jesster1228

Where are all these MKZs in LA? I have only seen 2 on the road. Just drove up to Las Vegas and back last weekend and saw 0 MKZs. Plenty of MKXs, Navis, and even a '13 MKS (which looked pretty mean in the rear view mirror coming up quickly from behind at +100mph.)

There's also a huge seam along the rear bumper above the reflectors, going up at an angle through the "SE" in the word "PLEASE", over the top just after the shark fin antenna exactly where a clamshell door would open.

I know I'm in the minority but I actually dig the new Cherokee - but only the TrailHawk model especially in all black like this one:

If they go with a plug-in MKZ should it use the "energi" nameplate? It always bugged me that ecoboost is used for both Ford & Lincoln. Lincoln should've stuck with Twin Force (though I don't know what they'd call the single turbo engines.) How can they distance the brands when they use the same names. Same thing with MyFord Touch & MyLincoln Touch. Toyota has Entune while Lexus has Enform. Cadillac has CUE and the Impala uses MyLink. That said, I don't know what term they'd use. Something like ecoCharge or powerLINC?

The problem with the current grille is that it's so flat and has no dimension. I like the inspiration of the 60s Continental but wish they had done something more like the original MKX: :

My dad bought my sister a Pulsar NX Turbo back in '83 (It actually was an '83.5 model). It was on it's 3rd turbocharger before it hit 60k miles and was dead well before 100k. What a tin can POS. On the trunklid it had Datsun badges on the left and Nissan badges on the right, so it's always been stuck in my mind that anything made by Nissan (even if it's badged a Datsun) is junk.

Over at Ford Inside News there's much discussion about a refreshed Navigator for 2014 to hold down the fort before the all-new 2016 MkN debuts. Supposedly the '14s will have all new interiors, powertrains, and revised front & rear styling. Will the '14 take on the split wing grille? Here's my crude chop. Reminds me of my old '96 Explorer that was kinda curvy up front but attached to the first generation overly square body.

Thanks for the advice beechkid. Funny thing is I live almost exactly equidistant from South Bay Lincoln & Caruso Lincoln and I chose to go to Caruso because their showroom & service is separated from their Ford facilities next door. SB F/L struck me as a factory with lots of cars going in for service and the numerous advisors sitting outside in their cubicles in the drive aisles where Caruso has a more boutique (for lack of a better word) set up. I'll definitely take a look into SB Lincoln for the next service.

Here's a couple more "classic" Lincoln designer series color schemes. I left off all the twin accent pinstriping, wire wheels, and carriage roofs.

I was on the Lincoln website last night looking at the 2014 MKZ colors. Returned this morning and the 2014 is gone. If you hover over the MKZ pic it says "2014" but it links you back to the 2013. Hmm, are there more changes in store for 2014 than we know of?

What do you guys think if Lincoln brought back the option of 2 tone paint schemes? No one outside of Rolls Royce or Bugatti offers them anymore. If done right it could be a way to really stand out from the crowd. I personally LOVED the Mark V with the nautical-inspired Bill Blass blue & white color scheme so I did a quick mock up of an MKZ BB edition for fun. What do you think?

I vote quirk. The mirrors should have tilted back up to the normal position when shifted out of reverse. Oddly enough, my sister's '03 Expedition has that feature while my '06 Navigator doesn't. My old C-Class did it and I really miss the convenience.

Sterling Gray was offered on all Lincolns but not at the same time: MKS 2011-2012 MKT 2010 MKX 2009-2010 MKZ 2010-2012 Navigator 2010-2013

To add insult to injury... When I picked up the MKS there it was in the service aisle ready to go except it hadn't been washed even though they said it would be. Nobody greeted me upon my arrival and the cashier didn't even bother with a "Thank you" or "Have a nice day" as she slid the key under the security glass (something you'll never see at Mercedes.) In contrast, after picking up the Lincoln I went to pick up the Mercedes. That dealer has a new Express Pick Up program where you call ahead 15 minutes and your car is ready when you arrive. Of course, as my day was going, the car was not ready to go. The customer service manager saw that I was agitated after waiting about 10 minutes and came over to personally apologize for the wait. I told him that I called ahead for Express Pick Up and he apologized again and ran off. A minute later he returned with a gift. It was an insulated stainless steel travel mug with the Mercedes Benz logo on it from their gift shop. The price tag on it was $38. This is the kind of extra touch that Lincoln should be providing.

