|
|
Ford Motor Co. went back to the future in designing its 2009 Lincoln MKS as the flagship of the company's luxury brand.
Inspired by the 1941 Lincoln Continental, the MKS' double-wing grille sweeps up and aligns with the high-intensity headlamps, forming a gleaming element across the top half of the nose.
The company gets flat-out highfalutin in its praise for the MKS, calling it "guilt-free luxury" since materials used in the car reflect the finer things in life but not at the expense of the world around them.
Leather for the seats came from Bridge of Weir, a Scottish company that supplied hides for the iconic Continental Mark II. Ford said it picked this leather because of its high quality and organic, chromium- free tanning process.
It's the softest leather ever used in a Lincoln, Ford said. And they certainly are the softest I've ever encountered.
The ebony wood in the test model was reclaimed from furniture makers and other sources to minimize the environmental impact.
But the sum of these parts all come together nicely in a stylish, comfortable ride.
But Lincoln has the practical side covered, too.
It's got what one observer said was a trunk that fictional mobster Tony Soprano could love. It features 18.4 cubic feet of space, four times more than some of the competition.
That's big enough to handle stuff for an extended family vacation or four golf bags plus some luggage.
However,
The six-speed transmission could be left in the automatic mode or shifted manually. The latter gives the car a sporty feel.
Best of all, it operates on regular-grade fuel, and we averaged just over 18 miles per gallon in a week of city and highway driving.
Ford equipped this Lincoln with what it calls Intelligent Access and a push-button start. This allows the driver to enter and start the car without using a key. The special key fob even works if it is kept in the trunk, pocket or a briefcase.
The cabin is comfortable and spacious with surprisingly large rear seats that can serve as a bench or be divided by a fold- down center console.
"There is nothing on the cockpit that is concentrated only on the driver," Peter Horbury, Ford's executive director of design for the Americas, said in a statement.
"With Lincoln, the business-class ride is a shared experience for all on board."
OK. That's a little over the top, but it is accurate.
greg.wilcox@dailynews.com 818-713-3743
Font Resize
