This is the official list. Pretty cool to see the Conti and the LC in that list. Well done Lincoln.

Alfa Romeo Giulia
Bentley Bentayga
Buick LaCrosse
Honda CR-V
Lexus LC 500
Lincoln Continental
Maserati Levante
Mazda CX-9
Mini Countryman
Subaru Impreza

 

I love everything about the Continental. My parents used to have one when I was growing up and I always liked it. Are they the first ones to have seats like that 30 way adjustable with the front part of the seat adjusting too? I chuckle when I see the back seat package with power reclining and massging and think to myself how ahead of its time Lexus was with my 02 LS with UL.

 

When you have ultra-luxurious back-seat packages/options like that, that is a sign that the manufacturer expects a number of the cars to be chauffeur-driven, and for the car's owner (or renter) to be riding in back. And, indeed, a fair percent of Continentals are sold to limo or executive-car firms.

 

But fleet buyers are probably looking for the cheapest model and/or best deal they can get, so they will not buy the model that offers the highly-adjustable back seat (or front seats).

 

IMO. The rear seat controls on Lexus LS and other large cars are mostly just a gimmick equatable to off road electronic aids that you get on a Range Rover or Lexus LX. I have never once seen a person being chauffeured around in a Lexus LS or other high end cars. Every Rolls or Bentley i have seen has usually one person driving it. The rear seat controls for the Conti is just a taking point.

I have seen lots of airport Lexus ES models all the time in the GTA.

 

Ha this list has to be a joke. The Giulia's interior has been panned and the Levante's is a carbon copy of the Giulia's, meaning it sucks too.

Some reviews have been critical of the LaCrosse's and Conti's interior as well.

The thing all these interiors have in common is corner cutting and skimping out on details.

 

Yes, but two things. First, limo and executive-car companies are not in the market for cheap vehicles.....they own and operate expensive sedans and stretch-limos by the very nature of their business. Second, like most fleet-sales, they probably negotiate with the auto manufacturer to get the lowest price they can get on bulk-purchases.

 

The Giula's interior and the Maserati Levante's interiors are very different, different dashboard and everything. I've never sat in either car, but just looking at the pictures, the Alfa's dash is way better looking IMO with a lot of interesting curves. Also, judging from the pictures, the Levante has the same problem as all other current Maserati's, it uses the same switchgear(window buttons, headlight ****, start button, etc) as a $20,000 Dodge Dart. Uses the same Chrysler U-connect, which in other Maserati's looks exactly like every other Chrysler, they didn't even bother to change the fonts, colors, jazz up the graphics or anything for the $100,000 car.

Now I have sat in a new Continetial and fondled the leather. It is NICE, a lot nicer than anything Cadillac is doing now. Is it nicer than a new 2017 Benz E-class or the Lexus LS inside, NO.

 

If you've never seen people chauffeured in S Classes you've never been to NYC.

On the whole though I agree, fleets aren't buying cars speced out like that.

 

30 way seats are pretty cool. The Bridge of Weir leather seat material is pretty cool. I wonder if it has been used on other cars. Lincoln says it has.

 

$47,000 and the rear seats (sort of) recline. It's a terrible vehicle and I won't buy another one of this new/current design.

 

So, finally got a chance to check the Continental out in person. Drove both a base model with $47k sticker FWD and the fully loaded to the hilt, every option $78k, Black Label.

My Impressions. First off I was very impressed with the sales person, she was very knowledgable about not only the Continental but cars in general and even was up to date on all the latest automotive news and rumors. This, in my experience, is a rarity, most sales folks are pretty much morons and know very little about the product they are selling and virtually nothing about competitors. In my opinion she should find a new employer with a product that is worthy of her efforts.

The Car:

Exterior - Huge disappointment, the shape overall is ok but the car just does not have presence. It is too rounded with no sharp lines or true character. Sort of like a used bar of soap. And the fit and finish was terrible. Probably had 25 on the lot, all had panel misalignment, trunk misalignment, trim that was not properly aligned or secured. Loose bits, it was sad, looked like a lot full of test mules, not good for what is supposed to be the flagship car. My dad came along and he saw all the same issues. A $20K honda civic is lightyears ahead in quality.

Interior - Base model was ok, decent simple design but nothing to write home about. The Black Label truly was posh and very well assembled. The leather was nice as anything I have seen and the 30 way seats truly are comfortable for someone my size. Chrome, wood, leather, it all worked together very well for a nice cohesive presentation. The infotainment system was lightning fast, responded instantly and had the capability to set the car up however you wanted. Well done Lincoln.

The Drive - Drove the base v6, it was ok but harsh and was nothing special. The 3.0TT AWD was better but still nothing special. I would say it was adequate, but did not feel "fast" from a dig or roll. The engineers did a great job taking any torque steer out of the equation, but it still drives like a FWD biased car. The torque managment between shifts is ridiculous and caused a very noticeable flat spot at each shift. The cabin was not as quiet as we had read, my parents Avalon seems just as quiet. The ride was reasonably smooth but not ultra luxury nor was it sporty in sport mode. Basically a Camel of sorts, not great any anything but ok at most things.

In the end it is just not a $70k+ car. It has the interior, but everything else needs a redo. As it sits, and this might sound silly to say, I would not pay more than about $55k for the Black Label, for more than that I am looking at other options, even if they cost significantly more. My father felt the same way, he said it was not a big enough step up from his $35K Avalon to justify double the price. I love old Lincolns and Cadillacs from the 60's, and while I know the current generation are better cars they just lack the presence and "specialness" that I think is necessary to pull people from Lexus and the Germans. I wanted to love it but came away severely disappointed. Back to the drawing board Lincoln.

 

Mirrored my feelings precisely

 

Yesterday I stopped at a Lincoln/Ford dealership near and looked at some of the Continentals on the lot. They had quite a few of them. I was surprised (maybe not really) to see that all of them had an additional dealer applied sticker with 2 items totaling $1,400. Window etching for $399! And something called Auto Butler for $999! I was hoping that someone would come out to ask me what I thought of the Continental but no one did.

 

thanks for sharing impressions/review LOWFAST.
somehow they sold a thousand continentals last month... big discounts?