Lincoln Zephyr/MKZ

theman123

P.S. I've only seen one Zephyr on the road. It was a lovely white one. The 70+ year old driver pulled into an assisted living complex. Guess Lincoln found it's target buyer.....

Oh your so funny, just because you see one old guy drive a new Lincoln doesn't mean that's all that's buy it. I live in ATL, I've seen quite a few of the Lincoln Zephyr in every color available. Also, it's has a good age mix as well. The last one that I saw was ebony black. I was passing this restaurant and a young African-American couple in their 30's were getting in the Zephyr. So, I guess Lincoln found it's target buyer. You were saying something ? Anymore jokes :P
Also, I just hit 30 and I think the Zephyr is a gorgeous car. If I had the money and It could fit into my budget I'd wait until the MKZ came out this fall and buy it no questions asked.

Besides. what are you doing near an Assisted living complex :confuse:

gregg_vw

One shouldn't have to fiddle around with the auto climate control to get it to work right. I don't have a Zephyr, so maybe there is a design problem here. If I had my car set as low as 67, it would be like a refrigerator all the time. In really hot weather 75 or 76 is best (otherwise, it runs at high fan speed on recirculation constantly). BTW, with my last few vehicles, the system itself chooses when to go in and out of recirculation mode (you can manually over-ride it of course). Does Lincoln not operate that way?

akirby

Some people think just because THEY like hp that EVERYBODY likes hp. Go to a mall and take a random sample and you'll find that at least 7 of every 10 people not only don't know how much hp their car has - they won't even know how many cylinders they have. For the other 3, 2 may know but they don't care.

My point was that while a few people may overlook a car with lower hp the VAST MAJORITY of sedan buyers just want adequate acceleration (the car doesn't feel slow). And the Zephyr certainly has that. The fact that the MKZ will have 263 hp is great, but it won't sell that many more cars.

ANT14

Some systems have a smog sensor, that will alternate between the recirculation mode automatically. I personally, rather have just myself set it and forget it. Smog or not, I just don't wish to smell the tailpipes, and other bad smells from other vehicles around me.

A/C systems work in one mode...the temperature being pumped out would lets say be 50 degrees in essense. BUT some heat is thrown into the mix, not to freeze the system. The system will run on high fan speed till the desired temperature is reached. Although in many systems just as some Fords, the closer it gets to the set temperature, it'll start lowering the fan.

NOW, there's a fine line when your set it at 67 for example, it's going to be on high the whole time, probably on the highest 2 fan settings and chances are, you'll get to your destination and still didnt reach 67 degrees.

When the fan is on high, the coldness of the air isn't as cool as lets say, something in the medium range. Automatically, the fan is usually blasting on high to rush out the hot air, once you start to vehicle and are on your way.

And all the above is for the hot, humid FL days. Realistically, with the numerous brand cars I have to test with automatic temperature control, it won't dip below medium fan speed, before I reach a destination... at least not in this heat down here.

Tinted windows help greatly. And no, the color of the car hasn't nothing to do with it either. It's been scientifically tested that black and white cars, are equally hot in the interior.

gregg_vw

That may be true for the color of the car, but the color of the interior (black v. light) makes quite a difference.

Also, smong sensor or no, many auto controls set the system on recirculation when the interior is very hot and needs a quick cool-down. When cooler, it then switches back to outside air.

johnclineii

Ford's automatic climate control system DOES control the recirc mode as well, unless it is manually selected...

akirby

You'd think the interior color would matter, but it doesn't. Scientifically tested and verified.

gregg_vw

Reference please. Something more than a news article. If true, then further investigation needs to be done to determine what is going on. (After all, black is black because it absorbs light, and light colors are perceived as light because they reflect it.)

scootertrash

"And no, the color of the car hasn't nothing to do with it either. It's been scientifically tested that black and white cars, are equally hot in the interior."

In the words of our President, That dog don't hunt.

I'd love to hear the reason why solar collectors somehow all happen to be painted black and yet those wacky people that engineer buildings happen to paint roofs white to reflect heat.

There are sure a lot of mixed up people here in Arizona mistakenly bought white cars too.

They should all be made aware of this scientific study.

akirby

Surprisingly, I can't seem to find a scientific reference with test data to support either statement. I do remember reading about an actual test that did show the final temperatures to be almost identical in both a light and dark interior.

I'm sure black interiors heat up faster than light interiors, but consider that most of the black interior is either fabric, leather or plastic and that the surrounding metal retains and radiates heat so much better than any of those materials.

vic10

I figured one good snip deserved another. What did slamming a trunk lid have to do with the appeal of horsepower. (and who in the world would determine the quality of a car by the condition of a rental vehicle??).

As for the Assisted living complex, my mother is in the last stages of Parkinson's and is confined there until she dies. Everyone satisfied?

theman123

As for the Assisted living complex, my mother is in the last stages of Parkinson's and is confined there until she dies. Everyone satisfied?

I'm sorry about your mother. The whole thing about the assisted living thing just didn't make any sense. And it sounded like a wise crack to me. Again, I'm sorry

hondacbr1k

I typically just push the auto button at 60 degrees and let it cool down then either adjust the temp up or the fan down maunally on the steering wheel. We have had a string of 90 plus degree days and it cools just fine, especially when coupled with the cooled seats. FYI though, I found that you have to have the vents in the proper position (maybe just my stupidity) in that they are curved when sitting in the vertical position and they have to be curved towards you. Seems simple but vertical is not vertical apparently. Overall I like the car a lot and I have seen a LOT more of them on the road lately. A good lease deal is driving this i think.

ANT14

Here's one guy who did a self test on colors...

