Lincoln's
rear-wheel-drive, 2000-2006 LS -
among the best sports sedans Am-erica has ever produced; and yet, this
will be its last year
Lincoln determined that a new group of customers demanded a new car. If
shorter overhangs were the
LS'
statement of intent for contention with
the Bavarians, its styling was equally likely to recall sources other
than Lincoln.
Like the
Continental,
the LS offered large details (more so at its
launch), and suitably chromed grille and ornamentation, together with a
parallel waterline – but the formal roof was gone, in its place a
sweeping glasshouse which wedged sharply at its outlines.
Surfacing was both sharper and simpler, while the overall form offered
the air more cleaver than blunderbuss
Jaguar's influence in the
LS'
packaging cannot be denied,
with the tight rear legroom characteristic of that marque, and a
transmission tunnel which towers above the driver's thighs. Rear
legroom, despite raised theater-style seating, is tight
LS'
dashboard layout is fussy in an age when consolidation has been
critical. The console is not as driver-oriented as the car, in form, or
details.
None of the minor controls – climate controls, radio - are damped,
except for the stalks and steering-wheel switches. Positioning the air
vents feels agricultural, and their output – particularly in automatic
mode - is not nearly as good as in, say, a 2006 Cadillac DTS (or even
the outgoing, 2000-2005 DeVille). In the LS, it is almost as though the
vents themselves are too small. Someone could have worked harder on
their aesthetics, too.
This is not to say that the LS' basic ergonomics lack. The seating
position is impeccable. Ten (driver) and eight (passenger)-way power
seats are standard, with manual lumbar support (power lumbar is
optional). A power tilt-and-telescoping steering column is
standard. The window switches are all lit; the driver's door armrest is
made of padded material, and the material in the center console is
wonderful; the elbow simply sinks into it. Everyone should adopt the LS'
sliding center console, which we love, given that where the hand falls
with respect to the transm-ission lever tends to vary with the size of
the forearm.
These are nuanced touches, but they add to the experience; it is
gratifyingly easy, for instance, to pull the key out: one quick swoop,
and it glides pleasantly; someone has really thought about this
Both
LS'
220hp, 215lb-ft @ 4,800rpm 3.0-liter DOHC V6 and its 252hp,
261lb-ft @ 4,300rpm 3.9-liter DOHC V8 engines have featured fail-safe
cooling, in which, if a preset over-temperature condition is
reached, alternating cylinder operation begins. Each disabled cylinder
acts as an air pump and cools the engine, while power is limited, and
the air conditioning system, disabled.
The 3.9-liter is shared with Jaguar, although Jaguar uses a different
air intake manifold and modified heads, with increased stroke that
raises the S-Type
motor's displacement
to 4.0-liters.
The LS V8 was a low emissions vehicle (LEV) in all 50 states; the LS V6,
LEV in California, and 13 northeastern states
The
Lincoln LS was
co-developed with Jaguar, and the platform is shared with both
Jaguar's
S-Type and, in shortened form, the outgoing
Ford Thunderbird and current
Mustang.
In contrast to the Continental, the LS was rear-wheel-drive, with
near-50/50 weight distribution enabling better management of pitching by
anti-lift/ anti-dive front and rear suspension geom-etry. 262lbs of
aluminum components were found in the engine; chassis; suspension;
closure panels, and wheels.
Measuring 194.3-inches in length, the LS has been Lincoln’s first true
attempt at a European style sports sedan, riding a 114.5-inch wheelbase
and with a 60.7-inch rear track, 0.1-inches wider than that of the front
A stick-shift was available for just the V6, despite Ford’s promises
that a V8/ self-shifting combo was forthcoming.
After 2002, the stick-shift was dropped entirely
Drive the
LS,
and its body rigidity remains beyond reproach. The front stabilizer is
stiff enough to create roll over bumps on the one side, but the damping
is also sufficient to take care of the after-effects, and none are felt
through the body. One does note the front wheels being a touch too
perturbed over bumps - a little jounce from the 17-inch wheels - as
though there were too little suspension travel. We suspect that limiting
travel is how Lincoln stays out of trouble; away from camber issues, in
that bumps rarely affect the LS' direction.
