2009 Lincoln MKS

[Kitdy]

From Autoblog:

For the past two decades, the only thing consistent about Ford's Lincoln division has been its inconsistency. To put it lightly, the brand has struggled to find it's place in the automotive landscape. The vehicles from Ford's premium domestic division haven't had a coherent look since the early '80s. Several of its models, such as the LS and the Navigator, have sold well at times, but the absence of a Lincoln DNA hasn't helped. In 2006, North American Design chief Peter Horbury set about changing all that. He gave his team the task of examining past Lincolns to determine what set them apart.

The first new model intended to set Lincoln on it's path to rebirth is the 2009 MKS, which is making its debut in production form at the LA Auto Show later today. The MKS first appeared as a concept at the 2006 Detroit Auto Show. It's based on the same platform as the Ford 500/Taurus, which originated at Volvo under the S80/XC90. When the concept first appeared it was reasonably well received as a pleasant if not daring design for the marque. Subsequently, Horbury's team began its quest for the soul of Lincoln and came up with a list of seven elements that would be part of future Lincoln designs. Most of these appeared on the 2007 MKR concept that we saw in Detroit. While most of the MKS was already locked in for production, after the show Ford management made the decision to adopt one of most prominent elements from the new MKR concept, its grille.

I think it looks not quite as good as it did in concept form, but better than the MKR concept from earlier this year. Next post has the concept. Is there anyway this post can be copied to the high-res hideout? I think the images are high-res enough.

[Kitdy]

As promised, the concept is #1 and the MKR concept is the rest.

[NicFromLA]

Oooo. A split grill. That's so clever. I wonder why nobody has done that before.

The problem isn't styling (although it has been very inconsistant), its brand image. Nobody really knows what a Lincoln is, except not a Caddy; and most people I know would rather drive a VW than a Caddy.What Lincoln needs to do is figure out what they are (not what they'd like to be or what they think they are), and create a series of ads to tell people. And by the way, a company that uses split grills is not the answer.

[Fiorano]

right you are Nic, this is true for many companies..
who is runnign these places? because if i lost 100 dollars at work i'd be fired, never mind billions

[fisetdavid26]

What about removing the low res pictures and moving this thread to the hide-out?

I've never been fond of Lincoln and this one is not an exception. Nic is absolutely right, Lincoln don't know where they're going.

[NSXType-R]

Still extremely ugly. Still caters to 80 year olds. Still a massive FAIL.

[bruxell]

QUOTE=NicFromLA;761973]Oooo. A split grill. That's so clever. I wonder why nobody has done that before.[/quote]

Do you on any level realize that the split-grill is a subtle homage to the original continental???

Originally Posted by NSXType-R

Still extremely ugly. Still caters to 80 year olds. Still a massive FAIL.

I’m gonna go ahead and disagree with you here. For one, ugly or not, I don’t think it’s extremely anything. It’s quiet, and understated. And I actually think it caters to say, 45-60 year olds, who are over the whole mid-life crisis, and don’t need something as razor edged as the CTS.
I think Lincoln, rather like Jaguar, know exactly who they are, it’s just not what many people want. They need to figure out how to be that, or maybe admit that they just can’t. I honestly think they’ve been doing a fine job in terms of styling the last couple of years. It’s the power trains, suspensions, and interiors they need to work on.

[092326001]

hideous
lincoln=fords except possibly uglier

[NSXType-R]

Originally Posted by bruxell

QUOTE=NicFromLA;761973]Oooo. A split grill. That's so clever. I wonder why nobody has done that before.

I’m gonna go ahead and disagree with you here. For one, ugly or not, I don’t think it’s extremely anything. It’s quiet, and understated. And I actually think it caters to say, 45-60 year olds, who are over the whole mid-life crisis, and don’t need something as razor edged as the CTS.
I think Lincoln, rather like Jaguar, know exactly who they are, it’s just not what many people want. They need to figure out how to be that, or maybe admit that they just can’t. I honestly think they’ve been doing a fine job in terms of styling the last couple of years. It’s the power trains, suspensions, and interiors they need to work on.[/quote]

True, I might have overstated the "caters to 80 year olds" (that's Buick's job), but if it had been a good car in the first place, the Ford 500/Taurus would have sold better, they would not have needed to change the name so quickly and refresh it just as quickly as well. That carries over to the Lincoln MKS as well. If it had been good enough as it is, then they wouldn't need to change it so quickly.

