2012 Lincoln Navigator

Standing as one of the few stalwarts of the old guard of full-size SUVs, the stately Lincoln Navigator carries a full load of passengers readily, yet just as easily takes on the truck-like duties of towing. 

As a truck-based SUV, the Lincoln Navigator hasn't seen a need to change its appearance much over the years. It retains its tall, boxy, body-on-frame makeup and its heavy dose of chromed trim. Instantly recognizable and even iconic among some subcultures, the Navigator's styling cues remain true to the brand's heritage, with some elements traceable all the way back to the 1960s station wagon era. Not everyone will love the Navigator's bold look, but others will find it to be exactly what they're after. The same holds true inside, with retro-themed gauges and styling that still gets the job of conveying information done smartly.

Whether you choose the standard Navigator or the longer-wheelbase Navigator L, you'll get a 5.4-liter V-8 engine rated for 310 horsepower and your choice of two- or four-wheel drive. Both Navigators are able towers, rated for 9,100 pounds. Once you add in the Navigator's own 6,200-pound curb weight, however, a full load on the trail can put a strain on the engine, especially in comparison to modern heavy-duty trucks with similar towing capacities. Nevertheless, the transmission is up to snuff, shifting easily and keeping engine revs low. 

Handling is about what you'd expect of a large SUV: it's stable and solid, but there's plenty of body motion and nosedive in quick maneuvers and stops. Four-wheel independent suspension smooths out the ride and makes the most of the Navigator's abilities, however.

Inside, the 2012 Lincoln Navigator is more upscale than its close corporate cousin, the Ford Expedition. Noise insulation, higher-grade materials and more touchable finishes make the Navigator a true luxury-grade vehicle. A few small exceptions to the quality feel are the hard plastic trim elements, chrome-painted plastics, and sometimes cheap-feeling switchgear. Despite the small downside, there's not shortage of handy small storage spaces or cupholders.

Seating is comfortable and roomy throughout the Navigator, though the Navigator L offers better access to the third-row seats thanks to its 14.7-inch longer wheelbase. Some of the Navigator L's extra length also expands its cargo capacity, though both models offer plenty of room for the average family. 

When it comes to features and available equipment, the Navigator lives up to its exterior promise: plenty of space for plenty of stuff. The 2012 Navigator even offers a dash of high tech courtesy of the SYNC infotainment system, which includes Sirius Travel Link, voice-activated control of climate and navigation, and real-time traffic and weather searches. New for 2012, the SYNC system in the Navigator also features AppLink, which enables voice control of select smartphone apps.

Along with the SYNC system, HD Radio and power-deployable running boards are also standard. Other interesting features include a rearview camera system, rain-sensing wipers, capless fuel filling, Front Park Assist, heated second-row seats.

When it comes to safety, you might think the size of the Navigator alone would lend itself to near-invulnerability, but the two-wheel drive versions of the Navigator only score three out of five stars in the NHTSA's rollover rating. Four-wheel-drive models rate four out of five stars, however. Neither the NHTSA nor the IIHS has published crash test ratings for the 2012 Lincoln Navigator. For 2012 the Navigator adds standard integrated spotter mirrors to improve safety when maneuvering the vehicle in tighter confines.

Why Ford is Learning to Love Lincoln. Again.

Since joining Ford in September 2006, Alan Mulally has done a tremendous job of slimming, trimming, and refocusing the company. The expensive distractions of Jaguar, Land Rover, and Aston Martin are gone. Moribund Mercury’s finally been given the bullet, and Mazda, which has been a mixed blessing at times, has been sent on its way. Now it’s One Ford, one Blue Oval, worldwide.

Well, almost One Ford. There is, of course, still Lincoln.

As I’ve noted several times before, Ford’s treatment of what was one of America’s great luxury brands has been a travesty. America’s presidents and captains of industry once rode in Lincolns; today most people think of Lincolns as glorified taxicabs rattling around the streets of Manhattan or gussied-up Fords with delusions of grandeur.

