The Lincoln Mark X (Mark Ten), debuted at the 2004 NAIAS, was an elegant luxury roadster built off of the Ford Thunderbird platform. It featured a power folding glass roof that would neatly stow in under 30 seconds without infringing upon the 15-cubic feet of leather lined trunk space. Behind that expansive chromed egg-crate grille was a 3.9L aluminum V8 channeling 280-hp and 286 lb-ft of torque through a 5-speed automatic to the rear wheels. Sadly, the Mark X wouldn’t make it past the show circuit and that awful cheese-grater grille found its way onto the 2006 Navigator and the 2007 MKX.
The Best F-150 Ever Isn’t Even A Ford
That’s right. The best F-150 you can buy wears a Lincoln badge, and, for some reason, is called the Mark LT. Actually, the Lincoln folks won’t like that statement, but we call ‘em as we see ‘em here. If it looks like an F-150, sounds like an F-150 and drives like an F-150, then logic would dictate it must be Ford’s bread-and-butter pickup. But logic doesn’t always find a home in the automobile business, and that’s why Lincoln can add a little chrome—ok, a lot of chrome—to an F-150, and charge a premium for it. Neglecting the fact that you and I both know this is little more than a trim level on the work-a-day F-150, how did Lincoln’s second attempt to crack the luxury truck code turnout? Read on for that answer. Read more…
The Fusion Is Good, Are The Milan and Zephyr Better?
We have driven the Ford Fusion and formed a generally positive opinion about its fresh styling, 6-speed automatic and surprisingly good road manners. It’s a competitive car at its price point and they’ve been selling well-a rare piece of good news at Ford lately. Because we liked the base model so much, we skeptically asked ourselves why people would want to pay more for the Mercury or Lincoln version of the same car. We ordered up a sample of each and gave each car a week to convince us why it’s worth the premium. Read more…
A 2004 Lincoln Aviator rests in front of a Northern Michigan harbor.
All Aboard, This Ship is Pulling Out
So what is the Aviator, a 7/8ths Navigator, or a rebadged Mercury Mountaineer/Ford Explorer? Well, about a year ago we took a Mercury Mountaineer to the northern part of Michigan’s mitten for a long weekend camping to determine its place in the stable. With that in mind, one can easily see we’re long overdue for an extensive jaunt across country. With that we packed up our gear, pointed the baby Nav north and gave it some gas. Destination: North Manitou Island, for a long weekend of driving, photographing, logbooking, swatting mosquitoes, and sleeping upon a fairly lumpy piece of good ole terra firma. Read more…
Production Vehicles Dominate Day Two
Yesterday was the time for automakers to show off their visions for the future, today was about this years’ new production vehicles. Read more…
Categories: Auto Shows Tags: 2004, Auto, Chrysler, Detroit, Ferrari, Gallery, Land Rover, Lincoln, NAIAS, Pontiac, Show
Comfort And Utility In Near Perfect Harmony
In 1997 Lincoln made its best decision in several decades by debuting a leather-lined, dripping-with-chrome version of the Ford Expedition. Lincoln’s marketers called it the Navigator and their bean counters called it the cash cow. Buyers flocked to their local Lincoln showrooms and happily forked over piles of cash for the chance to drive the biggest—and only—luxury sport utility vehicle on the road. Fast forward to 2003 when seemingly every manufacturer offers a luxury SUV, nearly all of which had eclipsed the first generation Navigator in both content and power. What’s a manufacturer to do? Raise the bar in every area, of course; and that’s precisely what Lincoln has done with the 2003 Navigator. Read more…
Judging from the new LS sedan, Lincoln learned something simple but profound.
A new generation of Americans wants to buy American luxury cars that don’t feel American. Rather than the stereotypical marshmallowy, boat-like feel of big Lincolns and Cadillacs, they want cars that feel European — tight, fast and precise.
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