On the highway, steering feel is positive, although the on-center
toe-in/ out feedback is just not quite there, not on par with the
Cadillac CTS
let alone the
BMW 3 series.
Things have been damped noticeably, perhaps down to the lack of
suspension travel, to quell some of the vibration. Were it just that
little bit crisper, it would match the CTS.
There is no pitch or dive to speak of. Springs are stiff; dampers are
stiff, and yet the ride is reasonably good (airtight rigidity tends to
helps with these things). Most of the time, at part-throttle, the LS
will only really throttle-steer at the very tip of throttle travel (a
common failing of American cars); although, when you do push the LS,
throttle steerability is very good. Even tight corners do not produce
much understeer (unless on dirt or gravel, where the lack of front
suspension travel betrays a lack of grip), and what understeer there is,
burying the pedal cancels out. The brakes are wonderful: progressive in
bite, and that last inch of a complete stop is imperceptible.
The automatic transmission jerks as it lets go of shifts and, by today's
standards, it is not sufficiently quick to change down. It offers a neat
shift into fourth, but third and second-gear positions strictly hold
third and second, without downshifting under kickdown, and thus the
enthusiast driver will prefer the manumatic SelectShift
Despite perceptions, continuous improvement has been in evidence during
the
LS'
life cycle.
The 2001 LS added Lincoln Complim-entary Maintenance for three years
(later, just one); an additional power point for rear passengers; a
compass, and a valet key.
2003, the mid-cycle refresh, was the key year. LS received more than 500
new or redesigned parts, including a new front fascia; taillights;
decklid; standard chrome dual exhaust tips, and wheels. New folding
exterior mirrors had built-in puddle lamps, while bodyside moldings were
made of fewer pieces for a better fit. Inside, a touch-screen, $2,995
DVD navigation system became optional, as did THX premium audio. New
headliner with damped grab handles; rubberized vent wheels, and real
American burl walnut featured. Under the hood, the addition of variable
intake camshaft timing gave the V6 motor a 5.5% boost in horsepower
(making it among the most powerful normally-aspirated 3.0-liter engines
on the market), and the V8, 11%.
Electronic throttle control came to the LS that year. ZF Servotronic
II rack-and-pinion steering also arrived, with new tires and revised
suspension tuning. Inside, the center console was made considerably
larger (thanks to the new, electronic parking brake), as were the door
map pockets; rear cupholders, and head restraints, while that sliding
center armrest of which we are so enamored was installed. Front windows
were now one-touch up and down, and rear reading lamps were provided.
Heated and cooled front seats were now optional, with available heated
rear seats and Safety Canopy air bag system. Power-adjustable
pedals were now standard. Lincoln designers even moved the
windshield-washer jets from atop the hood to beneath the cowl.
For 2004, Sirius satellite radio was made available, while the
suspension crossmember was revised for reduced steering column
low-frequency NVH, and front stabilizer attachments points were
stiffened. That year, too, the transm-ission was improved for smoother
engagement and a bleed hole in the transmission’s servo piston was
added, to reduce reverse engagement variat-ion, making the operation of
moving the lever into gear at a stop smoother and more seamless.
For 2005, the transmission was further modified to smooth shifts on the
go. Power-adjustable pedals; side-curtain air bags (in addition to the
standard front side-impact air bags), and rear park assist became
optional. New exterior colors have been added in all years, with
accompanying, new interior colors in some
Enthusiasts who can cut through the periphery have (and will) find an
inherently superlative car. Perhaps the history books will offer the
LS
its due requital, for it does not deserve its impending requiem
Luxury + Performance =
Lincoln
LS,
said Lincoln of its new
rear-wheel-drive charge six years ago, emphasizing design and
engineering to appeal to a customer on whose shopping list Lincoln would not
ordinarily have figured.