But there’s a growing realization inside World Headquarters in Dearborn that Ford really needs Lincoln. Not the Lincoln of the cynical badge-engineering, or the stone-age technology, or the muddled product planning that we’ve been subjected to over the past few decades, but a Lincoln that is a genuine, high-value American luxury car brand. Here’s why: The golden age of the pickup truck is over.

Back in 2005 Ford sold 901,463 F-series trucks. Sales have declined every year since – 796,039 in 2006, 690,589 in 2007, 515,513 in 2008, and collapsing to 413,625 in 2009 as the recession bit deep. Last year saw a rebound, with sales reaching 528,349, and to the end of May this year F-series sales were up 10 percent on the same period in 2010. But no-one inside Ford expects a return to the big numbers of 2005. The world has changed.

Former Porsche CEO Wendelin Wiedeking once famously declared: “No-one needs a Porsche.” Now an F-150 is certainly more useful than a 911, but a significant number of people who purchased one in the past 20 years didn’t really need its hard-working load carrying or towing capacity, either. F-150s were relatively cheap to buy, delivered the relaxed driving experience many Americans liked, and looked cool, especially as alloy wheels, metallic paints and lavishly equipped interiors became commonplace. But as gas prices continue to increase, an F-series truck that doesn’t actually work for a living – whether on a construction site, or hauling the family boat to the lake every weekend – starts to look like an indulgence.

The F-series also faces major challenges meeting new CAFE rules that mandate a 19-20 percent improvement in fuel economy by 2016. The new rules don’t mean the end of the road for full-size pickups, but they will become more expensive and specialized as manufacturers spend money on more efficient powertrains and mass reduction to help meet the fuel economy targets. Those who once bought an F-150 just for the tough-guy image will be even less inclined to do so in the future.

Like all full-size pickups, F-150s are hugely profitable, partly because they are built in large volumes, partly because they are relatively low-tech, and partly because their development and manufacturing costs can be amortized over a much longer lifecycle than a car. What Ford insiders have realized is the slow-down in full-size pickup sales means the company is facing a disproportionately large – and most likely permanent – impact on its profitability.

This is where Lincoln comes in. While not in the full-size pickup truck league, luxury cars can also deliver juicy profits. While the precise numbers are a closely guarded secret, there’s surprisingly little difference between the cost of the materials used to build a Ford Fusion and those used to build a BMW 3-series, for example. Yet one sells for a considerable premium over the other. All Ford needs to do is build a Lincoln it can sell for BMW money. Which is easier said than done.

“They are trying like hell to resurrect Lincoln,” GM CEO Dan Akerson recently told the Detroit News. “Well, I might as well tell you, you might as well sprinkle holy water. It’s over.” Of course the GM boss is going to diss the opposition, but Akerson also speaks from the perspective of a man whose own company is trying to execute basically the same profit substitution strategy with Cadillac – and is learning just how damned difficult it is even with a brand that has a 10-year head start on Lincoln in terms of its resurrection.

Akerson’s contention in the same Detroit News story the new small Caddy sedan (which won’t be called ATS) and the new XTS “won’t blow the doors off” the luxury car opposition is refreshingly realistic. BMW was not built in a day: The company that is now one of the world’s blue-chip automotive brands was basically broke and building tiny cars under license from an Italian scooter manufacturer at the start of the 1960s. It took more than a decade for BMW to discover its mojo, in the form of the BMW 2002, and two more decades of consistent application and execution to embed it deep in its brand DNA.

I would argue the current CTS – sedan, wagon, and coupe – is the reborn Cadillac’s mojo car, its BMW 2002, if you will. And, as Dan Akerson clearly realizes, it’s going to take another 10 years of hard work before Cadillac is truly considered a BMW, Benz and Audi rival on a portfolio basis. Lincoln’s mojo car; the car that defines it as a credible 21st century luxury brand? As of right now, it doesn’t exist.

An even bigger problem, though, is a shortage of suitable vehicle architectures to underpin a re-invented Lincoln line-up. Audi has proven rear-drive is not necessarily de riguer for a luxury brand (though prior to the development of the current A4, A5, A6 and A7 models, moving those cars to a rear-drive platform was seriously studied). Ford could build a 3-series sized, front-drive Lincoln on the new Focus hardware, and a 5-series sized, front-drive model on the forthcoming Fusion/Mondeo platform (and as GM has finally understood after two generations of “tweener” CTS models, there is no point trying to buck the system that has worked so successfully for the Germans).

