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2009 Lincoln MKS Unleashed


suv_guy_19

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This new MKS looks pretty good to me... but there is no way that this vehicle is a true replacement for the Town Car like they are saying in the media. Nor is this vehicle in any way a real flagship model... not for a luxury brand anyway.

 

A $38,000 FWD/AWD V6 car as a "flagship" for a luxury brand?

 

Are they on drugs?

 

The styling isn't bad... looks okay to me. As for the powertrain... the biggest problem with the 3.7 V6 is the new Direct Injection 3.6L V6 that produces 300HP that GM is rolling out in their Cadilacs... let alone the newest V6 engines in the latest Lexus, Infinity, BMW, Audi, and Mercedes models.

 

Yeah, the twinforce is around the corner... but does twinforce beat the Corvette-engined CTS-V? Hell, BMW is putting V8 engines in their top 3 series models for crying out loud.

 

Yes, MKS looks like a good car. But Lincoln needs a GREAT car... something that is AS GOOD or BETTER than the competition.

 

Instead we're getting more of the 'almost as good, but look at the great bang for the buck' nonsense that is killing the Lincoln brand prestige (assuming it still has any prestige).

 

The 'cheap luxury' and 'airport limo' market is something that should be served by the Mercury brand.

 

The MKS would be far better as a Mercury than a Lincoln.... and then have a Lincoln version that has specs that are second to nobody.

 

The MKS is far too low end to be the 'flagship' of a luxury brand.

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Overall I'm VERY impressed.

 

LIKES:

 

Exterior styling.... I even like the tail lights everybody is griping about -- and looking at some of the Autoblog high-res photos up now, they definitely appear to be LED.

 

Interior styling.... They could have done a little better with the matte surface on the center console, but the close-up high-res pictures of the buttons and switchgear look absolutely top-notch. There's also leather EVERYWHERE - on the dash, on the door pulls, on the armrests - good stuff.

 

Badging..... I like the revamped Lincoln badge. They gave it a pretty cool 3-D appearance that makes it look a lot more modern.

 

Features..... Standard HID's! Hooray! Keyless entry (although the key fob itself with the removable valet key looks pretty cheap and prone to losing/breaking), THX stereo, Voice navigation, forward and reverse sensors, reverse camera, adaptive cruise control, SYNC, rain-sensing wipers -- this thing appears to be able to go feature-for-feature with damn near any luxury car on the market.

 

Keyless entry pad..... I needed to list this one separately. They way they have seemlessly blended the keypad into the B-pillar is absolutely top-notch and EXACTLY the design I was hoping for. It entirely DISAPPEARS when not in use and only illuminates when you touch it. Bravo Ford!

 

Manually-selectable transmission..... Not sure how useful it really is or how well it works, but it's the price of entry these days. Ford needs this on damn near every model they make.

 

DISLIKES:

 

Engine..... 270 HP? They can't be serious. UGH!!!! This thing is going to get reamed for the horsepower alone, which is a shame because the rest of the vehicle looks absolutely fantastic! At least that Twin-Force is coming within a year of launch.

 

Standard Front-Wheel Drive.... NOOOOOO!!!! AWD needs to be STANDARD on this thing, just for the cachet alone.

 

Center stack controls.... While they look nice up close and appear to be of high quality, can't Ford do anything BESIDES rectangular buttons of identical shape and size? You can throw some pizazz into the design without reducing ease of use.

 

Wood dash trim..... It looked rather half-assed in the spy photos and it looks rather half-assed in final execution. They could have done something a little more interesting than just slap a straight strip of wood across the dash. I'm glad they didn't go overboard with wood accents, but they could have done more than this.

 

That's about it.

 

I will give this one a 4 out of 5. 4.5 out of 5 once the Twin Force arrives.

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On the Build your MKS site if you click on safety it mentions -- "S.O.S. Post Crash Alert system" What is this? It is a Telematics system, Telematics that uses Sync system, or just a system that unlocks the doors and turns on the emergency flashers after an accident. I don't see it mentioned anywhere else on the press release.

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I'm going to guess the HP numbers are conservative, per Ford's past practice with new engines (recall the 3.5 was quoted as having 250hp, and came to market with 265 & 263). The 3.7 may end up coming out with hp figures closer to 280 on regular tune, which is doggone respectable--if there's a premium tune that adds 10-15 hp.

Edited by RichardJensen
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This new MKS looks pretty good to me... but there is no way that this vehicle is a true replacement for the Town Car like they are saying in the media. Nor is this vehicle in any way a real flagship model... not for a luxury brand anyway.

 

Anyone who thinks this is Lincoln's flagship or a replacement for the Town Car is an idiot. That's coming down the road on the new Huntsman RWD platform.

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It appears that you can rack the price up to $48k (sunroof and ultimate package).