LINK

akirby

That's the test I remember reading. Thanks!

gregg_vw

Interesting "theories" to explain his results. I think what he meant was hypotheses, but never mind that.

First, the lighter cars did show lower temps, even if not dramatically so. However, the big flaw in his effort is in not measuring actual interior temps. Just as your insulated kitchen oven doesn't feel much different on the outside at 300 degrees v. 400 degrees, we have no idea how much a 7 degree exterior glass temperature difference corresponds with actual interior temperature differences--without doing the actual measurements. A thermometer placed inside each car at a defined location for a defined time would have provided better data.

scootertrash

That's a really lame study and anyone who quotes it as some kind of science does so at the risk of their own credibility.

No one cares about the surface temperature or the irrelevant glass temperature. All that matters is the temperature of the interior which went unmeasured.

akirby

That's a really lame study and anyone who quotes it as some kind of science does so at the risk of their own credibility.

Why is it lame? Because you don't agree with the conclusion? That was a very scientific, controlled experiment. Identical cars measured the same way at the same time of day. You can't argue with the test methods.

No one cares about the surface temperature or the irrelevant glass temperature. All that matters is the temperature of the interior which went unmeasured.

The theory is that the temperature of the glass is directly proportional to the temperature of the interior, which seems to be a reasonable scientific conclusion. Do you have any scientific explanations as to why that wouldn't be true?

scootertrash

One minor detail:
If a "study" concerns interior temperatures, that's what you measure.

It appears he (and you) forgot that part.

Rather than waste time on some "theory is that the temperature of the glass is directly proportional to the temperature of the interior, which seems to be a reasonable scientific conclusion."

How about just checking the interior temperature?
Crazy huh?

exalteddragon1

to the Zephyr please?

How is everyone doing with their car, in terms of quality? Everything go smooth so far?

akirby

If you'd bothered to read the text you'd see that he acknowledges that would be a better test but he wasn't able to do that because the cars were at a dealership. This was the next best solution.

Obviously it would be better to actually measure the interior temperature of identical cars, but for some reason we can't find that type of experiment, at least not with a google search.

If you walked up to a car and wanted to know if the interior of the car was hot or cool before you opened the door, what would you do? Look for an interior thermometer or feel the glass?

gregg_vw

I am on Scooter's side of this, because no matter how reasonable a "theory" (hypothesis) may sound to some people, it has no real basis until it is tested. Auto glass is insulated to some degree...and to what degree has not been determined by this article. Even that is beside the point, because it is the interior where people sit (not the glass that they touch) that anyone cares about.

Most people who lives in very hot, sunny climes will continue to eschew black interiors. And the Zephyr happens to have an attractive light one. But I say, give it up, guys. This is definitely one of those discussions not worth a hissy fit.

buckwheat

http://tinyurl.com/hptvb

rj123456

I took it in for service and they declared that nothing is wrong with the airconditioner. However, they claimed that the calibration of the AC was set wrong (allegedly, this vehicle was set for "a colder climate" than here (San Jose California), and they recalibrated it.

Never heard of this before but whatever they did has made a big difference. The air blowing out is much colder - if I set the auto climate control at 67 as I used to, I'm freezing by the end of my 15 minute drive to work. It's now set at 70 degrees.

BTW, I still haven't seen a single other Zephyr on the roads here. MPG midway through the third tank is now 15.6 - doing a little more city driving, but I'm wondering if I have a chronic lead foot and/or the AC adjustment has made the MPG worse!

rj123456

Since I sparked this discussion with my AC question (now resolved), I should add for the record that I have the tan interior.

The window temperature will have a positive correlation with the inside temperature but it's unlikely to be DIRECTLY proportional. The outside panel of an oven that is set to 500 degrees isn't twice as hot as that of the same oven set to 250 degrees.

06zephyr

I have had the car since Dec. and I love it. No issues at all,knock on wood, and a pleasire to drive. MPG is around 22-25 on the open road and about 18 in stop and go. All I have gotten is compliments and WOWS from so many people.
BTW....the 221 HP is fine even for entering highways and passing other cars

bigt

I have always received 19-20 average MPG since I owned. I get 28-30 on the highway. I start the air around 72 and later move it up to 75 as I am freezing after about 15 minutes. The power in this car is just fine. It is a little noisy when accelerating. I drove a Chrysler 300 this week and you do not notice any noise when you accelerate. I was driving the touring version, not sure what type of engine was in it. I know it would price out more than the Zephyr. Can't wait for the 2007's. I wonder when you will be able to pre-order them?

exalteddragon1

Glad to hear 221hp is enough for you. I mean i guess even last year it was mederatley enough, but with toyotas new 268hp and 305hp V6 221 ain't gonna cut it.

Its very good to know Ford has that new 3.5 on the way. Are you considering test driving the MKZ when its out? You would have only had your car a year and could trade it in for what seems like a more advanced car with the same shape.

I don't think the 3.5 is oing to do much worse than the 22-25 you mentioned, thats the whole point of why it takes automakes a while to make a new engine, they up the power while keeping or increasing MPG.

This car should be a REAL threat to the ES350 since engine power is the same but the MKZ will have so many things going for it... as long as they DON'T up the price :mad:

calidd

I just drove from Maryland through Virginia, South Carolina, Georgia, and Alabama to Nashville, Tennessee. Through all this traveling, I saw only one Zephyr. What's up with that?

06zephyr

No im not interested in trading this one in for more HP.The car is a pleasure to drive just as it is and the HP is plenty to get on to highways and pass other cars. I have a sports car for the HP rush and the "luxury" one is fine just the way it is. Unless they do something with the torque im not so sure that an extra 29 HP will be that noticeable to the everyday driver.