S550 based Lincoln?

[likeaboss]

Agreed. And that is really sad because "Lincoln" used to mean something -- and that something was a lot more than "Cadillac" meant...

The first thing they could do is go back to the classic names instead of MK everything. Of course that move to a classic names should come with a brand new product.

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[Wild Stang]

Agreed. And that is really sad because "Lincoln" used to mean something -- and that something was a lot more than "Cadillac" meant...

I think the 2003-2006 Lincoln Navigator was one of the best looking SUVs of its time. However, it seems it's been downhill for the entire brand since. I hope Ford can and will do a successful reset.

 

[rb336]

I thought the MKC was gorgeous when I saw it at NAIAS last year

 

[Wild Stang]

I thought the MKC was gorgeous when I saw it at NAIAS last year

I agree, it's nice. But still, does practically every Lincoln need to have a uni-taillight? I will admit the MKC has the best looking uni-taillight I've seen from Lincoln.

 

[Dirk McGurck]

And then there's the MKT. Good god, who greenlit that one?

 

[crysalis_01]

Honestly, I'm looking forward to an S550 Lincoln offering. People often forget its been over a decade since Cadillac started their "rebranding" to essentially become an American BMW. And even now with the 3rd gen CTS and ATS even in V trim are only just now beginning to be a "blip" on the radar of being taken seriously in the Lux world. Lincoln has a LONG path ahead. But MKZ and MKC are great first steps. One also has to remember that Lincoln isn't trying to complete tit-for-tat with Cadillac and BMW. They seen to be targeting the other side of the Lux market (think Lexus). Mostly tech and comfort oriented with a sprinkle of performance thrown in for good measure.

A LWB sport sedan, or 4-door coupe powered either by a gen2 EB5.0 or the rumoured "Voodoo" FPC 5.2L would be exactly what Id like to see. And with LMC's leaning toward an Audi like AWD preference with all of their new products, this may be the one way to get a hold of a RWD-bias AWD "Mustang". A MKR or Mark IX will definitely be a great stablemate for my Terminator.

To the naming scheme one has to remember that the lion's share of the lux market use alphanumeric naming. Its easier for many reasons. One being that its hard to find names that aren't trademarked already and that some names don't necessarily translate well in a car sold world wide. So, we're stuck with the MK_ theme for now. I'd love to see Aviator and Continental return, but there just aren't many other to go alongside those.

 

[SStormtrooPer]

To me it seems a waste to produce the same car under different name plates. That's the 60s-90s approach to car manufacturing. People that recognize Buick and Lincoln are dwindling. Ditching Mercury was a smart move.

Simplify it all, trim the fat, and stop stealing and confusing your own customers.

I don't know -- if Lincoln existed on the level it was intended for it to exist, Ford wouldn't be stealing or confusing is customers. They would be taking BMW, Cadillac, MB, and Audi customers, etc.

They just need to differentiate the brands -- Cadillac did very well with that for a while, though I will say, platform whoring will be caddy's downfall. This is where I agree with you -- I don't think Ford CAN differentiate enough... they don't have the right people in place to recreate the brand. Creativity is just lacking. And that being the case, it may just have to go away.

 

[Brew_WY]

I'd love to see Aviator and Continental return, but there just aren't many other to go alongside those.

I would love to wind up with a 62-63 Continental sedan someday. I always thought that car was amazing. Of course I would have to put my own twist on it and probably put a 5.9 Cummins in it and slap some air bags on it.

 

[Trackaholic]

Platform sharing is a good thing if done correctly, as it reduces cost, and potentially improves performance because more money can be spent on optimizing the platform because it will be shared over so many vehicles. For example, the upcoming Camaro will share a platform with the ATS, but the two cars will be nothing alike.

Volvo is headed down the path to have a single platform for all their vehicles (it will be interesting to see how that turns out).

I think Ford and Lincoln could share the Mustang's platform, and end up with vastly different cars.

Some ideas: The Mustang is currently a 2+2, so Lincoln could go for a true sports GT (like the Vette), with only two seats. Keep the wheelbase as-is, but shorten the rear overhang, eliminate the rear seat area, move the front seats further back, move the firewall and engine further back (maybe that's too much of a change?), and reduce the front overhang. Give the car the EB3.5 tuned to 400ish HP and work on a very elegant interior and exterior design.

