mmarshall

Continental had the same problem....one of its very few vices.


Agreed. ^^^^^ This is a lesson that Cadillac strongly needs to learn (or re-learn). Trying to copy BMW with sport-orientation has alienated too many of their former customers.

Hoovey689

iTrader: (16)

Top Safety Pick from IIHS

Headlights held them back from Top Safety Pick+ rating

Source

mmarshall

^^^^ An interesting co-incidence that you posted this, Hoovey. This evening, as I was paying my 6-month GEICO insurance bill, just out of curiosity, I asked a GEICO rep to quote me a (possible) policy on a new AWD Corsair AWD, with the same limits/coverage. I sometimes do that if I see a vehicle I'd be interested in owning....and I like the Corsair more than any other SUV. I already pay some of the lowest GEICO rates possible, because of my long time with them as a customer (37 years), excellent driving record, and the fact that I qualify for almost all of the company's discounts. Even so, presumably (?) because of the good results in the Corsair's crash-tests, the rep said that the rate on a Corsair would actually decrease a few dollars from my recent policy. Another possible reason (although I can't verify it) is that Ford may charge less for OEM replacement parts, on accident repair, than some other companies.

Hoovey689

iTrader: (16)

I look forward to seeing your future Tahitian Pearl Corsair

mmarshall

It's only one of a number of vehicles I like. Remember, I'm not that much of an SUV guy. I'm basically a sedan person...big, comfortable ones.

Yes, I'd like to see Ford bring back the Tahitian-Pearl option. That was the feature-color at the auto shows when the MKC (which the Corsair replaces) was first introduced. Never saw any at the dealerships in that color, though.....either the dealerships simply did not order many of them to keep in stock, or, for whatever reason, customers didn't want them. I thought it was gorgeous.







The Beyond-Blue interior option, though, for the Corsair, makes up for it to some extent.

bitkahuna

iTrader: (20)

I’m sure you could get a smoking bargain on a lincoln continental. Wouldn’t that check all your boxes?

Toys4RJill

Car & Driver

2020 Lincoln Corsair Brings Refinement with Little Value

Lincoln's new compact SUV is luxuriously finished but short on value when heavily optioned.

Lincoln would like you to learn a new name: Corsair. Sounds romantic, refined, with a whiff of the 1940s, which sort of works until you learn, or remember, that a corsair is a pirate. Well, pirates do love gold and this new Lincoln is definitely out for yours.
Pirate stuff aside, the new-for-2020 Lincoln Corsair is a Ford Escape deep down under its handsome and upscale exterior. As with its MKC predecessor, the updated Corsairshares most of its bones with the Ford Escape, which itself is all new for the 2020 model year. It supplants the unimaginatively titled MKC model and holds only the entry-level station in the brand's SUV lineup. It is also a convincing adherent to Lincoln's modern ethos.



While its compact transverse-engine proportions aren't quite as fetching as the larger longitudinal-engine Lincoln Aviator's, the Corsair's elegant lines fit right into the new Lincoln showroom, matey.

Confident and Indifferent

From our initial experience with the latest Escape, Lincoln could have done far worse in terms of a donor platform. Both vehicles share a similar strut front suspension. Yet, the Lincoln adopts its own chassis and steering tuning, optional adaptive dampers ($700 on Reserve models only), and a revised multilink rear suspension. We can say that rolling on its larger 19- or 20-inch wheels (18s are standard), the Corsair floated over the glass-smooth byways of Northern California with competence and cushy grace, its steering aloof in feel yet precise, and its body control reasonably in check on curvy back roads. That healthy degree of compliance in the Corsair's suspension translates to a similar amount of isolation when traversing the Third World goat paths of the Midwest, although its larger, optional wheels do occasionally clomp over pavement imperfections and frost seams on the highway.


A firm brake pedal and confident responses to directional changes lend the Corsair a reassuring if lazy comportment on the road. Switching to its Excite driving mode (there also are Normal, Conserve, Slippery, and Deep settings) slightly stiffens the dampers and the effort of the electrically assisted steering, although we couldn’t detect much difference aside from the sharper action that Excite mode brings to the throttle and the unobtrusive eight-speed automatic transmission. But it takes an emergency event to actually raise your pulse when piloting the Corsair, and even then, a phalanx of driver aids—such as standard forward automatic emergency braking, blind-spot detection, and lane-keep assist, as well as optional evasive steering assist—are there to help you from hitting trees and other vehicles. Pushed to their handling limit, both of our all-wheel-drive Corsair test cars—one riding on 19-inch wheels shod with 225/55R-19 Michelin Primacy Tour A/S all-season tires and the other fitted with 20-inch, 245/45R-20 Continental CrossContact LX Sport ContiSilent all-seasons—returned the same, modest 0.83 g of lateral grip around the skidpad and stopped from 70 mph in about 165 feet, which is respectable for the class.