But what about a Lincoln flagship? The D4 platform that underpins the slow-selling MKS sedan (just 908 were sold in May, compared with 4288 Cadillac CTS models) and that bizarro MKT thingy is old, heavy, and simply not big enough to deliver the broad shouldered interior package expected of a luxury sedan intended as an all-American 7-series, S-class alternative – shortcomings amply evident in the new Explorer. And as far as I am aware, that platform’s not going away soon: a Ford source told me in Europe a few months back the D4 “gets one more go ’round”.

Ford has nothing else it can use for a big car. The arthritic Panther platform, which has done sterling service under the Town Car and the Crown Vic, is finally being pensioned off after an epic 31-year run. The next-gen Mustang, which will appear in time to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Ford’s storied ponycar in 2014, will likely use a revised version of the current platform, probably with a new independent rear axle. Ford Australia’s unique , locally developed rear-drive Falcon platform is due for replacement, but with Falcon sales at their lowest level in 51 years, that no longer makes economic sense. Heavy hints from senior Ford sources suggest the current Falcon will stay in production until 2016 or 2017 and then be merged with the next-gen Taurus.

That may give Ford the volume to justify a new large FWD/AWD platform to replace the D4; a new platform that could conceivably also underpin a credible Lincoln flagship. But can it afford to wait that long? Especially as whispers out of Detroit Cadillac will almost certainly have a new 7-series, S-class sized flagship – a car bigger than the forthcoming XTS – on the road by 2015 (along with the 3-series sized Alpha models that begin to arrive 2013).

Being unfashionably late to the luxury car party is just one of the potholes on Lincoln’s road to redemption, however. Total Lincoln sales last year totaled just 85,828 vehicles, down from 131,487 in 2007, and this year’s running rate looks worse. Lincoln also has no market presence outside North America. Ford has a lot of rebuilding to do, and it’s difficult to see Lincoln offsetting anything more than a fraction of its lost truck sales revenue anytime soon.

The decades of cynical neglect and cheapskate product planning are coming home to roost. Lincoln is in a pitiful state. It desperately needs Ford’s love. But not as much as Ford now needs to love Lincoln.

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Lincoln considering mid-engine sports car?

Tuesday, May 24th, 2011 @ 10:37 a.m.

Just as certain as sales are dropping, Ford needs to better differentiate its premium Lincoln offerings from its lesser Ford-badged vehicles. Ford says changes are on the way with seven new models over the next three years, but one of those vehicles might be something completely unexpected.

According to a report from Road & Track, Ford is at least discussing the possibility of a two-seat, mid-engine sports car for its Lincoln brand. The two-seater would be positioned as the brand’s flagship, but wouldn’t necessarily be an all-out performer.

Ford is planning to use technology to make its Lincoln offerings stand apart from Ford vehicles, and the rumored mid-engine two-door could take the lead in that initiative. Instead of a hulking V8, the proposed Lincoln flagship could use a supercharged V6 or even some kind of electrified drivetrain.

Lincoln is desperately trying to climb the luxury ranks, and a mid-engine sports car could help it climb the ranks – much like the R8 helped Volkswagen’s Audi brand. However, cross-town rival Cadillac experimented with a high-dollar sports car – the XLR – with unimpressive results. It remains to be seen if Ford will ultimately give the project the green light, but there is no denying the car would give some much needed life to the Lincoln brand.

References
1.’A 2-seat Lincoln…’ view

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2011 Lincoln MKT

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2011 Lincoln MKX

The 2011 Lincoln MKX, which is closely related to the 2011 Ford Edge, hasn't been completely redesigned, but almost. Flaunting new sheetmetal, new powertrains, new interiors with better-quality materials, and a new suite of technology branded under the MyFord Touch and MyLincoln Touch umbrella, the new MKX finally appeals to top rivals from European and Japanese luxury brands, as well as Cadillac, with world-class features and interior appointments. You won't need any excuses to say you've chosen the 2011 Lincoln MKX; it delivers on the promise of the brand: top-notch American luxury, with some of the best luxury and tech features wrapped in.