This is among the best sports sedans America has ever
produced - and yet, this will be its last year. From wherever it was within Lincoln that
this car came, we feel grateful that it spent time with us and so, with the
appearance of the new
Fusion-based,
front-wheel-drive
Zephyr
(see article:
'The Fusion at Ford'), we thought we’d look back for a requital, rather than a
requiem, to a car that has enthralled us on the road, over the years, rather more than we
might have been led to expect.
Travel Well, urges Lincoln in 2005. In its Owner’s Guide, the company
congratulates the reader
"on acquiring"
the
LS.
So the marketing is a little more
touchy-feely than it should be, perhaps.
Certainly, while traveling, one might appreciate the
LS' 18.5-gallon tank;
voluminous console and glovebox (if not the woefully inadequate door pockets),
and that its Message Center monitors not only the usual average economy;
distance-to-empty, and oil life, but also cabin A/C filter life. Rear passengers
(although their windows do not wind all the way) travel well, too, on (optional)
heated rear seats, with their own vents ahead of them.
Yet the
LS' impending
demise is as definite as its marketing appears vague.
It could all have been so different. Launched for the 2000 model year, the
Lincoln LS was co-developed with Jaguar, and the platform is shared with both
Jaguar's S-Type and, in shortened form, the outgoing
Ford Thunderbird
(corrected - we had added the
Mustang to this list, but D2C ≠ DEW98). The
S-Type continues; the Lincoln dies.
In size,
LS was closest in Lincoln's range to the
Continental, front-wheel-drive
and Taurus-based from 1988 through 1994; revised in 1995, and finally restyled
for 1998 to the form it would carry until its 2002 end.
The modern small Lincoln has its roots in the mid-1970s, post gas crisis, when
downsizing was in vogue in Detroit. The success of
Cadillac's 1975 Seville
pushed Lincoln to develop the Ford Granada/
Mercury Monarch-based
Versailles.
Some say that the Versailles' lack of success was due to its overt betrayal of
its origins; others, to its dynamic deficiencies.
Clearly, when it was the
Continental's turn to go from large rear-wheel-drive to
entry-level, front-wheel-drive, Dearborn perceived the problem as the former.
Continental looked less like the
Taurus which had lent its platform and, for a
time, the added luxury was enough to corner a substantive chunk of the market-
particularly since traditionalists were put off by the
'80s Cadillac DeVille and
Fleetwood's loss of length, and similarity to their more plebian stablemates.
Yet conquest buyers were rare. Those who had bought BMWs and Mercedes-Benzes in
the '70s now sought more than reliability and efficiency in technology and
packaging: athletic and responsive vehicle dynamics were a must.
Between 1994 and 1998, vehicle registrations in the luxury sport segment grew
from over 262,000 units (and 26% of the overall luxury car segment) to nearly
438,000 - 40% of the luxury market.
As the
Continental waned toward the mid-90s, Lincoln began contemplating a more
purposeful, more functional sports sedan that might fit the bill: smooth and
powerful powertrains directing a refined chassis from within a quiet cabin.
Ford's acquisition of Jaguar in the
'80s, and ongoing efforts to broaden that
brand's appeal, made Lincoln's idea financially viable, through co-development.
Although comparable in both dimensions and in its entry-level place in the
Lincoln line-up, LS has been a very different car than Continental. Designed
under Helmuth Schrader (with interior under Ron Swick),
LS' rear-wheel-drive
enabled both the classic, short-overhang proportions of a sports sedan, and the
demeanor of one, if also the limited space that the spiritual father of the
category - BMW - has regularly been cited for. Jaguar's influence in the
LS'
packaging cannot be denied, with the tight rear legroom characteristic of that marque, and a transmission tunnel which towers above the driver's thighs. Rear
legroom, despite raised theater-style seating, is tight.
