runs Sync 4 technology, can be updated via over-the-air updates and features Amazon Alexa. YouÂ’ll be able to monitor the CorsairÂ’s new Auto Air Refresh system (an optional feature) via the infotainment system, too. It features a laser sensor and unique cabin air filter that constantly monitors the cabin air quality and is capable of refreshing the air in the cabin 1.5 times per minute. A 12.3-inch instrument cluster also runs new software for 2023, and it comes standard in the Corsair now. The new center stack designdeletes the large array of climate and media controls that were previously there, which Lincoln says was for the purpose of promoting a more airy cabin and a feeling of spaciousness. A volume knob is still present, but the vast majority of the functions previously controlled by buttons and knobs can now be found in the big, new touchscreen. Yes, that means the climate controls are now integrated into the touchscreen.