2008 Lincoln Town Car Executive L Sedan 4-door 4.6l on 2040-cars

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Lincoln Continental brings back suicide doors with Coach Door Edition

Remember that teaser image from last week indicating the Lincoln Continental would get suicide doors? Well, it's happening, and we got to check out a prototype late last week. As you can see from the photos, the vehicle is essentially a stretched Continental with rear doors that latch forward. Lincoln doesn't call it the suicide door edition, of course. No, the proper name is 80th Anniversary Coach Door Edition. Semantics aside, the car is here to pay homage to the suicide doors of the 1960s Continental and celebrate 80 years since the original Continental was introduced. That's the why; now here is the how. To build this special edition, a Continental begins life as a normal Black Label model, and leaves the factory with normal doors intact. From there, Lincoln ships the car to Cabot Coach Builders in Massachusetts for the stretch and other modifications we'll get into later. Before you start cursing Lincoln for not really screwing together a suicide door Continental, know this: Lincoln engineered all the components, metalwork and everything else that goes with the build. It then gives the car and components to Cabot for the fabrication work. So yes, somebody else is doing the conversion, but you're still getting a Lincoln-engineered vehicle. Make of that what you will. Cabot has done work for Ford before with the MKT and Transit Van, but Lincoln says it's much more involved in this build than it ever was before. To begin, the Continental gets a six-inch stretch. It was a relatively long car before, but boy does this thing look like it's lounging now. That's exactly what you'll be doing once inside those suicide doors. Lincoln claims best-in-class legroom, and yes, to our eye that is surely accurate. Someone well over 6 feet tall could easily stretch all the way out and still have room to spare back there. The only problem we noticed? Headroom. A sloping roofline combined with seats that are well pushed back doesn't leave a whole lot of space up there. It looks like Lincoln noticed this and carved out little spaces in the headliner, but it might not be enough for those who are closer to the sky than most. A flow-through center console occupies space where the middle seat would typically be. This has all sorts of controls for things like audio and climate control. Lincoln said the one we sat in wasn't entirely finished with all the features and electronics that will be included.

Dodge Dart falls short of Consumer Reports Recommended, Caddy XTS and Lincoln MKS, too

The Dodge Dart, Cadillac XTS and Lincoln MKS all failed to earn a "Recommended" rating from Consumer Reports. When it came to the compact Dart, the organization's testers thought the vehicle offered a quiet cabin, solid-feeling chassis and nimble suspension, but the new model ultimately fell short of the coveted rating due to powertrain issues. The institute's reviewers found the base 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine to be underpowered and noted "drivability issues" when the available turbocharged 1.4-liter four was paired with the optional dual-clutch transmission (some of our editors disliked it paired with the six-speed manual). CR also dinged the latter powerplant for sounding "raspy." For what it's worth, we think the forced-induction engine offers an excellent and playful exhaust note, but that's just us.
As for the XTS, CR lauded the car for its luxurious cabin, but the vehicle's experience was dulled by its finicky CUE infotainment interface. Overall, the big Cadillac scored much higher than its cross-town rival from Lincoln. While testers found the American luxury sedan to offer a quiet ride and quality fit and finish, they felt the MKS delivered a "cramped driving position, ungainly handling, uncomposed ride, and limited visibility." Ouch. At the end of the day, both cars fell short of rivals from Japan, Germany and Korea. Check out the full press release below with more details, along with CR's musings on the Chevrolet Spark and Lexus ES.

Lincoln plans electrified versions of all models by 2022, say sources

DETROIT - Ford Motor Co's premium Lincoln brand plans to offer hybrid gasoline-electric versions of all its U.S. models by 2022, according to three sources familiar with the plans. Details could be announced as early as Oct. 3, when Ford Chief Executive Officer Jim Hackett plans to update investors on the automaker's strategy. Company officials are also considering whether to introduce one or more all-electric Lincoln models, one source said. The proposed electrification scheme could be critical to Lincoln's future in China, which will require automakers to make electric vehicles an increasing percentage of their total sales. The Lincoln hybrids are part of a broader Ford program to offer at least 18 new electric and hybrid models over the next five years, the sources said. Lincoln aims to follow a path blazed this year by several European premium brands, including Daimler AG, Zhejiang Geely Holding Group's Volvo Cars, BMW and Jaguar Land Rover, all of which have announced plans to offer more hybrid and all-electric vehicles. Global luxury brands are responding to competitive pressure from Elon Musk's Tesla Inc, and proposals by the Chinese government to mandate significantly higher levels of electric vehicle sales in the world's largest auto market. The plan to offer a portfolio of Lincoln hybrid models was crafted before Hackett took over in May, the sources said. Ford said in January 2016 it would spend $4.5 billion to electrify a portion of its U.S. fleet, including hybrid versions of the Mustang and the F-150, and at least 11 other models. The extent of its electrification effort, including details on specific new and redesigned models, has not previously been disclosed. A Ford spokesman said the company would not comment on future products. As the Lincoln brand rolls out redesigned versions of its existing models and introduces at least one new model, it is planning to introduce plug-in hybrid versions of those vehicles, beginning with the redesigned MKC crossover and the new Aviator crossover in 2019, the sources said. The redesigned Lincoln Navigator utility vehicle, which goes on sale this autumn, is expected to add a conventional hybrid version in 2019. Subsequent redesigned Lincoln models, including the MKZ sedan in 2020 and the Continental sedan and MKX crossover in 2022, are expected to include plug-in hybrid variants, the sources said.