"From a design standpoint, the LS is truly the opportunity of a lifetime because
it’s so rare in the auto industry to start totally from scratch," mused Schrader
at the LS'
launch in April 1999.
"It’s much more common to simply modify or expand on existing platforms."
Yet Lincoln determined that a new group of customers demanded a new car. If
shorter overhangs were the LS' statement of intent for contention with the
Bavarians, its styling was equally likely to recall sources other than Lincoln.
Like the Continental,
the LS offered large details (more so at its launch), and
suitably chromed grille and ornamentation, together with a parallel waterline –
but the formal roof was gone, in its place a sweeping glasshouse which wedged
sharply at its outlines. To Schrader, timelessness was critical –
"customers
want a modern design but – here's the challenge – one that doesn't try too hard
to make a fashion statement" – so surfacing was both sharper and simpler, while
the overall form offered the air more cleaver than blunderbuss.
From 2000 through 2002, even the grille was minimal in its ostentation, not
chromed in its full perimeter; rather, merely in its header.
As a statement of intent, the
inherent LS was certainly more impressive than
the peripheral Continental,
whose key dynamic claim to fame was that, since 1988, it had offered computer
controlled fully-independent suspension with electronic leveling. For 1995, this
encompassed a Memory Profile system that governed three levels of power steering
and suspension damping (firm; normal, or plush). Yet, as GM Vice Chairman
Robert A.
Lutz noted in his book, Guts (John Wiley & Sons, 2000), this only served to
muddle perceptions of what this car was supposed to be.
In contrast to the
Continental, the
LS was rear-wheel-drive, with near-50/50
weight distribution (note the trunk-mounted battery, à la BMW) enabling better
management of pitching by anti-lift/ anti-dive front and rear suspension
geometry. Measuring 194.3-inches in length, the
LS has been Lincoln’s first true
attempt at a European style sports sedan, riding a 114.5-inch wheelbase and with
a 60.7-inch rear track, 0.1-inches wider than that of the front.
"The long wheelbase allows us to design in what I call quiet time between the
wheels," Schrader explained.
"The customer sees this area of the car as his or
her space – it gives the interior a sense of openness.
Another design
element that supports this impression is the long, sweeping arch that runs
from the A-pillar to the C-pillar."
By the time of the
LS' introduction, Ford usage of aluminum had risen to an
average of 235lbs per vehicle in 1999, from 204lbs per vehicle in 1991.
At launch, the LS had a curb weight of 3,593lbs, including 262lbs of aluminum
components in the engine; chassis; suspension; closure panels, and wheels.
Chassis engineering manager Bill Faulk thought weight particularly important
given the LS' longer wheelbase and length, relative to its competition.
"Aluminum has one-third the density of steel," explained Faulk’s weight engineer
Ken Forsythe.
"This means a component of aluminum can be almost one and a half times thicker
than steel while remaining 50% lighter, when both components are designed to
handle an equal load."
The Aluminum Association, Inc. notes that an aluminum part of the same weight as
a steel part can absorb twice as much energy.
The recyclability of aluminum was
also important; 60 to 70% of all aluminum used in automobiles has been recycled
at least once, Lincoln reminded reporters.
The LS V8
was a low emissions vehicle (LEV) in all 50 states; the
LS V6, LEV in
California, and 13 northeastern states.
Lincoln might have been chasing BMW, adding an untraditional redline to its
tachometer, but there were touches of Americana inside, including
semi-circular dials that swept more horizontally than the Bavarians might
consider; an electronic parking brake switch, only recently chosen by BMW (and
criticized in some circles as Americanized, versus the usual, centrally-located
parking brake), and a stereo system which, in either base; SoundMark (advanced
DSP and 6-disc in-dash CD changer), or THX (with subwoofer, and improved imaging
and timbral balance) form, can still compete with virtually everything in this
segment for crispness, and yet power. The contemporary,
E46 3 series, in
particular, may have packed a Harman/ Kardon unit said to have been designed
around the car, but we have never found it quite satisfactory; the Lincoln is a
mobile acoustic delight.
