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Absolutely true. And it doesn't seem to make any difference whatsoever in sales to the average buyer.
I concur. To the 3% of the market that the buff mags cater to, it's important. To the 97% that just drive, it doesn't.
As for the FWD/AWD v. RWD controversy, people will argue it forever, but in the end it doesn't matter. Audi and Bentley both do quite well with mostly FWD based, but rear biased AWD. Continuing development reduces weight, provides better balance, and both brands are beginning to eliminate that "FWD" look as well. That is not difficult. After all, take a look at early FWD cars. The original Olds Toronado had gobs of space between the front wheels and the cab.
Nothing requires FWD to have the engine largely in front of the front wheels. That was originally a space saving design to carve out larger interiors on smaller cars. But sometimes, a similar size RWD car has more interior space than a similar sized FWD one. There are so many factors in designing good legroom within a wheelbase of a certain size.
As an example, the new Sentra has more rear legroom than Altima or Maxima. The humongous Town Car only had 117" of wheelbase with RWD, but offered virtually the same rear legroom as the 117" wheelbased FWD MKT. Both configurations can be designed for space, or looks, or balance, or handling...or not. RWD starts out with a handling advantage, all other factors being equal. But those factors in reality are never equal.
2013 Lincoln MKZ Road Test
Some people have such high expectations that nothing Lincoln does would be good enough.
Aside from opinions, however, it is a fact that the rear seat room in the MKZ falls short. Furthermore, the acceleration results for the V6 are disappointing. I don't know if the chassis is robust enough to handle the 3.5 ecoboost but that is the optional engine this car needs. While the review does not mention overall noise levels, the test results show very low noise at a 70 MPH cruise. It would have likely been even quieter if it had the correct tires. Very stupid move for Lincoln to put ringer tires on a test car. Other publications have mentioned the performance tires but implied that they were an option. They are certainly not mentioned on Lincoln's site.
Lincoln (and Ford) have some work to do around ergonomics. When I checked out a 2013 MKS some time ago, I was very disappointed in the "sliders" for some of the controls, the way they buried the suspension settings in sub-menus and a number of other idiosyncrasies. It sounds like the MKZ followed that same format.
None of the reviews for the MKZ so far have been particularly positive. Maybe expectations are too high. Maybe it is just too easy to disrespect Lincoln, based on the way the brand has been ignored up until the past year or so. It will be interesting to see how buyers react to the car.
Even so I think it's a far better car than the old MKZ and shows progress in several areas.
If the next new Lincoln has the same probems, then I'll start to worry.
The guy who made YouTube fame with his song about how United Airlines trashed his guitar started a "social media" gripe company recently.
There has been a Ford rep around; ditto Subaru and BMW, Toyota and probably some others.
Damage controlCustomer relations is an international effort these days.As you may know, I've argued that Lincoln needs at least one RWD based platform to differentiate itself from Ford, and to effectively compete with Mercedes, BMW and Lexus. Infiniti is doing a decent job of competing against BMW. Acura hasn't done consistently well with its Honda derived vehicles, and Audi neutralizes the FWD/RWD architecture issue by heavily promoting its Quattro system. My point regarding your excellent post, however, is that it puts the FWD/RWD issue into clear perspective, and it has tempered my thinking on the course Lincoln should take. I now think that Lincoln could follow Audi's business model if it doesn't reintroduce a RWD platform.
TOTALLY aqree with your entire paragraph, and even moreso, this last sentence above. The Company really doesn't care about you, the Dealer is their customer. The DEALER should care about you - you are THEIR customer, and they should want to keep you coming back. That won't happen if you don't get treated well there. I can tell you from my viewpoint and experience, I buy more from the dealer, than the car they carry. With a few exceptions, I can find a car I like, if I like the way I'm treated, especially in service, by the dealer. Some GM cars, being an exception. I wouldn't drive a Chevy from Carl Sewell if he changed the oil himself! (He's famous for his service in Dallas).
Lincoln needs to pull off another coup like the remade 1961 T-bird turned Continental. MKZ is a start, but not this sort of splash.
http://www.autoblog.com/2013/01/07/would-a-mustang-based-lincoln-look-like-this/-
I would prefer something along the lines of an Audi S5 or Jaguar XKR.
Maybe this concept isn't it, but something truly dramatic would be a great start. Trying to compete with mainstream has not worked, and probably will not work, for Lincoln. The 1961 Continental looked like nothing else, and took design in a different direction. The 2013 MKZ is distinctive, but it is not going to turn heads for very long.