Depending on how you see it, the new, more distinctive Lincoln look is either an eyesore or a breathtaking departure. The twin-wing grille is for sure striking, but those grilles balance out the glass areas nearly perfectly, with good scale. The shape has been smoothed out, too. Inside, the 2011 Lincoln MKX cabin chucks whatever was left of lower-rent shapes and materials in the Ford empire. Subtracting the buttons from swoopy new instrument panel and center stack gave designers the space to lay out winged themes, and the feel and fit of interior materials has been ratcheted up several levels, with choices of metallic trim, light or dark woods. The MKX elevates the business-class aesthetic out of simple wood and leather cliches, and marries it with real haute technology—not an easy task.

The 2011 MKX is fitted with a new 305-horsepower, 3.7-liter V-6 that's shared with the 2011 Ford Mustang. Offered here with a six-speed SelectShift automatic transmission, there's ample performance to knock off a gentleman's B for straight-line performance—in the neighborhood of eight seconds to 60 mph, and a top speed in the 125-mph range. The engine's muted much better here than in the Mustang, of course, thanks to layers of laminated glass and acoustic damping, and it's probably everything a luxury-crossover buyer not seeking Cayenne Turbo-style thrust will want. The MKX now has electric power steering and steers fairly well, and doesn't wander much at all on decent-to-awful turnpike pavement textures. It also grabs its share of country roads with gusto—up to the point any 4000-pound crossover feels unhappy about exactly what you're doing back there.

The cabin of the 2011 Lincoln MKX hasn't been supersized, it sticks more closely to its job detail of being able to carry five adults in comfort than last year's version. The front seats have memory functions and the best driving position is easy to ferret out, with the height of the seat and with standard power tilt/telescoping steering. The rear bench reclines a bit so the tallest colleagues won't get bent out of shape on a lunch run. Cargo space in back is a bit shy of some larger five-passenger crossovers, though the Lincoln's add-ons will dazzle anyone who starts asking impolite questions about overall cubic feet.

MyLincoln Touch is the star of the MKX cabin; it marries Ford's SYNC and its Bluetooth-controlled, voice-activated technology with a pair of LCD screens flanking the speedometer, a big LCD touchscreen in the middle of the dash, and a pair of swipe-touch bars. The dozens of buttons you'd find on another car's audio, navigation and climate controls are simply gone, replaced by the touch-sensitive functions on the screen and by dueling sets of steering-wheel-mounted buttons and those winged bars. It's a revolutionary feature, allowing a host of navigation and media functions, too, such as finding the closest Starbucks with your voice, or tagging you music and syncing with iTunes.

Lincoln has given the 2011 MKX a striking new front end that not everyone will agree with, but the stylish, business-class interior upgrade speaks luxury to all. See details and best of the Web The 2011 Lincoln MKX isn't large, but its well-designed interior and swank materials make the most of it for five adults; MyLincoln Touch cleans up the instrument-panel layout, too. See details and best of the Web While test results out so far aren't perfect, the 2011 Lincoln MKX promises a lot of high-tech safety features that might help you avoid an accident in the first place. See details and best of the Web The 2011 Lincoln MKX has fuel economy ratings that don't look very green on their own, but it's actually a step more frugal than other vehicles in this class. See details and best of the Web MyLincoln TouchLuxurious, business-class interior feelBuilt-in tech featuresSeat comfortGet Dealer Price Quotes Front end styling won't make friends everywhereDoesn't feel like 305 hpSlow power tailgate

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2011 Lincoln MKZ Hybrid Sells Better Than Expected, Ford Says

Source: GreenCarReports.com

When Lincoln launched its 2011 MKZ Hybrid model at the New York Auto Show last spring, the car was less remarkable than its price of $35,180.