Under full throttle, there is music, too. The 3.9-liter is shared with Jaguar,
although Jaguar uses a different air intake manifold and modified heads, with
increased stroke that raises the S-Type
motor's displacement to 4.0-liters. Both
220hp, 215lb-ft @ 4,800rpm 3.0-liter DOHC V6 and 252hp, 261lb-ft @ 4,300rpm
3.9-liter DOHC V8 engines featured fail-safe cooling, in which, if a preset
over-temperature condition is reached, alternating cylinder operation begins.
Each disabled cylinder acts as an air pump and cools the engine, while power is
limited, and the air conditioning system, disabled.
The
LS started off well, as the most competitively priced V8 in the segment (at
$35,225), with a $31,450 V6 model available. Opt for the Stuttgart-sourced Getrag 5-speed manual transmission (making the LS the first Lincoln in
forty-eight years to offer this option), and the Sport package (17-inch wheels,
versus 16s) was standard for $32,250. Yet a stick-shift was available for just
the V6, despite Ford’s promises that a V8/ self-shifting combo was forthcoming.
After 2002, the stick-shift was dropped entirely.
Lincoln received over half a million hits on the
LS Internet website by the time
the car reached dealerships in 1999. The LS V8 was expected to be the most
popular configuration, followed by the V6 automatic, and, finally, the V6
stick-shift.
Motor Trend named
LS its
Car of the Year. By 2003, Lincoln was pleased to report
that 70% of LS customers were new to Lincoln, with their average age in the
early-50s.
Not enough customers, however, flocked to the
LS to make its inherent approach
worthwhile.
Yet we love the
LS. Its lines might recall a
Mitsubishi Diamante (even as the
aura is more upscale), and it may have been left behind in the race for gadgets,
but the hardware underneath has always been impressive.
Drive the
LS, and its body rigidity remains beyond reproach. The front
stabilizer is stiff enough to create roll over bumps on the one side, but the
damping is also sufficient to take care of the after-effects, and none are felt
through the body. One does note the front wheels being a touch too perturbed
over bumps - a little jounce from the 17-inch wheels - as though there were too
little suspension travel. We suspect that limiting travel is how Lincoln stays
out of trouble; away from camber issues, in that bumps rarely affect the
LS'
direction.
At 50mph, at between 1,500 and 1,600rpm in 5th, even the
LS V6 is quiet, with a
little tire thrum from the rear, and a little bump/ thump at the front.
Body roll is limited, with relatively little lateral (yaw) movement at the rear;
the limits of this car are high, one thinks, as the car encourages pressing on.
At 70mph, V6 revs climb to 2,400rpm; at 80mph, to 2,700rpm – and it is here, at
cruise, that the LS V8 makes back its additional outlay over the V6. The
LS'
wind noise is well controlled at 80mph, yet the predominant noise is from that
V6 engine, whose vibration additionally comes through the firewall; the
steering-wheel, and the pedals.
Punch the accelerator, and the V6 howls to 3,750rpm in fourth, producing a
rather more pleasant sound than the 2,000-3,000rpm low-frequency moan. Again,
the LS wants to be
driven – a thought that comes through loud and clear even
when manipulating the cruise control, which is quite refined when held;
jerky if operated in tentative increments.
On the highway, steering feel is positive, although the on-center toe-in/ out
feedback is just not quite there, not on par with the
Cadillac CTS let alone
the BMW 3 series.
Things have been damped noticeably, perhaps down to the
lack of suspension travel, to quell some of the vibration. Were it just that
little bit crisper, it would match the CTS.
Theoretically, the
LS has speed-sensitive steering to provide more assistance at
low speeds for easier maneuverability, and less resistance as speeds rise. In
practice, it feels a heavy car to thread through a parking lot, and comes alive
only slightly when pulling out. On back-roads, the steering-wheel does not begin
to self-center until 40mph.