BTW, that "grafted on" Lincoln nose is far more dramatic than any Lincoln nose proposed so far. So it is a start, if this motor company ever learns to get bold again.
Does anyone know or have any ideas of why the '61- '69 Lincolns didn't grab more market share?
Comparatively good resale value was an advantage that Cadillac enjoyed over its rivals from 1946 through the 1960s, and maybe beyond. Also, I've heard that it didn't cost Cadillac owners any more to trade in their cars every two or three years than it did Oldsmobile or Buick owners to trade theirs.
I've also read that dealers take note of which customers are regulars (meaning, they bring the car to the dealer for regular maintence and repairs), and treat those customers differently than someone who only shows up with a known, but out-of-warranty defect or problem.
These were the years when two-door hardtops were very popular, especially in the luxury market. If I recall correctly, the two-door hardtop was Cadillac's best-selling body style during the 1960s. Lincoln left this market to Cadillac, and, to a lesser extent, the Imperial, and didn't enter it again until the 1966 model year.
The Lincoln was also available in one expensive trim level, which corresponded with the "Fleetwood" series Cadillacs. There was no Lincoln equivalent of the Cadillac 62/Calais for several years after 1960.
Robert McNamara wanted to shut down Lincoln after the debacle with the awful 1958 models. The 1961 Continental was Lincoln's last chance, so product planners didn't want to spend too much money on a variety of body styles, as McNamara demanded that Lincoln be profitable.
He left the company for the Kennedy Administration soon after the 1961 Lincoln went on sale, but no one had any way of knowing that this would happen when these cars were being planned.
It would be interesting to compare the demographics (age, income, education level) of Lincoln and Cadillac buyers during the 1960s. The Continental always seemed a bit more exclusive than its Cadillac competitors. During these years, a fair number of otherwise middle-class people were stretching to own a Cadillac (which shows the strength of its appeal, but ultimately cheapened its image). Was this happening with Lincoln, or did it draw its buyers more exclusively from the upper crust?
Supposedly Ford's leadership was not entirely happy with the sales of the suicide-door Lincolns, even though the cars really did improve Lincoln's image.
It would take the 1968 Continental Mark III to really boost Lincoln sales and profits.
I would prefer $7M to be spent on prime time shows which would equate to dozens of 60 minute ads instead of just one.
If they're going to do it, at least make it really funny.
Was that Obama, or was it Palin? I'm thinking it was Palin.
Given the vast differences between the two people involved, I'm inclined to wonder if the other things you have to say include, well, let's just say equivalent differences between statement and reality.
This seems like a particularly forgettable move for Lincoln
The internet has opened up a whole new level of incompetent "journalists".
You also apparently don't realize that it's no longer 1975 or even 1985. Regarding premium European cars, for example, "engineering excellence" has apparently devolved to "complication for its own sake," "poor results in various reliability surveys" and "nightmarish maintenance and repair costs when the vehicle is out of warranty."
"Reliability" is not a word that most of us (well, those of us living in 2013) associate with European cars anymore.
It's no accident that the first two products of what Lincoln says will be four all-new vehicles over the next four years are a midsize sedan -- the MKZ -- and the compact MKC. The growth in the luxury market is fueled by younger buyers looking for smaller, fuel-efficient and affordable status symbols.
The MKC won't go on sale until 2014, but the concept that will be shown Monday at the 2013 North American International Auto Show will be very close to the production car."
MKC crossover part of Ford's strategy to reinvigorate Lincoln (Detroit Free Press)
More here:
Lincoln MKC Concept Crossover Debuts at 2013 Detroit Auto Show
Change the glass roof to a BAMR and replace the seats with the MKZ seats and I think you have the production version.
The hood and front grille are especially striking.
Drivetrains were not announced yet but I expect a 2.0L Hybrid for max fuel economy and a 2.7L EB putting out over 300 hp and torque as the top engine when it hits production.
Adding that hood and grille to the MKZ would be a big boost IMO.
I really like how they have integrated a new family look into a whole different vehicle type from the MKZ. It copies no one but Lincoln. Now, if they would only re-do the Nav in this style, with new engines, and soon.
The grill has a winged victory look about it.
It has essentially the same grill as the MKZ, which is not a bad thing. That's obviously the new new new Lincoln grill.
Wonder why they didn't just put the same horizontal bars on the 2013 MKS and MKT grill re-do's?
I don't think they wanted to debut the new grille on an existing vehicle.