mmarshall

Yep. You recalled correctly. The LS was indeed a nice product. Consumer Reports, when they first tested it, considered it the best overall American-badged car they had seen up to that time. Lincoln, however, did make one sisnificant marketing error with it....but never admitted it. The LS was generally aimed at the BMW 5-series, and came with both a V6 (to compete with the 525/528/530) and a V8 (to compete with the 540). But only the V6 offered the Sport Package, which included a 5-speed manual. The 5-speed was never offered with the V8, despite a number of calls in the auto press for it. Instead of giving the V8 version the 5-speed it needed, Lincoln, instead, after several years, just dropped the entire LS line


But, as I said in an earlier post...a V6 Lincoln is one thing, a four-banger quite another.

dc893

i dont know why people are so concerned about v8 engines. lincoln has a 365hp v6. thats more than most v8s on the market. my 92 ls has a v8 with 250hp. the number of cylinders is not as important as it used to be. the town car had even less hp.

i just started selling lincolns. i never thought much of lincoln until i started working for lincoln. they have great cars. they just need to design the cars a little different to catch the younger market.

thats is only my opinion though.


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TangoRed

Meh. You can get the Audi A6 in 2.0T form, and Mercedes will be soon rolling out 4cyl diesels into the E-class. Not to mention the BMW 528i comes with a turbo 4.

Fizzboy7

Spent a fair amount of time in this new car at the autoshow and walked away unimpressed. The interior models an old look, the buttons rocked in their spots and felt cheap, and everything was a sea of black. Then moving to the exterior, the fastback look of a large sedan is a fail. People associate prestige and stateliness with a trunk. This car is borderline hatchback. New XTS has the same dorky look.

mmarshall

Power is not the only issue with V8s. Refinement and quietness is just as important. In general, the more cylinders you ave (especially with an even number of them), the more smoothness and refinement you have.......a critical feature with luxury/upmarket cars. Yes, there are some tricks that engineers can use with fewer cylinders to make them run smoother (balance-shafts, heavier flywheels, liquid filled/shock-damped engine-mounts, etc...), but, in general, lose cylinders and, all else equal, you lose smoothness and refinement.

Youth, though, has not been Lincoln's forte....and the largest generation in history is retiring now. People in their 50s and 60s are the ones that usually have the most money to spend on a new car....not necessarily those in their 20s and 30s.

spwolf

they might have, but do they actually spend most money? :-).

i like the looks from the pics... interior is not that great to me, but for instance, i cant imagine someone buy such large car while it has such a poor use of rear seat space... this aint CLS.

oldcajun

I'm not sure why the comments about the MKZ being a "big" car. It is Lincoln's ES, a mid size car based on a mid size platform from a less expensive car. Compared to the 2013 ES, the MKZ is about 1" longer in both length and wheelbase. It is actually slightly shorter than the Avalon. Interior space is similar but with a different focus. The MKZ at 44.3" has about 2.5" more front legroom than the ES but at 37" is about 3" less than the ES in the back. With the front seats in the same location in both, rear seat room should be about the same. The MKZ has again slightly more front headroom than the ES but slightly less rear headroom. The rear headroom is very close to the Avalon.

These are much larger cars inside than the 3 series, C class, or Cadillac ATS. More luxury, less sport than the German cars or ATS.

Is the MKZ really a competitor for the A6 or 5 series? Definately not, but it might compete well with the ES and TL, plus provide a move up for Fusion, Camry, and Accord drivers.

Steve

bagwell

+1, ugly...wouldn't ever consider

mmarshall

The MKZ, though, does offer AWD to compete with the Audi Quattros and Acura SW-AWD TL. The ES, of course, does not.

dc893

Youth, though, has not been Lincoln's forte....and the largest generation in history is retiring now. People in their 50s and 60s are the ones that usually have the most money to spend on a new car....not necessarily those in their 20s and 30s.[/QUOTE]

Yes, but Lincolns average customer is over 60 years old. You need to have marketing to target people under 70. We get people in everyday asking for the 13 MKZ that are much younger than a typical Lincoln buyer (Including people 30+ age range).

I have driven many 13MKS' and they are very smooth and comfortable with a V6. The 365HP ecoboost is also a lot of fun. I do think a RWD Lincoln would be nice to see.

bitkahuna

iTrader: (20)

surprised some are saying it's ugly. i think the first 2 pics in the thread look great!

dc893

I can't wait to see it in person. Ford/Lincoln is sure taking its sweet time on the release. I think the 13 MKZ will be released around December 2013. It's getting ridiculous. I really believe Lincoln has lost potential customers because of the wait

Haitwun

I test drove the MKZ hybrid at the Los Angeles auto show.

It is a pretty handsome car in person but the interior just falls short because of the cheap plastics in the center console and the cabin in general.I am 5'11" and I had to slouch down to fit in it. Even with the seat in the lowest position, I felt like I was sitting high up on top of the car, instead of sitting in it. Lincoln has a long way to go.

Hoovey689

iTrader: (16)

What are you smoking?? The 2013 MKZ is out now

LOWFAST

Lincoln needs something with presence, they have had a few good concepts over the years but never go that route, instead they just rebadge a ford.

http://www.diseno-art.com/images_2/L...KR_concept.jpg

http://www.classycars.org/Lincoln/Li...oncept.645.jpg

http://www.desktopcar.net/wallpaper/...Concept-03.jpg