Roadrunner Posted May 5, 2007 Share Posted May 5, 2007 I just wanted to say that the Lincoln LS still looks classy and good, even though the design came out in 1999. It is aging well and it is such a wonderful looking car. The back could have been more aggressive, but outside of that, man I'm impressed. Not everything ages well designwise -- the 1996 Taurus, not so much as the previous 2nd-gen. A few Buicks really aren't aging well either. I get this feeling the MKZ won't age as well, but will "keep". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LSFan00 Posted May 5, 2007 Share Posted May 5, 2007 Totally agree. While originally maybe too similar to a Diamante from a distance, or BMW from many styling perspectives, they are good cues overall (shoulder, grille, tail light) and don't just start to look aweful at a point. Like most Buick styling cues in the Lucerne/Lacrosse (portholes, styling vents) which will do just the opposite and have little to no brand affiliation with high-end marques. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anthony Posted May 5, 2007 Share Posted May 5, 2007 I still think the LS is a fine looking car. It has aged well. I would picked up a nice used example were I in the market for a car like that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ford-150 Posted May 5, 2007 Share Posted May 5, 2007 when i was looking for a new vehicle i was seriously considering getting the LS, it looks great, has a good power train, and it looks great Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sherminator98 Posted May 5, 2007 Share Posted May 5, 2007 Too bad it looks too much like this: Mitsubishi Diamante Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ANTAUS Posted May 6, 2007 Share Posted May 6, 2007 I'm on my 3rd LS, and because I've had 3, all the same color, the comments have always been... "Gee, your car has lasted so many years the way you treat it" (since it changed so little from year to year, they perceive I still have the original 2000 one I 1st had). "Is that a BMW?" (usually if they see it from a distance, from the front) If I mention "I have an LS", they think Lexus, so I must correct them. 1/3rd of the time, someone has no idea what a Lincoln LS is. So I have to share the story "Well one time Ford wanted to go Euro, so they came up with this vehicle, cousin with the Jag S-type"...then they go blank, then I say "Same thing as the Tbird but with 2 extra doors Lincolnized" THEN you see them understand..."ohhhh ok, I didn't know that".... If they see the back end first, unmistakably Lincoln since all their vehicles of that period had a similar design philosophy. I think what has helped it aged well is a fine balanced between nothing overly garrish, but at the same time some details which are still favorably being used today. The last one I have has much less chrome than the original one I had, so I believe has helped it somewhat. Rear end was cleaned up a bit too. And color choices also factor in...I find the original beigey ones to feel a bit "old"...and every so often you always seen a white one with a landau roof, urrrrr Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
02MustangGT Posted May 6, 2007 Share Posted May 6, 2007 I completely agree, the LS is one nice looking car. We purchased one in 2005 as a replacement for my wife's Alero. We couldn't pass on getting a new Lincoln that MSRP'd at $34k for less than $23 grand. While I am disappointed with the depreciation after 2 years, I have no real complaints about the car. However, I do like the "first gen" tailights better than the tailights on our car. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomServo92 Posted May 6, 2007 Share Posted May 6, 2007 Ford really screwed up when they let this car rot. 100% agree. We have an '02 LS V8 and we just spent the day running errands all over town in it. I love the mix of performance and luxury. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichardJensen Posted May 6, 2007 Share Posted May 6, 2007 Ford really screwed up when they let this car rot. No, Ford screwed up when they made it an orphan product with no derivatives (larger sedan, XUV, etc.) off it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Traveler Posted May 6, 2007 Share Posted May 6, 2007 It had its day, but I think it was ill-conceived to thank that the car would have success platform-sharing with the Jaguar S-Type. I believe there were barriers already existing that would have prevented improving the car too much. MSRP on the cars ran high, power started out a bit too low and Ford was dragging their feet making substanial cosmetic changes to the car. Aside from enthusiasts, many just don't care if a Lincoln is FWD or RWD...at least not the entry level models. The MKZ is a fine example of good mix of luxury, looks and power...as long as buyers don't know they're driving around in a glorified Mazda. I think the LS was a great car that was out of its element when it arrived in Lincoln garb and just didn't have any place to go but stagnating sales. It was built on a platform with higher priced cars and the power and luxury could not approach its higher priced sibling. The MKZ, on the other hand, is the top end model on a flexible FWD/AWD platform. It is my belief that should Ford choose to build the MKR, it will replace both the Town Car and LS combined on a platform that is more liveable long-term. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roadrunner Posted May 6, 2007 Author Share Posted May 6, 2007 Who was the lead designer for the LS? Does anyone know? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hbalek Posted May 6, 2007 Share Posted May 6, 2007 Who was the lead designer for the LS? Does anyone know? I don't remember the guy's name but I think he was German. I remember he was quoted in Car and Driver and other car mags when it was first revealed. Ford had such high hopes for this car and not just in the U.S. but around the world! http://www.autoworld.com/news/Lincoln/2000_lincoln_ls.htm http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m316...ept/ai_57165173 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hbalek Posted May 6, 2007 Share Posted May 6, 2007 I don't remember the guy's name but I think he was German. I remember he was quoted in Car and Driver and other car mags when it was first revealed. Ford had such high hopes for this car and not just in the U.S. but around the world! http://www.autoworld.com/news/Lincoln/2000_lincoln_ls.htm http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m316...ept/ai_57165173 I remember the designer comparing it to classic European luxury designs by Mercedes and BMW which are known to stand the test of time. Remeber this is the era when Wolfgang Reitzle from BMW had been hired to run PAG. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hbalek Posted May 6, 2007 Share Posted May 6, 2007 I remember the designer comparing it to classic European luxury designs by Mercedes and BMW which are known to stand the test of time. Remeber this is the era when Wolfgang Reitzle from BMW had been hired to run PAG. The Chief Designer is Helmuth Schrader. Here is an article: http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m316...v34/ai_20516487 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpd80 Posted May 6, 2007 Share Posted May 6, 2007 For reference, the Aussie Falcon and Holden Commodore are near on the same size. Only difference is that they're an awful lot cheaper to build. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fordtech1 Posted May 6, 2007 Share Posted May 6, 2007 The LS is a great car. The two biggest problems that I have heard complaints are the lack of leg room for the back seat and ofcourse the early models had a lot of problems. I got my mom one with D-plan in 03 and she loves it. 03 was the first year of the 280hp and updated interior. However, the car has had a few problems, but nothing major. I think they could have really sold alot more if they actually marketed it. I only saw a few commercials. I remember Car and Driver said the LS is what Catera was supposed to be. If they kept marketing it and gave it updates, I think it would still be alive. The depreciation is terrible, but I think that is because of the reliability record. Even though it was a Lincoln, it has Jaguar DNA. Maybe the MKS will help fill the void. Mom is looking at replacing the LS within a year or so. I would rather her stay in the Lincoln family. But she doesn't like the MKZ as much as her LS. Her biggiest complaint is the manual console p-brake. She has been spoiled with the electric p-brake. Says it looks cheap. Oh well time will tell. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ANTAUS Posted May 6, 2007 Share Posted May 6, 2007 The Lincoln LS was rated 2nd, behind the Tbird in it' segment....in JDPower's Vehicle Dependability Survey in 2005.... LINK-JDPower I tell that to people and they are shocked that it was ahead of an ES300. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wescoent Posted May 6, 2007 Share Posted May 6, 2007 No, Ford screwed up when they made it an orphan product with no derivatives (larger sedan, XUV, etc.) off it. That was exactly the problem. Ford spent a ton of money developing a magnificent architecture, but they made the mistake of not making it flexible enough. If they really engineered true flexibility into it (including cost of parts), they could have had the Mustang, Thunderbird, Lincoln LS, Town Car, Mk9, Navicross, S-Type, and XJ all on a common platform. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Edstock Posted May 6, 2007 Share Posted May 6, 2007 IMHO, the chassis wasn't wide enough, both between the front spring towers and the passenger compartment. Imagine if it could've been designed to accept the 5.4 from the beginning . . . