2006 Lincoln Town Car on 2040-cars

Auto blog

2017 Lincoln Continental: Was this mic-drop moment just a big flop?

The Lincoln Continental may have been our fifth-place pick for Best In Show at this year's Detroit Auto Show, but it's probably the one we argued about the most. In fact, we're still talking about it. And we'll no doubt be discussing it long after we finally get to drive the new sedan later this year. We do this with lots of cars, all the time. The Continental is an especially important, high-profile car right now. It has the task of being a torch-holder for the struggling-to-run Lincoln brand, and that's a tough job these days. But did Lincoln do right by its Continental name? Did its Detroit showcar stop us in our tracks, or were we left feeling cold? In an effort to show you our full discussion, we're trying something different. About a week after the Detroit Auto Show press days concluded, Autoblog's Jonathon Ramsey sent an email around to some editors about the Continental to open a discussion. It got heated, and fast. And while we considered summarizing it, we decided to instead post the whole, largely unedited (adjusted for typos and swear words) chain. From: Jonathon Ramsey To: Autoblog Team Does anyone else think it's a problem that the new Continental looks 85 percent like the MKZ? And another 10 percent of it looks like a Jaguar and a Bentley? Because I think Lincoln screwed the pooch. The German Three plus Porsche can make cars that look alike – they've earned the right, even if I'd rather they didn't. The MKZ looks like a car for regional sales reps. Lincoln broke the glass in case of emergency, grabbed the Continental name, then put it on a car that looks a lot like that sales-rep car, but one for regional VPs. Do we really think this can work? Because I don't. From: Steven Ewing To: Autoblog Team Personally, I'm pretty disappointed in the final execution of Continental. I'm glad Lincoln isn't obsessed with chasing the Germans, but at this point, it's not even chasing Cadillac. I think that introducing the new front end and TTV6 engine on the MKZ before the Continental was a huge mistake. And while I have high hopes for the Conti from a comfort/driving standpoint, my gut instinct is that it's going to be more "better than the MKS" than "best American luxury sedan." Introducing the new front end and TTV6 engine on the MKZ before the Continental was a huge mistake.

2019 Lincoln Nautilus replaces the MKX, adds a price increase and tech

The 2019 Lincoln Nautilus forms the next step in Lincoln's overhaul. Replacing the crossover formerly known as the MKX — the brand's best-seller in the U.S. — the Nautilus gets all-new sheetmetal from the A-pillar forward. This includes a mesh grille and chrome accents that bring the midsize CUV in line with the Continental sedan and Navigator full-sized SUV. A new base engine and more standard equipment help pad a price increase, the Nautilus starting at $40,340, plus $995 destination, for $41,335 total. That's a $1,305 price bump over the MKX, and just $255 short of the starting price of the crosstown rival Cadillac XT5. Optional all-wheel drive adds $2,495. The "Premier" appellation for the entry-level model goes away — it's now just Nautilus. The Select, Reserve and Black Label trims carry over. Lincoln said the new interior bestows best-in-class headroom and legroom. The standard model comes with 10-way power seats, a 12.3-inch digital dash, an eight-inch infotainment display with Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, and Sync 3, and 18-inch wheels. The $45,540 Select adds leather seats, heated steering wheel, navigation, and LED fog lights. The $49,870 Reserve puts climate control in those seats, a panoramic roof overhead, a 13-inch Revel audio system all around, and 20-inch wheels below. The $57,890 Black Label upgrades to Venetian leather seats and Alcantara headliner, a 19-speaker Revel Ultima stereo, and 21-inch aluminum wheels, plus a host of exclusive interior materials, and anytime car washes. The standard engine goes down in power: the 2.0-liter, twin-turbo, four-cylinder EcoBoost puts out 245 horsepower and 280 pound-feet of torque, replacing the 3.7-liter V6 that got 303 hp and 278 lb-ft. Yet the old 3.7-liter made do with a six-speed automatic, while all Nautilus models get Ford's new eight-speed automatic, and the EcoBoost comes with start/stop. The optional engine, available on Select, Reserve, and Black Label trims, remains a 2.7-liter twin-turbo V6 with 335 hp and 380 lb-ft, and costs a further $2,070. The Nautilus introduces Lincoln Co-Pilot 360 to the range, which bundles features such as automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection, a backup camera, and blind-spot information with cross-traffic alert. You can play around with all the options on the Nautilus configurator. While you're there, spare a thought for the MKZ sedan and MKT crossover.

Ford's Galhotra succeeds Farley as head of Lincoln

Ford Motor Company is announcing a major personnel shakeup that could have a dramatic effect on the future of the Lincoln division. Kumar Galhotra (pictured above), currently vice president of engineering at Ford for all of its vehicles worldwide, is taking over as the president of the luxury brand on September 1, replacing Jim Farley. The automaker is also hiring a new head of advanced engineering.
Galhotra has a huge job ahead of him as the new boss of Lincoln worldwide, overseeing product development, marketing, sales and service. His task is to turn the luxury division into a world-class brand as quickly as possible, and he reports directly to Ford President and CEO Mark Fields.
"These changes underscore our commitment to build on the success of our One Ford plan by accelerating our pace of progress. They also make clear we are serious about Lincoln as a world-class luxury brand and that product excellence and innovation are what will deliver growth and define our entire company going forward," said Fields in the company's announcement.