The Corsair Standard—that’s a trim level, not a benchmark—starts at a reasonable $36,940 and comes with a 250-hp turbocharged 2.0-liter inline-four carried over from the previous MKC; adding all-wheel drive is $2200 on all versions. Stepping up to the $43,625 Reserve model unlocks an optional 295-hp turbo 2.3-liter inline-four ($1140), which only can be had with all-wheel drive. Both engines quietly hum in the background, even at full throttle, and serve up ample low-end torque—310 lb-ft from the 2.3-liter, 275 lb-ft from the 2.0—for drama-free acceleration. Thanks in part to the Corsair weighing a claimed 100 pounds or so less than its MKC predecessor, even the standard engine can deploy adequate if uneventful grunt for passing maneuvers at highway speeds. Both on the road and at the test track, the difference in performance between the two engines essentially is a wash. Our 3988-pound 2.0-liter example reached 60 mph in 6.1 seconds, covered the quarter-mile in 14.7 at 93 mph, and accelerated from 50 to 70 mph in 4.4 seconds. The 2.3-liter model, which carried an additional 70 pounds, was but a tenth quicker both to 60 mph and from 50 to 70 mph yet gave up a tenth to its less powerful sibling in the quarter despite posting the same trap speed.

The 2.3-liter's EPA combined fuel-economy estimate of 24 mpg represents a solid 4-mpg increase over its comparable MKC predecessor. Front-wheel-drive 2.0-liter models receive a 2-mpg bump to 25 mpg. Figures are not yet available for the base engine paired with all-wheel drive, although it is safe to assume they will land in the middle of the 2.3 AWD and 2.0 FWD. The all-wheel-drive 2.0-liter Corsair averaged 22 mpg in our care and returned 30 mpg on our 75-mpg highway fuel-economy test. The results for the 2.3-liter model with all-wheel drive were slightly less in both measurements at 20 and 29 mpg, respectively, although the latter number is 1 mpg better than its EPA highway estimate.

Refined and High Tech

For the Corsair, Lincoln would prefer you to "feel its power rather than hear it." And as sensory deprivation chambers go, at least of the compact SUV variety, the Corsair is a pretty good one. This Lincoln's isolation is comprehensive. There’s a sound-attenuating windshield and front side glass, loads of acoustic insulation, and active noise cancellation provided by the stereo. An insulated firewall between the engine and passenger compartment make the Corsair's powerplant sound as if it's 20 feet in front of the vehicle. Wind and road noise rarely intrude. Sound-level readings at a 70-mph cruise of 67 decibels for the 2.0-liter and 68 decibels for the 2.3 both are fitting for the luxury segment. For comparison, our long-term Mercedes-Benz E450 wagon generates 66 decibels at 70 mph.

The lack of noise works well with the Corsair's updated and luxurious cabin. There are soft-touch surfaces, real wood trim, and an easy-to-use 8.0-inch touchscreen that tops a semi-floating center console layout. Plush and nicely dressed, the interior is Lincoln's greatest departure from its proletarian Ford roots, especially in one of three available two-tone interior color themes. The chrome "piano key" shift toggles on the center stack take some getting used to, as do the twin joysticks on Lincoln's latest multifunction steering wheel. But an optional 12.3-inch digital gauge cluster and head-up display do bring lots of key information directly into the driver's field of view. The Corsair's tech factor is bolstered by its optional phone-as-a-key feature, which, using the Lincoln Way smartphone app, allows for the remote locking, unlocking, and starting of the vehicle without a key.


The Corsair’s 10-way power-adjustable seats are quite comfortable, although more indulgent shoppers might appreciate the optional 24-way thrones that include a massage function. Back-seat riders also are treated to more accommodating quarters. The Corsair's slightly lower, longer, and wider overall dimensions versus the MKC result in an additional 2.5 inches of rear legroom, and the 60/40-split folding rear bench now slides fore and aft six inches, and it reclines. Under the hatch is a decent 28 cubic feet of cargo space, which means the Corsair can haul a full 10 cubes more stuff with its seats raised than a Lexus RX yet not quite as much as in an Acura RDX's 30-cubic-foot hold.