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ANTAUS Posted May 6, 2007 Share Posted May 6, 2007 The same occured with the MN112, it was an over-engineered platform, but not flexible enough...what a shame. The philosphy before was usually taking an expensive platform and engineering it to a point where it's viable for vehicles with less of a profit in those 2 cases. Now we get cheaper bargain basement platforms, (CD3 for example) then engineering them to a degree where luxury vehicles are spun off it...Same with the C1 going from a plebian Euro Focus, up to a Volvo and beyond. Notice this is what has worked for the foreign competitors like Toyota and Honda.... Of course, don't dare tell a Toyota loyality their 2007 Lexus ES350 rides on modified 1992 Camry platform Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CarShark Posted May 7, 2007 Share Posted May 7, 2007 I can't stand all of these "age well" comments. "Age well" is just a polite way of saying a car had dull styling in the first place, which the LS had in spades. Anyways, I can't help but make the comparison between the LS and the Cadillac CTS. Both were similarly sized, priced, spec'd, but the first-gen CTS had more adventurous styling, and that's why there's a second generation. I think that even if Ford had done the proper updates, the sleepy styling would have killed it anyways. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
retro-man Posted May 7, 2007 Share Posted May 7, 2007 (edited) Did the '56 T-Bird have "dull styling"? Did the '65 Mustang have "dull styling"? No, they didn't. And yet, they have aged amazingly well. This 1995 BMW 7 series: does have "dull styling" - in the sense that I think you mean it: No whiz-bang, no side cladding, no wings, no shark gills or wildly bulging fenders. But it is crisply tailored and handsome. It is "timeless". So was the LS. And it has aged very well, thank you. Let's see if the later, Bangle-butt BMWs do as well. "Dull styling" can be very exciting when it is done well. Edited May 7, 2007 by retro-man Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CarShark Posted May 7, 2007 Share Posted May 7, 2007 Did the '56 T-Bird have "dull styling"? Did the '65 Mustang have "dull styling"? No, they didn't. And yet, they have aged amazingly well.No, they haven't. The T-Bird is majestically ugly and dated and ever-so-fifties kitsch-y. The '65 Mustang hardtop and convertible are tryptophantastic, and the fastback is hopelessly tacky. Of course, I expect to disagree with someone self-named "retro-man", since I've found that in general many of the retro designs that are so popular (HHR, new Mustang, Camaro concept) don't really resonate with me. When I see "retro", I read it as "old", and I don't like old. I don't think that you can expect many designs to stand the test of time when tastes change so often and so drastically. I think that people here have the bar set too low. Anything that doesn't offend the senses "ages well". This 1995 BMW 7 series...does have "dull styling" - in the sense that I think you mean it: No whiz-bang, no side cladding, no wings, no shark gills or wildly bulging fenders. But it is crisply tailored and handsome. It is "timeless". So was the LS. And it has aged very well, thank you. Let's see if the later, Bangle-butt BMWs do as well. "Dull styling" can be very exciting when it is done well.No it can't. Dull is dull. "Timeless" just means that that the design isn't good at any time. The BMW is the same as many other BMWs, and indeed, cars of the 80s-mid 90s: devoid of design detail, featureless as a potato. It's just that now that BMWs are aggressively overstyled, everyone's gone back to the dullness and said, "Hey! This is much better!" Pathetic. The fact that BMW can't find a happy medium between the boring 1-Series and 3-Series and the blind-you-at-40-paces 5-6-and 7-Series, X3, X5 and Z4 might be the reason they are losing money. Of course, few people here would not take up the chance to bash Lexus for their brand of conservative styling, yet I doubt any of you would say that the LS and Co. will "age well". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tim kakouris Posted May 7, 2007 Share Posted May 7, 2007 car shark, do you like any car styling more than 10 minutes old? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomServo92 Posted May 7, 2007 Share Posted May 7, 2007 (edited) So you prefer the "design du-jour" that falls in popularity just as fast as it rose? Because if it doesn't, then obviouly it must be dull, at least according to your logic, right? Anything that remains popular over any period of time is just a shitty design and not worthy of consideration? Whatever dude.... Edited May 7, 2007 by TomServo92 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.