Another option would be to lengthen the wheelbase a bit, keep the 2+2 arrangement, but give the rear seats a bit more room. This option probably fits the Lincoln product line a bit better, but I think Lincoln really needs to change and the first option may be crazy enough to get people to think of Lincoln in a different light.

Either way, the lame front grille needs to change.

Lincoln definitely has a long road ahead. Sad to see how far they have fallen since the excellent driving (but not very reliable) Lincoln LS. If they had continued improving that car, who knows where they'd be today.

-T

 

[Falc'man]

Honestly, I'm looking forward to an S550 Lincoln offering. People often forget its been over a decade since Cadillac started their "rebranding" to essentially become an American BMW. And even now with the 3rd gen CTS and ATS even in V trim are only just now beginning to be a "blip" on the radar of being taken seriously in the Lux world. Lincoln has a LONG path ahead. But MKZ and MKC are great first steps. One also has to remember that Lincoln isn't trying to complete tit-for-tat with Cadillac and BMW. They seen to be targeting the other side of the Lux market (think Lexus). Mostly tech and comfort oriented with a sprinkle of performance thrown in for good measure.

A LWB sport sedan, or 4-door coupe powered either by a gen2 EB5.0 or the rumoured "Voodoo" FPC 5.2L would be exactly what Id like to see. And with LMC's leaning toward an Audi like AWD preference with all of their new products, this may be the one way to get a hold of a RWD-bias AWD "Mustang". A MKR or Mark IX will definitely be a great stablemate for my Terminator.

To the naming scheme one has to remember that the lion's share of the lux market use alphanumeric naming. Its easier for many reasons. One being that its hard to find names that aren't trademarked already and that some names don't necessarily translate well in a car sold world wide. So, we're stuck with the MK_ theme for now. I'd love to see Aviator and Continental return, but there just aren't many other to go alongside those.

Good post.
The MKZ was supposed to be the "start" but Max Wolff came in at the 11th hour of it's design. He made a few tweaks but that's it. The MKC we can say is the first fully "Maxxed" Lincoln. I'm impressed with it's interior and if this is "just" the baby SUV then I can't wait to see what the larger SUVs and MKS get.

There was a report that the Navigator will get the 5.0 Ecoboost. Forget the FPC, it's not happening. I think "Voodoo" would be to highly strung for Lincoln-type coupe - which is said to be on it's way - but who knows.

No word on if a sedan will get the go-ahead but, as with anything with "One Ford", there should be at least a few vehicles spawned from the one platform. It'll be a long wait though.

AWD off S550? We won't know until Ford fully reveal the capabilities of this platform. I hope I'm wrong but I bet it won't be happening because CD4+3 is getting a trick RWD-biased AWD system, designed to take a lot more twist than what the current system's capable of. East-West mount says no to V8 though but next gen 3.5 Ecoboost isn't going to flog everything anyway.

 

[HanShadow]

Lincoln's latest efforts have been interesting, but honestly, I have never met anyone, ever, that has either bought or even discussed buying a Lincoln. Ever. I think they have a long road ahead...

 

[13GTCSMustang]

Really? Never met anyone that even thought of buying a Lincoln? That's suprising to me. Years ago, Lincoln had some pretty sweet cars like the Mustang engine based Mark VII and the Cobra engine based Mark VIII. I bought a new 1998 Mark VIII LSC that was a sweet ride, almost identical to the Red one in the pics above. Great power, great ride and 27 MPG on the road. I'd love to see Lincoln bring back the Mark.

 

[moodster]

I bought a 2013 MKS 3.5 Ecoboost in 2012.
It's my summer car as I park my Raptor most of the summer.Its a very nice car,power is great,interior is a little boring but very plush.
Seats message your ass and car gets good mpg for the size and weight.
Taken it on a few trips to DC for meetings and got 29.9 mpg round trip.Back and forth to work it gets 23.
I am already am looking forward to what Ford and Lincoln have planned for the s550.

 

[Dirk McGurck]

Really? Never met anyone that even thought of buying a Lincoln? That's suprising to me. Years ago, Lincoln had some pretty sweet cars like the Mustang engine based Mark VII and the Cobra engine based Mark VIII. I bought a new 1998 Mark VIII LSC that was a sweet ride, almost identical to the Red one in the pics above. Great power, great ride and 27 MPG on the road. I'd love to see Lincoln bring back the Mark.

You're talking almost 20 years ago.

 

[cjstangman]

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