Keep It Simple

As with many new vehicles, though, the Lincoln Corsair's value quickly erodes as you pile on the extras. Most of the Corsairs intriguing features, including its more powerful engine, adaptive dampers, digital gauge cluster, and the phone-as-a-key system, are only available as options on Reserve models. For example, to get the 24-way seats requires a long list of additional tech, luxury, and active-safety items amounting to a $10,290 upcharge. The $59,660 asking price of our well-equipped 2.3-liter Reserve test car seems particularly egregious when a well-equipped and more engaging BMW X3 or Audi Q5 can be had for less. Merely competent on the road, the Lincoln Corsair's luxury proposition is most attractive when its order form is approached with modesty. Go crazy with the options and this Corsair will live up to its name and take your gold.



This is a really dumb article by Car And Driver. The very idea of a luxury badge means little value. If they want value, buy the Ford Escape.

mmarshall

Four things. First, I considered a Conti a several years ago when I reviewed one...it seemed a little too wide for my condo parking space and the shopping-center spaces I usually frequent. Second, I thought the 18" wheel Lacrosse offered as much or more comfort at a lower price. Third, if the Conti goes out of production (which is likely), depreciation is likely to be very steep....it will probably be high enough as it is. Fourth, even though I despise the way GM is being run at the top, my dealership, and, in particular, my usual Service Advisor has been nothing short of superb in the way I have been treated....far better than anything I ever experienced as a Lexus owner, with the IS300, and the supposed exemplary Lexus customer service. So, even if if GM's leadership is a bunch of morons, I still think my dealer deserves repeat customers. But, we'll see.

(Oh, and a fifth one.....I don't want to take the thread off-topic from the Corsair...I'll start a new thread when I'm really serious about my next car-shopping. In the meantime, my brother's GF is next, not me....now, it's time to help her with her needs)

jer

Went to our local Tampa Bay Auto Show yesterday and the Lincoln display was right next to the Lexus display. The Corsair and Aviator were generating a lot more attention than the NX/RX, this perhaps because they are new to market. The Corsair at first glance seems to have a lot going for it- comfortable and roomy up front, smart (in my opinion) styling, and having all the latest tech. Listening to people talk about the Lincolns was interesting, and if the show was any indication, it seems Lincoln finally has a couple of hits. The only thing that may hold them back is price, as unlike some of the other displays, no MSRP's were given but checking online the Corsair that was shown was a Reserve, so the MSRP would probably be between 51k & 59k. This puts it about 10k over an NX, but one will have to wait and see what kind of incentives Lincoln comes out with.

mmarshall

None of Lincoln's newest SUVs are cheap. But, notwithstanding the Aviator's QC problems, it also reflects the attention, materials, and detail put into them. I've said it before, and I'll repeat it.....this is clearly not the Lincoln of the past, with its crudely-redone Fords.



40s? They apparently forgot the famous (but slow-selling) Edsel Corsair of the late 1950s. The Edsels were a interesting concept, but Ford introduced them at the wrong time (in a recession), with too many competitors from GM and Chrysler, and even from Ford's own Mercurys.

Nope, try again, fellas...not even close. Apples and Oranges....even though they come from the same platform.

Quote:

LOWS: Operation feels uninvolved,

That's what's intended...Lincoln is not trying to pursue upscale German competitors in this category. The Corsair, as with most recent Lincolns, is aimed at a group that has been virtually ignored in the marketplace for too long...those who want traditional American bling and soft-riding luxury. Leave the canyon-carving Germans to the people who want them.


That's perhaps the Corsair's one significant flaw. Even though both of the turbo fours are no slouches, it should, IMO, come with a N/A V6, at least, as an option....as GM does with the Acadia.

Agreed. And the Ford Escape Titanium is a pretty nice product on its own merits, although, so far, I have only static-reviewed it, and not actually done a test-drive. I'd avoid the base Escape, though, unless a low budget or a smooth ride (from the high profile tires) is paramount.....it's too El Cheapo inside and out.

Toys4RJill

I would say the Lincoln Corsair is a cut above the Lexus NX. The design and interior seem to be much more appealing. While the NX has an excellent well put together interior, I think touch screens are more appealing and the design of the NX falters. I will say, I did not think the Corsair was all new, I thought it was just a rebadge of the previous MKC.

Nautilus and Aviator seem to me as superior to what Lexus has.

mmarshall

The NX, though, isn't really the best Lexus landmark SUV to compare to Lincoln rivals. Both the RX, and (yes, to an extent), the smaller UX have better road-manners and are more refined than the NX, though the UX is cramped inside and has some awkward console-controls.

Floyd91

That dash looks like a haven for dust to collect

bitkahuna

iTrader: (20)

The nx to me feels more like a toyota than a lexus. I like the exterior look for the most part, but the interior is just meh...

this corsair, provided they can launch it without issues, should do pretty well, although the price points do seem pretty high. I expect to see a few here in florida!

bagwell

sorry, no way I could go for the transmission buttons on that awkward looking stack sticking out......