LINCOLN’S CONTINENTAL COMEBACK
Storied sedan ratchets up the luxury
Lincoln, Ford Motor Co.’s luxury brand, reintroduces its full-sized Continental after a 15-year hiatus from the market. The big sedan with Bentley and Mercedes-Benz design cues has a fresh look that is difficult to recognize as a Lincoln with its swept-back profile and sleek, rounded corners.
The Continental, first designed in 1939 as a personal vehicle for Ford president Edsel Ford, has seen many variations in its storied history. Those models have included giant fenders, large amounts of chrome, hood ornaments, automatic headlamp lids — and a four-door convertible Continental that President Kennedy was aboard when shots rang out in Dallas.
While luxury and styling over handling has been a consistent theme throughout the large Lincoln’s evolution, designers addressed the notion with the new Continental adding the option of all-wheeldrive along with driverselectable steering and suspension adjustments. Despite the efforts, driving enthusiasts are guaranteed disappointment with the 2017 Continental, but those looking for an ultracomfortable ride will be delighted. I can’t recall any
rough roads, frost heaves or pothole jolts during a weeklong evaluation.
A base-model Continental with front-wheel-drive starts at a little over $45G. My tester with the Reserve trim level that included a $5,000 luxury package complete with driver and front passenger seat massage, topped out at more than $70,000. Additionally, front seat comfort is assured with 30 ways of adjustment. The Continental also has three zone climate controls. Black leather upholstery was top-notch, contrasted by wood paneling along the center console, dashboard and steering wheel. Both front and rear seating was spacious; trunk space was decent and included splitfolding rear seats.
Lincoln offers the Continental with three V6 engine choices, I had the 3.0-liter, twin-turbocharged engine that produces 400 horsepower and 400 lb.-ft. of torque that provided the fullsized sedan with a smooth, responsive and quiet flow of power. A six-speed transmission was controlled with a unique set of buttons mounted beside the multimedia screen on the center console as well as steering-wheel-mounted paddles. I averaged 21 mpg during my week of mainly trups on the Mass Pike with some city driving. Parallel parking the Lincoln was hassle-free with an active park assist feature that provides hands-free maneuvering into tight parking spaces.
The new Continental features a variety of technologies including adaptive cruise control, a 360-degree camera system to allow the driver to see around the car when in reverse, as well as radar and camera technology that scans the road to prevent collisions and detect nearby pedestrians. The intuitive technologies keep the luxury sedan on par with not only Cadillac and European car markers, but also Acura, Lexus, Infiniti and Hyundai.
It’s great to see one of the oldest luxury car models back on the market. The Lincoln Continental is immense by today’s standards and the sedan handled better than expected. The addition of all-wheel drive not only makes the Continental a worthy choice for the New England driver, but it also provides a lifeline to sedans in general as they continue to lose market share to crossovers and SUVs.