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Lincoln plans pilot subscription service for pre-owned vehicles

Lincoln's foray into the world of monthly subscriptions will follow the mold of Ford's Canvas program and launch a pilot service offering a range of pre-owned 2017 Lincoln vehicles in West Los Angeles and the San Francisco area. Lincoln first announced plans for a subscription service on the sidelines of the L.A. Auto Show. The luxury automaker says its new service will allow customers to have a vehicle "as if it were their own," with a monthly payment that covers a prescribed mileage package and includes comprehensive insurance, warranty, maintenance and roadside assistance. It'll be based on Ford's nearly year-old Canvas program, also offered in the Bay Area and West Los Angeles. It offers pre-owned Ford vehicles on a monthly subscription basis, including insurance, maintenance and warranty coverage. Terms for that program are one to 12 months, with an ability to swap cars at any time. While Lincoln didn't announced pricing or a start date for its own subscription program, Canvas' existing service starts at $400 a month, not including tax and depending on vehicle and other options, for pre-owned Ford vehicles. Ford in February said its Canvas fleet has more than 600 customers who've logged more than 3 million miles in the two markets. Lincoln joins a growing list of automakers including Volvo, Cadillac and Porsche who are offering monthly subscription services as an alternative to traditional ownership or leasing. The subscription service will also come with Lincoln's Pickup & Delivery program, in which a valet picks up a customer's vehicle for service at any location and provides them with a loaner Lincoln before returning their vehicle. Lincoln also reiterated its plans to expand its Lincoln Personal Driver service first piloted in San Diego and Miami to Dallas, saying it will soon be integrated into the Lincoln Way mobile app. The service, previously called Lincoln Chauffeur, allows customers to call on a screened personal driver who can also assist with errands while the customers attend to other matters. The luxury brand is emphasizing "warm, human and effortless" services as a way to differentiate itself from its competitors. For more information on Vehicle Subscription Services, check out the Complete Guide. Related Video:

Lexus ES 350 vs. Lincoln MKZ

Despite a lineup of well-received crossovers on the Lexus showroom, the midsize Lexus ES 350 four-door continues to appeal to consumers. Many of those customers are older, so you won't see marketing budgets directed toward them; no one, other than the pharmaceutical companies, is spending money marketing to baby boomers. But a midsize, moderately expressive sedan with an easy buying experience and almost coddled ownership still has its fans, and the Lexus ES 350 delivers those attributes in spades. We'd like to say Lincoln's MKZ (pictured above) is hot on the Lexus' heels, but Lincoln's lineup remains a work in progress. The Fusion-based MKZ offers a nice mix of attributes, but Lincoln's dealer count has shrunk, and many Lincoln outlets are located within – or immediately adjacent to – Ford stores. If a Fusion-based Lincoln credibly aspires to Lexus-like attributes, the same won't be said for the Ford showrooms. Here are the offerings: The Lexus ES 350 team has, over the sedan's several variations, worked hard to separate the volume Lexus from Toyota's similar Camry, and in 2017 that separation might actually be quantifiable. To its credit, the ES 350 (pictured at left) comes with but one non-hybrid drivetrain, a 3.5 liter V6 connected to a six-speed automatic driving the front wheels. With it, the ES 350 delivers a motoring experience bordering on the sublime. With the exception of its now-predictable big mouth grille, the balance of the ES sheetmetal is responsibly muted, inoffensive to the eye and should wear well through the typical payment cycle. Access to its moderately upscale interior is easy, and once inside you'll find expansive room (some 100 cubic feet) for four, along with adequate space for the occasional fifth. With a curb weight of just 3,600 pounds, the V6's 268 horsepower and 248 pound-feet of torque is responsive, and that's evident in the four-door's 7-second sprint to 60. This isn't a track day or autocross weapon, but if part of your day is a stressful commute, this will make it less so. With a base – albeit well appointed – spec, the ES 350 retails for just under $40,000. We would order ours in Atomic Silver, even if "atomic" seems so last-century. If you can forget – for a minute – the Matthew McConaughey connection, know that Lincoln's MKZ is fully credible as a midsize, mid-fashion sedan. If you like your Fords with more expressive interiors and additional driving refinement, there's a lot to like in Lincoln's MKZ.

2020 Lincoln Aviator Grand Touring plug-in hybrid range, fuel economy revealed

The range-topping 2020 Lincoln Aviator Grand Touring plug-in hybrid luxury crossover finally has official fuel economy ratings. The electric range is 21 miles, and when the battery is exhausted, gas-only combined fuel economy is 23 mpg. The EPA's combined electric and gas test loop yielded 56 mpg-e. These numbers make the Aviator Grand Touring the most frugal version of the three-row luxury crossover, with the next most efficient one being the rear-drive non-hybrid model at 21 mpg combined. When going by gas-only fuel economy, though, the Aviator Grand Touring's non-plug-in cousin, the Ford Explorer Hybrid, returns up to 28 mpg combined with rear-wheel drive, and 25 mpg with all-wheel drive. It has much less power at 318 horsepower and 322 pound-feet of torque, compared to the Aviator Grand Touring's 494 horsepower and 630 pound-feet of torque. The luxury plug-in hybrid crossover segment is quite small right now. The closest competitor to the Aviator Grand Touring is probably the Porsche Cayenne E-Hybrid. It has a shorter electric range of 13 miles, and its gas-only fuel economy is a slightly worse at 22 mpg. The Porsche is less powerful with 455 horsepower and 516 pound-feet of torque, and its base price of $82,450 exceeds the Lincoln's $69,895 price. The Mercedes-Benz GLC 350e splits the difference on efficiency with a worse 10-mile electric range, but a better gasoline fuel economy of 25 mpg combined. This could improve for 2020, as the updated model will have a larger battery. It's cheaper, too, at $51,645, but it's also a full size smaller than the Lincoln.