[bruxell]

Originally Posted by NSXType-R

True, I might have overstated the "caters to 80 year olds" (that's Buick's job), but if it had been a good car in the first place, the Ford 500/Taurus would have sold better, they would not have needed to change the name so quickly and refresh it just as quickly as well. That carries over to the Lincoln MKS as well. If it had been good enough as it is, then they wouldn't need to change it so quickly.

Good enough how? These are really pretty good cars. They aren't exciting cars, but they're not bad at what they do. They have good space, are pretty cheap, have reasonable power, and return reasonable economy. The MKS isn't a sports-sedan in the sense of a 3-series, it's just a sedan.

And I thought the last one actually looked a little sharper...

EIT: Would you say that the Mitsu Evo III-VI were bad cars? We got a new one almost every year...

[NicFromLA]

Originally Posted by NSXType-R

Do you on any level realize that the split-grill is a subtle homage to the original continental???

No, I didn't realize. And the fact that I had to be reminded means almost none of their customers are going to get it. My first thought was that they're going for BMW and they ended up with Pontiac, which is the worst thing that could happen.

[bruxell]

Originally Posted by NicFromLA

No, I didn't realize. And the fact that I had to be reminded means almost none of their customers are going to get it. My first thought was that they're going for BMW and they ended up with Pontiac, which is the worst thing that could happen.

You own an M6! The fact that you had to be reminded means absolutely nothing. You, are not in any way a Lincoln customer. Nor are you the type they'll go after if they do succeed in shifting their market perception. Lincoln is NEVER going to compete with BMW in that market. They have never really had a motorsports program. A lot of people though DO remember, or at least know about those cars, and like a little bit of heritage. Did you know that the kidney grills on your M6 started on the 328???

[Kitdy]

Originally Posted by NicFromLA

My first thought was that they're going for BMW and they ended up with Pontiac, which is the worst thing that could happen.

Well put. You seem to deride Pontiac on a level similar to I. I appreciate the hatin'.

If only they made the MKS grill a unigrill like the concept MKS.

Anyways, I think the MKS looks interesting regardless.

[culver]

Originally Posted by NicFromLA

No, I didn't realize. And the fact that I had to be reminded means almost none of their customers are going to get it. My first thought was that they're going for BMW and they ended up with Pontiac, which is the worst thing that could happen.

Even worse, BMW went for the 90's Pontiac look... and succeeded.

Actually, I like the interior. I think it looks good and on par with the luxury competition without looking like it's a copy of the competition. As good as the LS might have been, you couldn't help but look at it and think last gen BMW 5 series.

What actually impresses me the most is how much of this car's interior really is just reusing Ford parts bin parts. The gauges (not the graphics but the cluster guts), the wheel, the window, mirror and light switches are all parts found in cars like the Taurus/500 yet I really think they work in this car. They don't detract from the higher end look.

I do agree with the "what is this car going for" comments. I don't expect it to hit the sporty sedan market like Caddy is going for and BMW, Audi, and Infinity play in. It's kind of like a Volvo. A safe, nice, luxury without being flashy type car. I suspect it will actually be a very nice car but I can't see it getting the blood boiling. At the same time, as good as Ford reliability has become, they don't have that "Toyota" reliability that brings people who want transportation toasters into the show room. It's not the Lexus/Camry "safe" bet car but it also isn't the techno-sports sedan. As such I can see it having trouble in the market. Hopefully Ford will keep supply low so prices don't fall.

PS: Here are some higher resolution pictures:
My Photo Gallery - 2009 Lincoln MKS - Powered by PhotoPost

[bruxell]

Wow! The interior is a huge improvement over the last car. It looks like a nice place to spend time.