 

By contrast, the entry point for the smaller Mercedes E-350 is $50k, and at that price you get a 268hp V6, and a few thousand in options required to fit your E-class up to MKS spec: http://autos.yahoo.com/mercedes_benz_e_cla..._sedan-options/

 

The BMW 5-Series which is also smaller, starts at $45k for the 230hp model; and at that price you have to add a few thousand in options to get to the MKS level--and then you've got a car that gives up 40hp or so. http://autos.yahoo.com/bmw_5_series_528i_sedan-options/

Edited by RichardJensen
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It appears that you can rack the price up to $48k (sunroof and ultimate package).

 

By contrast, the entry point for the smaller Mercedes E-350 is $50k, and at that price you get a 268hp V6, and a few thousand in options required to fit your E-class up to MKS spec: http://autos.yahoo.com/mercedes_benz_e_cla..._sedan-options/

 

The BMW 5-Series which is also smaller, starts at $45k for the 230hp model; and at that price you have to add a few thousand in options to get to the MKS level--and then you've got a car that gives up 40hp or so. http://autos.yahoo.com/bmw_5_series_528i_sedan-options/

 

 

Shame on you Richard. were you building the competitions cars?

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Rich, coke bottle profile usually refers to the 60's styling, featuring a pronounced rise of contour in the rear quarter over the rear wheel. Think Mustang up through 73, Charger up through 74...... It's a styling tool I really like and would like to see return some day.

Right. Problem is choosing to use the word 'profile', as I was referring to the Continental, Probe, Taurus, Mark VIII, and Windstar's sheetmetal being stamped to resemble the profile of an upright coke bottle, as opposed to one laying flat on its side.

 

image010.jpg

 

lincoln_continental.jpg

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Right. Problem is choosing to use the word 'profile', as I was referring to the Continental, Probe, Taurus, Mark VIII, and Windstar's sheetmetal being stamped to resemble the profile of an upright coke bottle, as opposed to one laying flat on its side.

 

image010.jpg

 

lincoln_continental.jpg

 

 

10-4

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Right. Problem is choosing to use the word 'profile', as I was referring to the Continental, Probe, Taurus, Mark VIII, and Windstar's sheetmetal being stamped to resemble the profile of an upright coke bottle, as opposed to one laying flat on its side.

 

image010.jpg

 

lincoln_continental.jpg

 

Don't forget the 94-98 Mustangs! Doesn't get much more Coke bottle than that - both upright and on its side.

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It appears that you can rack the price up to $48k (sunroof and ultimate package).

 

By contrast, the entry point for the smaller Mercedes E-350 is $50k, and at that price you get a 268hp V6, and a few thousand in options required to fit your E-class up to MKS spec: http://autos.yahoo.com/mercedes_benz_e_cla..._sedan-options/

 

The BMW 5-Series which is also smaller, starts at $45k for the 230hp model; and at that price you have to add a few thousand in options to get to the MKS level--and then you've got a car that gives up 40hp or so. http://autos.yahoo.com/bmw_5_series_528i_sedan-options/

 

Yes, these two examples have less 'bang for the buck'... yet they still sell. Now why is that? Maybe because these BMW and Mercedes models aren't anywhere near top of the line for these brands. Yet for Lincoln, the MKS is billed as the "Flagship".

 

That's the problem.

 

Also, the engine series in the E-class Mercedes was new in 2004. There is an updated DI version of that engine in the CLS350 CGI, which produces 292 hp. No doubt that this updated version of the engine will spread throughout the Mercedes lineup.

 

The engine in the BMW you cited isn't the most current version of that engine series... the 260HP version in the X3 and X5 is. And that engine is already being replaced in BMW's lineup with a newer DI 6 cyl engine that is just coming out on Euro models.

 

But that's only two of the competition... and they are already coming out with updated designs that will make Lincoln's "Flagship" powertrain bottom of the pack *again* over the next 2 years or so if Ford/Lincoln does nothing.

 

I want Ford and Lincoln to be successful.

 

I just don't see that happening if Ford lets the media call the MKS the Flagship model for Lincoln.

 

In my opinion, Lincoln has no flagship model and hasn't had one for years.

 

Yes I think the MKS will sell... but what I mean by 'successfull' is that Lincoln will have stuff that sells... and they don't need to rely on 'bang for the buck' to make it sell.

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Yes, these two examples have less 'bang for the buck'... yet they still sell. Now why is that? Maybe because these BMW and Mercedes models aren't anywhere near top of the line for these brands. Yet for Lincoln, the MKS is billed as the "Flagship".

 

That's the problem.

 

Also, the engine series in the E-class Mercedes was new in 2004. There is an updated DI version of that engine in the CLS350 CGI, which produces 292 hp. No doubt that this updated version of the engine will spread throughout the Mercedes lineup.

