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I can hear the steam escaping from rocky's ears from here!
Last year the Civic, this year the Camry. Maybe next year the MKS, huh?
Among competitors for Car of the Year were the Chrysler Sebring, Saturn Aura, Nissan Altima, Kia Rondo, Honda Fit, Mercedes-Benz S Class, Volvo C70 T5 and the Volkswagen Rabbit.
MT always likes cars with multiple models (Hybrid) and I'm sure the 3.5L engine didn't hurt, either.
Along similar line, I love Wednesdays cause that's when the weekly Autoextremist column comes out. This weeks is great and quite topical for us. I recommend it. Briefly he:
- really rags on the IHS, which released the list of safest cars yesterday with NO domestics on it which was nice fodder for the likes of Matt Lauer on GMA
- rags on Alan Mulally for being pretty clueless on one of Ford's biggest problems - relations with suppliers
- rags on Pontiac for running a battle of the bands instead of marketing cars
- rags on Mercedes for building crap. ANd ROCKY - check it out, he really rags on the 'GL' class (u know the MT SUV OTY)
- Likes the new (2008) Malibu in and out and gives it (along with the RWD Impala) a chance of helping turn Chevy around.
Require all vehicles have standard ABS, side airbags and stability control and a manumatic shifter.
Require all vehicles get 5 star crash tests including IIHS.
Require all vehicles get best in class fuel economy (forget ULEV and PZEV - nobody cares) and power ratings.
Get rid of the cheap radio and HVAC controls.
And this has nothing to do with whether these features are actually needed or wanted - it has everything to do with PR and public perception. Nowadays that seems to be more important.
I hate black interior so dont get that.
I also think those estimates are wishful thinking and too high.
Still, AWD is a really good deal, and i know that ESC is not for everyone. I have defended fords position in the pased, and still do. I just don't understand why its at least not an option, for a lincoln. I'm fine with it not bieng on a ford, but a lincln should have it if you want it.
What do you think?
That said, I think it's inexcusable that Ford didn't plan ahead to be able to offer it because the competition has it and the public wants it.
Federal mandate (proposed) by 2012. Ford has said it'll be either standard or optional on all of their cars by 2010, with many phased in earlier than that.
I have no problem with foreign cars winning car of the year in magazines when the winner will have a significant impact on market-share. The new Camry, for instance IMHO will not make a significant impact in its segment. The MKZ, however will do just that.
Rocky
The MKZ as you know is in a different segment...and one in which it will have a tough time standing out in any way.
However, it will take until 2008 to get the Fusion/Milan 4 cylinder hybrids into showrooms in any significant way, and they were planned to be offered with a hybrid option from the beginning.
I do hope they do not offer the same hybrid powertrain as the Milan/Fusion will. Can't imagine the V6 hybrid would appear for years.
I am looking for some real life experience in comparing the MKZ to the Acura TL.....Any takers?
BTW - Happy Thanksgiving!
I still miss the days of jroger19- that was the best experience ever, right heyjewel?
You bet. He was, for those who dont know, the VP of marketing for Lincoln back in the era when the LS was intro'd. Jim championed the car and the sports sedan aspect of it, put together a big test drive event in Irvine for enthusiasts with and without LSes, which is where I met him. He would post often on this board and personally solved many folks problems.
If not for him, I may not have an LS because I could not find a Lincoln dealer around here in the Bay Area who would even ORDER a 5 speed manual LS for me. Want any MORE proof that Lincoln will never be a big player in the sports sedan market? Tough to sell a sporty Lincoln when the dealers wont order them. I'm sure the dealers are REAL happy now with the "D-L" shift gate. Oh, I got my LS because Jim called the local dealer and told them to order me a car. They did. It's great.
After Jim left Lincoln, him seeing the writing on the wall, they dropped the 5 speed and the LS went back to blue-hair land.
Recently, some may remember, Jim popped back up here and helped me dispell this supposed fact that the LS was a big money-loser. At least druing Jim's tenure 99-03 or so, he said the LS was making money. So if it did lose money, it was in the 03 or 04-06 era, after they basically let it die through neglect.
I hope things are working great for ya, Jim.
The MKZ's looked great especially in Black. The MKX's are also very nice. I like the Lincolns and I guess it is ok that all of the interiors pretty much look the same. The Navigator has a lot more bling to it.
I wonder about Ford's Hybrid commitment. The only Hybrid was a Ford escape (ugly green) sitting all by itself. Toyota had its Hybrids front and center at their booths with a salesman right there to explain all about them.
