BARUTH: Don’t look now, but while Cadillac was busy setting Nurburgring lap times, Lincoln was busy building the first true-blue new American luxury sedan in perhaps two decades. I had the pleasure of driving the MKS more than five hundred miles on Thanksgiving Day, and it was just that — a pleasure. The nearly perfect seats, the fantastic Bluetooth integration, the SYNC 2.0, and the traffic-sensing cruise control that lets you relax and set the big Lincoln to run at a quiet 90mph between clumps of left-lane bandits… just plain fantastic. But do we want to talk about how it looks?
LEVY: You’ve summed it up in one very short paragraph, but I’m sure we can get deeper. As far as how it looks, are you inferring that you don’t like? Personally I do. I remember on the press launch in Washington DC, seeing the cars on the dealer lot all lined up–not so hot! On the road coming at you or filling a rear view mirror–definitely looking good. The new signature Lincoln double grill inspired by coach built Lincolns of the late thirties, when Lincoln was a real big deal, lends both class and some menace too. There’s a presence. Sure she’s a little heavy in the butt, and aside from a Maserati Q’porte pretty much every sedan looks the same from side today, but this mid-Linc definitely looks money and stands out some. But go for the optional polished dubs—the twenty inch wheel option. And they don’t even mess with the ride. How about inside, Jack?
BARUTH: Well, I can tell you what I don’t like: the plastic on the center console and shifter surround is lousy. The rest is pretty damned good with particular high marks going to the optional wood-and-chrome trim that sweeps from door to door in a manner that wouldn’t disgrace a Bentley. Like the other vehicles on the Ford D3 platform, the seats are nice and high, with good forward visibility. The driver has plenty of room to stretch out, which isn’t always the case in the $40-50K luxury segment. There’s a strong sense of Range Rover to the proportions and detailing, which shows that Ford got something for their money when they rescued that brand. What I particularly like, however, is the overall technology-centric feel of the MKS from the inside. Black leather, chrome, dark wood. Its very 1963 Continental, very future-facing. Which leads us to Sync 2.0…
LEVY: You still haven’t told us if you like the outside, Jack. But, yes, Sync 2.0… not much more to say other than it simply is the best integrated audio, navigation and information system currently on sale in a vehicle today. It is very easy to get started using even for the non technophile—my brother’s wife has it in her Flex and she’s actually stopped calling him every time she needs directions. There is a whole host of information available via satellite including sports scores, movie times and weather details—seemingly irrelevant, but once you start using, not. There are even weather radar maps–not so useful in always sunny Cali but we tracked a storm front when we were returning to Georgetown from the wilds of Virginia and managed to outrun it. Then there’s the whole THX DVD surround sound experience. I sat in on a demo using Star Wars Episode 3. This is reason enough to buy an MKS–kick out the windshield, throw a 65 inch plasma on the back wall of the garage and use as a home theatre. You don’t need to read the manual to get up and running with the Sync system, but you’re probably missing out if you don’t. Any more thoughts before we shift gears to the powertrain?
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