Overview & Reviews

Lincoln is an automaker with a long history of building upscale vehicles for the American market. A division of Ford, Lincoln differentiates its vehicles through additional luxury features, more powerful engines and unique styling. The automaker's lineup includes cars, pickups and SUVs.

The company was established in 1917 by Henry Leland, an automotive parts manufacturer who had previously founded the Cadillac brand. He named the company after his boyhood hero: the 16th U.S. president, Abraham Lincoln. Early Lincoln models include the L Series and the K Series. The company quickly hit dire straits, however, and was bought by Ford Motor Company in 1922.

Lincoln had found its niche in the luxury-car segment by the 1930s, riding high with the likes of Cadillac as a purveyor of premium status-mobiles. The 1936 model year saw Lincoln's launch of the popular Zephyr. The car's name and styling were inspired by the sleek lines of the Burlington Zephyr, a diesel-powered express train that boasted record-setting speed. The car was a big hit for Lincoln; at one point, nearly 80 percent of all Lincolns sold were Zephyrs.

The '40s also saw the rise of the glamorous Continental. The vehicle's development was shepherded by Edsel Ford, son of Ford's founder Henry Ford. After World War II, Lincoln maintained its premium status with vehicles like the Mark II and the '60s-era Continentals, which gained fame through their "suicide-style" rear doors and use as U.S. presidential limousines. The Continental Mark III luxury coupe rolled out in 1968 and by the late '60s, more than 1 million Continentals had been built.

The 1970s saw the launch of the Mark IV as well as a new Lincoln, the Versailles. The Versailles was the first midsize sedan from the marque, and right from the start, it missed the mark with the public. The Versailles was based on the Ford Granada platform, and many blamed its failure on its obvious similarity to its less exclusive -- and less expensive -- twin.

In 1981, Lincoln released its now iconic Town Car, the full-size luxury sedan that has since served as the marque's flagship. Though its moniker had been used to designate trim levels in previous years, 1981 was the year in which the Town Car came into existence as an individual model. Lincoln also distinguished itself during these years as the first American car line to offer antilock braking. The Mark series continued to evolve, and shrunk down considerably with the debut of the Mark VI. That velvet-lined cruiser was followed mid-decade by the Mark VII, which was more European in nature and could even be powered by a BMW turbodiesel engine.

The '90s saw the debut of the Mark VIII, which featured a four-cam V8 and air suspension. By this time, sport-utility vehicles had emerged as a segment to be reckoned with, and Lincoln made the most of this trend by launching its very first SUV, the Ford Expedition-based Navigator, for 1998. Bedecked in chrome and fitted with plush leather and luxury features galore, the massive truck was a breakout hit.

The new millennium marked the debut of the Euro-flavored, midsize LS sedan that shared much of its platform with Jaguar's S-Type sedan. More recently, Lincoln has dropped the long-lived Town Car and updated its lineup with the MKS and MKZ sedans as well as the MKX crossover SUV in hopes of attracting a new generation of consumers. Some of its offerings fall short of the competition in areas such as performance and refinement. Still, the marque is a favorite of car buyers seeking a generous dose of all-American luxury.

User Reviews:

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  Do not buy - 2012 Lincoln MKX
  By akalucky - August 7 - 8:50 pm

  I have just traded in my MKX after owning it for less than a year. The new Lincoln and Ford MyTouch Sync is a disaster. This system was pushed to market far to soon - very disappointed in Ford. The system is buggy and slow. Do not purchase any vehicle with the Ford or Lincoln MyTouch.

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  Should Have Known no to buy another Ford - 2004 Lincoln Navigator
  By gjnockie - June 28 - 7:20 pm

  Should have known not to buy another Ford product. Every one I have had has been trouble. Its amazing that they still have any customers. So far in 7.000 mi. the front seats are falling apart, the windshield looks like it was installed by a 2 year old, the paint quality, interior fit and finish are a joke and the dealer just ordered a whole new rear end because it whines! Someone needs to explain to Ford that when a customer spends 50K plus for a Lincoln it needs to be built better than a Explorer! Why dont these guys get it? My advice is to buy Japanese... its a shame but they just do a much, much better job! I am going to sell this piece of junk soon and go back to Toyota.

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  Bad - 2006 Lincoln Zephyr
  By Michelle - June 5 - 1:26 pm

  There are big time steering problems with this vehicle. Without four lanes forget a u-turn. Pulling into a parking space requires that you backup and correct. Hard to believe it has rack and pinion steering! The engine sounds like a tinker toy not that of a $30,000 luxury car. Forget having to accelerate quickly when merging onto the interstate or turnpike. At 52, I would I was more consumer savvy. Wrong!