Lincoln service is VERY disappointing. This morning I brought our '10 MKS in to Caruso Lincoln in Long Beach, CA because the brake pedal has been squeaking since the car was purchased 3 months ago as a CPO vehicle. The service advisor could not replicate the problem and told me any adjustments wouldn't be done under warranty. What? This car is still under factory warranty plus we paid for the additional extended premium CPO warranty. He tried to call the used car manager to see what could be done but she was no where to be found. I told the advisor that I would leave and return when the squeak started again. He told me it would be better to call the manager and see what she says. He basically was passing the buck on to the next guy. Why would he not just take the car and diagnose the problem? I don't care if it needed to be handled by the used car or the new department - it just needed to be handled. As I drove off the lot the squeak started again so I went right back. Turned out the used car manager was not on the lot but they got a used car mechanic with a bottle of WD40 & a flashlight to try and lubricate the pedal. Then a second service advisor asked if I needed a ride home? Was I leaving the car there? Nobody informed me of that. Why was this not the approach the first time I drove up? So I asked for a loaner which should be provided under the premium warranty but was told there were none available. So I waited 30 minutes for a ride home. When I got on the shuttle (a crappy E-Series van) I lived the farthest so I was stuck on the shuttle for nearly an additional hour. THIS IS NOT LUXURY! An hour before I went to the Lincoln dealership I dropped off my '08 Mercedes for warranty service. I was in and out quickly after 2 signatures with a complimentary loan car. In a world where even KIA & Hyundai are offering high-end car features, true luxury includes the service experience. I really expect a higher level of service from Lincoln. I keep reading the hype about the rebirth of Lincoln and the new levels of customer service. I have yet to experience it.

Everyone? I know a few people who don't even know what an Infiniti is or that it's considered a luxury brand. Hell, half of America spells it Infinity. And remember the G wasn't always a competent sport sedan and the M originally wasn't a high-end sedan. The original G20 was a sub-$20k entry level model with a Sentra engine and the original M was the super square, archaic, and dated M30 coupe?

Does it really matter what manufacturers name their cars? I (unfortunately) had to go to a funeral over the weekend and while we were outside a small crowd formed around the MKS. Maybe it was its hulking size, the shiny 20" wheels, or the cinnamon metallic paint (compared to everyone else's silver & black cars) that brought them over. Absolutely no one paid attention to the 7-series, RX or RDX that were parked next to it. No one cared or probably even knew it was an MKS but they recognized the star on the grille and all I kept hearing was "Damn, that's a nice Lincoln!" It's the LINCOLN part that's important. And since all Lincolns start with MK then really all you have to remember is Z, X, S, or T (and Navigator, of course.) BTW, I so hate it when people refer to our Navi as an Escalade. Speaking of Caddies, I used to chuckle when the Seville STS first came out because STS was a trim name. So the Seville STS was actually a "Seville Seville Touring Sedan". And it got worse when they started badging the Eldorado Touring Coupe as the ETC. Et cetera, et cetera... And if Cadillac naming makes so much sense why is the CTS Coupe not called a CTC?

Another mostly positive MKZ Hybrid review. This time it's AutoGuide:

I didn't see this review by The Car Guide listed yet. Overall glowing review except that they could not hit the MPG numbers. http://www.guideautoweb.com/en/articles/20914/2013_lincoln_mkz_hybrid_best_electric_foot_forward/

Those women could've used a can of Red Bull to liven up a bit. I was just glad to hear that they acknowledged there's a problem with Lincoln interiors being too similar to Fords and that changes are on the way. Also, what "really cool stuff" do you think they'll be showing at Pebble Beach that they couldn't talk about (40m:30s)? Production MKC? Concept version of MKS? Updated Navigator?

I'm so tired of reading how the volume & fan sliders don't work well. Most drivers will adjust volume on the steering wheel and with the A/C set on AUTO there's no reason to use the fan control.

Autoline After Hours did a 30 minute interview with 2 Lincoln interior designers to discuss what's coming up. They were very tight lipped but did state that they are currently creating a portfolio of Lincoln exclusive interior & exterior colors, materials, textures, stitching styles, etc... for the 3 upcoming models. They also quickly mentioned that they will offer unique interior looks for future "VERY HIGH-END LINCOLNS." Interview starts around the 24min mark. www.autoline.tv

At least they still offer 2 years. Mercedes dropped their complimentary service back in 2005. Didn't seem to hurt their sales or image. When we got our CPO 2010 MKS we purchased a pre-paid maintenance plan from the dealer that covers the entire time we own the car.