 

The engine in the BMW you cited isn't the most current version of that engine series... the 260HP version in the X3 and X5 is. And that engine is already being replaced in BMW's lineup with a newer DI 6 cyl engine that is just coming out on Euro models.

 

But that's only two of the competition... and they are already coming out with updated designs that will make Lincoln's "Flagship" powertrain bottom of the pack *again* over the next 2 years or so if Ford/Lincoln does nothing.

 

I want Ford and Lincoln to be successful.

 

I just don't see that happening if Ford lets the media call the MKS the Flagship model for Lincoln.

 

In my opinion, Lincoln has no flagship model and hasn't had one for years.

 

Yes I think the MKS will sell... but what I mean by 'successfull' is that Lincoln will have stuff that sells... and they don't need to rely on 'bang for the buck' to make it sell.

1) Regardless of what is coming in the future for the E-Class & 5-Series, that's what they have now.

 

In the future, Ford is putting a DI TT V6 on the MKS, but if we're going to discount that, we should discount what MB & BMW are bringing out in the future (per Ford's PR, the "Twin Force" will be here 'less than a year after launch').

 

2) Size- The E-Class & 5-Series are smaller than the Taurus which is smaller than the MKS. Granted, size isn't -everything- but for a lot of luxury buyers it is pretty important.

 

3) "Bang for the Buck" Lincoln has been about 'bang for the buck' ever since the '55 Mark II offered a package that was in many ways more impressive than a Rolls Royce for a lot less. The '61 Continental -also- carried a discount compared to the big Benzes and Rolls Royces.

 

The MK VII & MK VIII were 'bang for the buck' models as well.

 

One should not assert the existence of halcyon former days when the sun was always shining, it was always summer, and Lincoln vehicles were the best in the world.

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Yes, these two examples have less 'bang for the buck'... yet they still sell. Now why is that? Maybe because these BMW and Mercedes models aren't anywhere near top of the line for these brands. Yet for Lincoln, the MKS is billed as the "Flagship".

 

That's the problem.

 

Also, the engine series in the E-class Mercedes was new in 2004. There is an updated DI version of that engine in the CLS350 CGI, which produces 292 hp. No doubt that this updated version of the engine will spread throughout the Mercedes lineup.

 

The engine in the BMW you cited isn't the most current version of that engine series... the 260HP version in the X3 and X5 is. And that engine is already being replaced in BMW's lineup with a newer DI 6 cyl engine that is just coming out on Euro models.

 

 

How can the MKS be bottom of the pack, when M-B nor BMW has rolled out anything stateside with regards to the engines mentioned above. The revamped nomenclature is as follows: 528i, 535i and 550i, which were revised this year. I don't see BMW changing that all of a sudden in the next 2 years.

 

We did not receive the new MB 3.5 until the 2006 MY. The same engine was shoved in the new C Class, which itself is down on power in its class. We have yet to receive a V-6 CLS stateside, our base is a V-8.

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There shouldn't be any structural issues with putting a sheet of glass on the roof a la the Edge & MKX Vista Roof.

 

I think it's cost. There are a lot of goodies inside the MKS, so sacrificing a bit of oooooh on the outside is fine by me.

 

Doesn't this moonroof tuck in underneath the rear vs deploying over the rear as the Vista Roof does?

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Anyone who thinks this is Lincoln's flagship or a replacement for the Town Car is an idiot. That's coming down the road on the new Huntsman RWD platform.

 

Yeah... so who was the idiot that drafted the press release that says in bold letters "The New Lincoln Flagship: A Strong Contender in the Luxury Sedan Segment"?

 

And who were the idiots that approved that wording in the press release?

Edited by peterstern
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Doesn't this moonroof tuck in underneath the rear vs deploying over the rear as the Vista Roof does?

I would think tuck under would create a pinch hazard.

 

---

 

Also as to the MKS being the Lincoln flagship....

 

 

Yeeeeesh.

 

Must we be so literal. What? Are we going to insist now that only Lincolns with fleet admiral's quarters qualify as 'flag ships'?

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I would think tuck under would create a pinch hazard.

 

---

 

Also as to the MKS being the Lincoln flagship....

Yeeeeesh.

 

Must we be so literal. What? Are we going to insist now that only Lincolns with fleet admiral's quarters qualify as 'flag ships'?

 

No, they have to BOF, RWD and have less than 250 HP. :hysterical:

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I would think tuck under would create a pinch hazard.

 

---

 

Also as to the MKS being the Lincoln flagship....

Yeeeeesh.

 

Must we be so literal. What? Are we going to insist now that only Lincolns with fleet admiral's quarters qualify as 'flag ships'?

 

Come to think of it, isn't Cadillacs flag ship a hard top convertible?

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