I think the bronco already lends itself to having off-road credibility while still having good on road manners, which is why it’s been successful against the jeep. This new Lincoln doesn’t have to have greater capability than the bronco already has in my opinion, so focusing on refinement would be sufficient.   As for customers, I think Lincoln needs to take steps to move down into the 40 to 60 range, an average income is good.  Their next vehicles need to take great steps to shed that old timer image, even though I don’t think their current lineup suggest that. Something like a G wagon, competitor can help with that, but I also think they need something on the halo vehicle side that isn’t necessarily an SUV.   I hate to say it, but getting in bed with major social media influencers could help drive that age down. I personally don’t get it, but young people love them, and they have helped grow various brands from scratch.     I really think they need to get aggressive on this. Myself and my wife are probably considered in the old crowd at this point at 52, but I couldn’t get my wife to buy an Aviator because she thinks only old people drive them.   Along with trying to rejuvenate the brand, I would like to see a new logo. I don’t find the Lincoln symbol to be very interesting, though this is just a minor quibble.    I still have to believe that product is king, and if you build the right thing, everybody will want one.  Whatever they come up with, I hope it’s great because this is the first thing to get excited about in a while for me.        

I never referenced Toyota or any other brand in my statement, nor do I expect any machine to be perfect, but anytime there is a recall all most people will see is 4.4 million Ford vehicles impacted by a recall and they won’t even read past the headline to see it was only s/w that will be corrected by OTA. When you consider Ford had a record number of recalls last year, the average consumer will likely just think it’s more of the same. My point is, every recall matters whether simple or major, and your quality reputation is getting a death by a thousand cuts.    Let’s see how the rest of 2026 goes before passing judgement on their quality improvements. I’m hoping we will see the progress. 

Understood....and I would always defend Ford on that point.  But who is ALWAYS getting the headlines??  And in defending the software issues I get the point, but while some may be fixed  remotely, some are a nuisance factor.  I'm going through that now...constant "System shutting down to conserve battery"  Took it to dealer a few months ago and they said "battery fine"-I still had about 10 months on my 36 month warranty. Now I see there is a recall for batteries!

Ford's retort to the "Fixed Or Repaired Daily" was For Outstanding Reliability (and) Durability.

So, I saw (but, didn't get a picture of...sorry) a Silver 2002 Mercury Sable LS this afternoon coming out of the bank ATM lane...driven by an older couple and it looks like they just got it washed...I thought, "Ya know what? That looks very nice..." It has been quite a while since there was a nice looking FoMoCo sedan tooling around and I found myself wondering about Ford's return to the sedan market....if done right, it will be met with success. Stock picture for reference.    I put this in the Lincoln forum as there is no Mercury forum  

This afternoon's updated gas prices in Hamden, CT 06514 (Greater New Haven)  $2.39 Regular (Cash) @ Undesignated (Former Gulf) Price is not a typo! GasBuddy will not post the price which is well below the average market price in the area.   $2.99 Regular (Cash) @ Citgo (Increased $0.10 from $2.89)   The Hamden Gulf station was sold about a month ago. There is still no new signage installed but the station is selling Regular grade at $2.39, well below the average market price in the area. The clerk was unable to tell me what gas brand is being sold and told me that the new owner is a company called Oasis, which I've never heard of. 

I mean last year we had what? 126 recalls? This year we're nearly 2 months in and we've had 3. If people can't see that as a massive improvement, I don't know what to say. 

Agreed, the maverick has had a lot of software recalls, but is generally regarded as the most reliable, or one of the most reliable trucks on sale because the baseline mechanicals are so stout. Giving my truck to a dealership for half a day so they can install a software update is a lot different than needing a transmission replacement. 

The worst was the first gen Edge fuel tank issue.  The mfr had already stopped making them in favor of a new design, so these Edges had to sit and wait for the mfr to retool production which took months if not a year or two.  I still think if Ford can't fix your undriveable vehicle within a month or two they should buy it back at fair market value or what you paid if it's within the first year and give you A plan pricing on a replacement.  Whether it's a parts or labor shortage.

See list above.