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  okay buy - 2004 Lincoln Town Car
  By Mike Sawmill - May 8 - 10:00 am

  My Linclon has a nice v6 engine and rides niceley and is comportable yet this royal pain flys off on me and is terrioble on windy roads. This car stalled out on me last month after having it for 4 months. I want to go back to my old Toyota Avalon or Infiniti G35 instead of this car.

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  Ups and downs - 2016 Lincoln MKX
  By David - March 29 - 12:25 pm

  The upsides to the car: Handles and accelerates beautifully. I have the 2.7L ecoboost and the 21 inch rims. Power if plentiful, ride is smooth, and it handles like a much smaller sedan. Its a drivers vehicle and oozes competence on the road. I like most of the tech features a lot, and after my last vehicle (A BMW), Im glad to be looking at a sensibly laid-out touchscreen. All the parking aids and such are wonderful and the stereo sounds great. Lincoln has also been great, and Ive been really happy with the dealer support. The downsides: Even with the 22-way adjustable seat (which actually only adjusts in 7 or 8 different ways), I just cant get comfortable. The seats crane my neck forward and the bottom seat bolsters dig into my thighs. The ergonomics of the car are kind of a mess - as an example, the seat controls are silly complex, with multiple pull down menus and four or five different buttons. The transmission controls are on the dash, but that doesnt wind up freeing up any usable space - you get this goofy under console shelf that is barely usable. And, too bad if you want to power your phone - the power source is at the bottom of the dash and certainly impossible to reach unless you stop the car and bend down low. Some of the features just dont work very well: waving your foot under the back bumper rarely opens the back the first time, and the air cooled seats arent really very cool. MPG is abysmal (although nobody lied to me about that one - I knew that going in) and the visibility out back is atrocious. Somewhere in the middle: The fit and finish overall is very good, and the materials are mostly nice. For example, the leather on the seats is high quality. But, there are some hard cheap plastics in the interior. Feels real upscale to me, but I never owned a Lexus or Mercedes. Im not entirely sure Lincoln has hit the lofty objective of competing with Lexus.

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  CADDY NEXT TIME - 1999 Lincoln Town Car
  By BIG DADDY - March 23 - 2:00 am

  IT LOOK GOOD AT THE DEALER SHIP BUT BY THE TIME I GOT IT HOME I COULDNT STAND IT. IT IS WAY TO SMALL IN THE FRONT SEATING AREAS, WORST STEREO OF ANY CAR I HAVE EVER HAD. REAL CHEAP MATERIALS, CLEAR COAT SEEMS TO HAVE RUBBED OFF. JUST A VERY SORRY CAR IV HAD 2 TOWN CARS IN THE PAST 1985, 1992 THEY WERE A LOT BETTER THAN THIS ONE. I CANT WAIT TILL MY LEASE IS UP. CADDY DTS HERE I COME...........

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  Not worth the operating cost - 2005 Lincoln Navigator
  By Homer Gaines - February 23 - 6:03 am

  The gasoline milage of this vehicle is far below what was stated on the sticker. Lincoln says its my driving habits, but whether I use a feather on the accelerator or not, it still gets 8 MPG in normal driving, and the best I have gotten on the highway is 14MPG. And thats with a mighty tailwind!

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  Too bad 2 - 2004 Lincoln Aviator
  By toobad2 - February 18 - 10:00 am

  Nice vehicle, but multiple small problems which have taken several visits per problem to resolve. In cold climate, the climate control system is horrendous. When heating, blows cold air on side windows and windshield and very warm air at feet. Makes for very uncomfortable passenger compartment, and also difficult to keep windows defrosted. This results in safety concern. Lincoln says this is "normal" and "within spec". Customer service after the sale is horrible, and dont expect anything when you call the Customer Service Center. Too bad for such an expensive vehicle.

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  ELECTRICAL PROBLEMS, ETC. - 2009 Lincoln MKS
  By revanitra - February 4 - 9:35 am

  The 2009 Lincoln MKS was my first and only desired car that year. Initially when I leased it everything appeared to be fine. About 1 mo. after lease, door locks began to malfunction opening by themselves without depression of the button on the key fob, next the rear doors began to collect water sounding as though a swimming pool was behind you. The water slished and sloshed back and forth. This was really scary! Next the Sync system has a problem. You can hear all phone conversations like a loud speaker outside of the car!!! Not a Mercedes/BMW!!

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  Dont buy one - 2000 Lincoln LS
  By Kevin Real - January 29 - 10:00 am

  Purchased car used with 27K miles. Have experienced problems with engineoil leakage around gaskets. Both gaskets have been replaced. Power seats both motor failed. Heated element for seat shorted. Front head light both had to be replaced (Condensation). Rear brake light casing fills with water when raining. Door trim on driver door came off. Radio does not work on AM frequency. Catalytic Converter had to be replaced. The car has been in the dealership on 8 occassion my first 7 months with the car. Storage inside vehicle limited at best i.e glove box.