There is no pitch or dive to speak
of. Springs are stiff; dampers are stiff, and yet the
ride is reasonably good (airtight rigidity tends to helps with these things).
Most of the time, at part-throttle, the LS will only really throttle-steer at
the very tip of throttle travel (a common failing of American cars); although,
when you do push the LS, throttle steerability is very good. Even tight corners
do not produce much understeer (unless on dirt or gravel, where the lack of
front suspension travel betrays a lack of grip), and what understeer there is,
burying the pedal cancels out. The brakes are wonderful: progressive in bite,
and that last inch of a complete stop is imperceptible. Even driven hard, an
LS
V6 can return 20mpg.
The automatic transmission jerks as it lets go of shifts and, by today's
standards, it is not sufficiently quick to change down. It offers a neat shift into fourth, but third and
second-gear positions strictly hold third and second, without downshifting under kickdown, and thus the enthusiast driver will prefer the
manumatic. If buying used, this
(standard for 2006) SelectShift comes highly recommended (although sliding the
regular transmission's lever to the right, and into Sport mode, is
curiously
gratifying).
The
LS is the only car we know of whose traction or yaw-monitoring stability
control (AdvanceTrac, if equipped) switch does not flaunt its status in the
driver's line of sight. While traction/ stability control is automatically
activated when the engine is started, the button – and status light – is on the
console, with no corresponding lamp in the instrument cluster. An enthusiast
driver needs no constant reminder that they have chosen to remove the band-aid
from the chassis.
The
LS is also the only car in its segment which continues to offer a tape deck.
Merino carpet and leather seats aside, its door panels are curiously thin; its
packaging, dated in its cramped feeling, and its dashboard layout, fussy in an
age where consolidation has been critical. The console is not as driver-oriented
as the car, in form, or details.
None of the minor controls – climate controls, radio - are damped, except for
the stalks and steering-wheel switches. Positioning the air vents feels
agricultural, and their output – particularly in automatic mode - is not nearly
as good as in, say, a 2006 Cadillac DTS (or even the outgoing,
2000-2005 DeVille).
In the LS, it is almost as though the vents themselves are too small. Someone
could have worked harder on their aesthetics, too.
This is not to say that the
LS' basic ergonomics lack. The seating position is
impeccable. Ten (driver) and eight (passenger)-way power seats are standard,
with manual lumbar support (power lumbar is optional). A power
tilt-and-telescoping steering column is standard. The window switches are all
lit; the driver's door armrest is made of padded material, and the material in
the center console is wonderful; the elbow simply sinks into it. Everyone should
adopt the LS' sliding center console, which we love, given that where the hand
falls with respect to the transmission lever tends to vary with the size of the
forearm. These are nuanced touches, but they add to the experience; it is
gratifyingly easy, for instance, to pull the key out: one quick swoop, and it
glides pleasantly; someone has really thought about this.
Automatic headlamps are offered, but a static position cancels them, thus there
is no need to manually switch the lights off every time the car is started. One
likes to know whether the lights are on (take note, GM).
The
LS is now in its sixth, and final, model year, with LSE trim; new 17-inch
wheels, and two new paint colors incorporated into the final round. The
(upgraded) 232hp, 220lb-ft DOHC 3.0-liter V6 has been dropped, leaving only the
(also upgraded, since launch) 280hp, 286lb-ft DOHC 3.9-liter V8, using a
hydraulic cooling fan for quiet operation, and mated to a 5-speed SelectShift
(manumatic)
automatic.
Inside, black lacquer surfaces have been available to contrast the satin-nickel
trim since the ’03 refresh, as an alternative to real American walnut burl, or
aluminum.
Dual climate control (incorporating automatic airflow control) is standard, with
heated and cooled front seats optional. Rear park assist is available. A
moonroof is optional. Moisture sensitive windshield wipers are optional.