I noticed the lack of Concepts at the show. I was looking for the 2009 Camaro, Chrysler Imperial, etc. Nothing earth shattering, lots of gas using trucks! They did have an outside driving facility where you could off-road several vehicles. I was interested in driving the H3 up a small hill!
Vivid Red
Merlot
Black
Blue
I like them with Black interior with the Nickel Satin package.
I owned a Zephyr Merlot with Light interior. The color was classy but the interior did show dirt. I am sort of a techy type so I like metal.
Sat in a Z for the first time this AM at my dealership. I was underwhelmed. Interior is nice, but certainly no award winner. This one was a very light parchment color with light wood. It was nice looking, but I gotta say it felt cheap. The door was so lightweight - is there a cross-beam in there? And the interior materials on the door felt really cheap - especially the handhold hole to grab when u close the door. Is it just me or shouldn't these people make the thing you actually touch everytime u close the door out of some nice-feeling long-lasting material? Or is ot OK to save $3.00 and use the cheap stuff?
BTW, this Z was loaded and had AWD was $37K and change and the mpg was 18/26 IIRC. A nice car but no replacement for my LS for sure.
This is an F/L/M dealer and they had 5 Mustangs on the showroom floor. One Z, One Mark LT and one F150. Are Mustang sales slowing down? I gotta admit, they had a new red/parchment convertible 06 stang with V8 for 26K on the floor that looked really nice.
At SF auto show there was no interest in Edge or MKX. Nobody even stopped to look at them. Yeah there was some activity around Navigator and MKZ but nothing compared to Lexus, Infinity or Mercedes and even Saturn. Mercury also was pretty quiet.
The ES350 is a gussied up Camry, but they did a great job of upgrading the interior so it really feels like the car belongs in that price range. The same is not true for the MKZ.
Retro 70' styling?
The MKZ interior actually looks better in the photos than in person. The photo makes it look almost modern, but when I sat in the car, it felt old.
Anyone know if Lincoln plans to run 0% interest and cash back anytime soon? I was hoping it might run a "December to Remember" sale (ala Lexus). Anyone know?
The Versailles was that era's MKZ. Built off a Ford Granada, it was easy to see it was but a glammed up Ford. They belatedly gave it its own roofline, a couple years in, but it was too late. Too Cimarron-like.
However, it's demise led to the very pretty (for that era) rear drive Lincoln Continental. The Conti was a Fairmont underneath, but not one bit of window glass or body part was shared. It truly stood out in a way the MKZ can never hope to do.
Not that I'm slamming the Z..Lincoln has to start over somewhere, and they could have cheaped out even more, by skipping the Milan and making that badge engineered car the MKZ.
And what does it matter if a car shares a platform with a corporate sibling, particularly if the quality of the sibling is very good. As many have pointed out, luxury brands do that all the time.
I think the MKZ is a very stylish, roomy, and comfortable near-luxury sedan. And the feedback from actual owners, as recorded in JD Powers and Consumer Reports says something about its quality.
CR Reliable Cars
Of course it may not matter at all. It is all in the execution. If you read my post, you would note that I liked the old Continental, even though it was based on a "lowly" Fairmont. What Lincoln did was give it enough attention to merit its own body.
Lincolns deserve some level of exclusivity. The MKZ is little changed body-wise from the Fusion. It has the same windows, door panels, etc. That was traditionally how a Ford and Mercury related, but not a Lincoln.
However, I know Lincoln couldn't afford to do more differentiation at this juncture. Once the Milan gets the 3.5, the MKZ's raison d'etre will be less clear until Lincoln gives it new clothes. Hopefully, the MKZ will have its own styling by 2010.
I've been in and out of the car business for many years, retired now, but marvel at how much car this is for the money. I've owned many luxury cars over the years, and this Lincoln beats them all for quality, materials, and workmanship. Eight months ago I bought a new Corvette convertible (the Z is the wife's car) and her new Lincoln's quality puts my $60K+ Vette to shame. Panel fit, paint, leather, all materials are far superior to my GM product. And my premium Bose stereo doesn't hold a candle to the MKZ's THX system. All in all, I'm extremely impressed with the Z, and none of its competition even offers AWD.
So the CUV twins' hood panels are slightly different, and the grills, headlights and tail lights differ. They probably call it a different panel if they apply a different trim piece to it or something like that. And it is a lot cheaper to differentiate interior trim and finishes, so Ford has tried now for years to get away with emphasizing that.
Yes, some people don't care about exclusive styling for Lincoln. But I still say it is one of the main reasons Lincoln does not get much respect.