The number was a surprise because it was the same price as the only other engine option for the MKZ, a 3.5-liter V-6. So what do we know about the two models' sales since the Hybrid's October launch?

According to Ford, the MKZ Hybrid is outselling the company's internal projections. With more than one in five 2011 MKZ models leaving dealership lots with the hybrid option, that's a substantial rise on Lincoln's internal projections of 15 percent of the total.

To provide a little perspective, total sales of all hybrid models represent only 2 to 3 percent of the overall U.S. new-vehicle market.

The 2011 Lincoln MKZ Hybrid is the only hybrid in Lincoln's lineup, and uses the same specially-tuned 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine and twin motor-generator hybrid system as on Ford's other hybrid models, the 2011 Fusion Hybrid sedan and 2011 Escape Hybrid crossover.

The hybrid MKZ, which is offered only as a front-wheel-drive model, is rated by the EPA 41 mpg city, 36 mpg highway, for a combined rating of 39 mpg.

By contrast, the non-hybrid MKZ returns 18 mpg city, 27 mpg highway, for a combined rating of 21 mpg in front-wheel-drive form.

That, folks, is a 90-percent improvement, substantial even for luxury-car buyers who don't need to economize on gasoline.

Those ratings are the same as the now-discontinued 2010 Mercury Milan Hybrid, which was effectively replaced by the MKZ Hybrid in Ford's overall lineup.

Adding all-wheel-drive to the V-6 MKZ penalizes its mileage even further, with rankings of only 17 mpg city, 24 mpg highway, and a combined 19-mpg rating.

Lincoln says San Diego dealer Ed Witt has sold MKZ Hybrid models to former owners of Toyota Prius hybrids, Lexus luxury cars, and even a few BMW owners.

His dealership has sold more MKZ Hybrids than any other U.S. dealer, reflecting Californian buyers' greater interest in green cars--and the state's higher average gasoline prices.

Reflecting the impact of Lincoln's innovative pricing strategy, General Motors announced that its 2012 Buick Lacrosse with eAssist would be offered at the same base price as the 2012 Lacrosse model with the 3.6-liter V-6 engine. The MKZ and Lacrosse are arguably competitors in the midsize near-luxury sedan market.

Specific prices on the 2012 Lacrosse line won't be released until later this year, but both are expected to start "around $30,000," according to GM executives.

[Ford]

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2007 Lincoln MKZ

NEW CAR PREVIEWS:  From the April, 2009 issue of Automobile MagazineLincoln's MKZ (formerly known as the Zephyr,) shares nearly every component with the Ford Fusion, including high hopes for brand rejuvenation. Lincoln is in need of a fresh and proper flagship to accompany the aging Town Car and LS. However, it's questionable whether or not new and younger customers will flock to Lincoln/Mercury dealers for the smallish front-wheel-drive MKZ, especially with the lower-priced Fusion joining the plethora of solid import and domestic competitors.

Somewhat smaller than the current Lincoln LS and built on a modified Mazda 6 platform, the MKZ goes on sale this fall as a 2006 model. A 210-hp, 3.0-liter V-6 with a six-speed automatic will be the only powertrain offered. All-wheel drive will be an '07 option. The MKZ, Lincoln's first entry-level luxury car in some time, will be filled with plush Lincoln bells and whistles, including the most advanced Lincoln navigation system offered yet, a THX II-certified audio system, and enough silver plastic to open a Sharper Image store.

Like its Fusion sibling, the MKZ appears to have received a good deal of careful attention from engineers and developers; we will fill in our readers on more as soon as we have an opportunity to drive one. And while the MKZ looks good from most angles, we cannot excuse the bulbous taillight design which tries to give the car presence but succeeds only in making it look misproportioned.

Pricing has not yet been announced, though we're told that it will be competitive with cars such as the Audi A4, which starts just under $33,000 in 3.0-liter V-6 form. While the Mazda 6 on which the MKZ is based is a fantastic car, it isn't a BMW 3-series or A4 competitor, and the Zephyr's styling, interior, and brand prestige do nothing to set the MKZ apart in a competitive class.

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2007 Lincoln MKX

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2007 Lincoln Navigator

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