In safety, LS is beyond reproach, winning an Insurance Institute for Highway
Safety (IIHS) Best Pick since its inception through 2005. In U.S. government
testing, LS has earned five-star driver and four-star passenger (five stars, in
2001) ratings in frontal impact testing; five stars for rear impact, and a
five-star rollover rating.
If this car drives so well, why has Lincoln announced its demise? One must
consider the company politics at the time the
LS was launched. The newly-formed
Premier Automotive Group (PAG) would include Lincoln only until Jaguar had
usurped the co-developed chassis for its S-Type, after which the American brand
was summarily dismissed from the club, left as an upscale alternative to the Mercurys
that share its dealership space; purveyor of the behemoth
Navigator SUV,
struggling to sell the smaller Aviator SUV,
and turning out Town Cars
en masse to fleet buyers and American luxury loyalists
(see article:
'Lincoln languishes
as PAG plunders').
It was hardly an auspicious beginning for a sports sedan designed to take on the
BMW 5 series.
The basic idea behind the
LS was to
build a four-door luxury sports sedan with
power; ride, and handling that sacrificed nothing in luxury and comfort. BMW
offers appearance packages on non-M-equipped models, and so Lincoln has had
similar add-ons for the LS V6. There would be, however, no sportier,
halo version than
the V8; nothing to match BMW's M series, let alone the
Jaguar S-Type R (whose
platform, lest we forget, the LS shares). An
LSE package was offered in 2003,
but amounted to no more than differently-styled wheels and fasciae, and a
spoiler.
Author Thomas E. Bonsall takes the
LS'
interior to task, noting that while
"the
S-Type’s interior design was simply beautiful and reeked of what (the late
Jaguar designer Geoff) Lawson liked to call Jaguar DNA,"
the interior of the LS
was "oddly sterile.
"All the right pieces were
there – many of them shared with the S-Type – but they made no statement.
Many automotive journalists thought the LS looked downright plain inside."
The cabin of the
LS is certainly more functional than indulgent – but then, the
car, in an overt sense, is not indulgent either.
Right car, wrong brand. The advantage, of course, is the true enthusiast's; the
LS is selling well below an MSRP that already makes it a performance bargain,
and low resale values mean that $13k will buy a
'00 LS V8.
"Potential LS customers are… independent, open-minded, and confident but, at the
same time, they’re not ostentatious," Lincoln conjectured at the
LS' launch.
"They don't believe that the best choice in automobiles necessarily has to be
the most obvious or expensive."
Neither do we.
Yet it must be said that where Lincoln has failed is to appeal not only to the
true enthusiast, but the true believer. Lincoln suggests that customer clinics
found the LS
"timeless," but periphery has long trumped inherent value, and
Lincoln has neither the patience nor the budget to argue.
LS
was to "play a critical role
in expanding Lincoln's presence as a global brand."
Today, the brand's presence is more philosophical than ordinate, and the
LS
stands curiously outside it. The Navigator
broadened the Lincoln brand beyond traditional luxury offers on the one hand,
and the LS,
on the other. The former has been
more successful, even though just 60% of its buyers have been new to Lincoln
(versus 70% for the LS,
in 2003).
Former Lincoln president Mark Hutchins suggested in 2001,
"in its short history, LS
has defined American luxury… redefining what luxury is to American consumers."
To Hutchins, this meant being
"fresh; clean; attractive, and
comfortable," all commendable attributes that, roughly, aptly describe the
LS.
In the end, though, the vagaries of American luxury appear to have defined the
LS' short existence.
While Vice President of Marketing for Lincoln/ Mercury Jim Rogers talked of
"superb American comfort" at the
LS' launch, it must be said that rarely has an
American car featured seat bottoms that are quite so stiff. Redefining American
luxury requires, again, internal clarity; patience, and a budget – and, again,
Lincoln has had none.
Enthusiasts who can cut through the
periphery have (and will) find an inherently superlative car. Perhaps the
history books will offer the LS
its due requital, for it does not deserve its impending requiem.
