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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  They got too cheap - 2003 Lincoln Navigator
  By 98wasbetter - April 14 - 10:00 am

  Had a 98 Nav, power was great and AC worked wonderful. The 2003 model has less power and the AC blows hot air when traffic, not good in Texas. Been told that when RPM goes under 1000, the AC will blow 5-10 degrees warmer, what a engineering piece of crap. Also, mirrors make a lot of noise, muffler makes noise, overall, not as smooth and quiet as my old truck. Will never buy another one, its embarrasing that it spend so much time in the shop, and nothing is ever fixed, there is always a reason for the faultiness.

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  This Piece of @$%! - 2003 Lincoln Navigator
  By janky - March 13 - 2:00 am

  Its been in the shop for 2weeks... They cant seem to find the problem and I had to fight almost physically with someone to get one! Witt is horrible!

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  Biggest POS Ever - 1999 Lincoln Town Car
  By lincolntc - November 16 - 9:22 pm

  Bought it 3 months ago and Spent 1000 dollars so fat and need 1500 more. Bought Plugs, Fuel Pump $600, Fuel Filter, and more. Needs Intake Manifold , Valve cover gaskets, Coil Packs, Muffler, and Altinator. Im a Mechanic but with no money ever Because it is all spent on this Garbage Im Done selling it to someone who would love to spend thousands on a car that was [non-permissible content removed] from the dealer. Btw The Car only has 88,000 Miles.

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  Poor Quality and Reliability - 2001 Lincoln Navigator
  By Carl Kingsbury - November 14 - 10:00 am

  Purchased as my dream vehicle. The SUV has been wrought with problems the major one being the rear end which burned up at about 24 thousand after several months of complainimg about the noise. Repaired under warranty went out again at 38 thousand and the Dealer is saying it is not covered under warranty. Many other problems with rear air, child locks that couldnt be fixed, and dash noise that couldnt be found.

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  mistake - 2004 Lincoln Aviator
  By Steteven Willams - November 7 - 10:00 am

  I bought this car 6 months ago and I have been at the mecanic 9 times for enigine problems. This car is to big and handles just okay. The only thing good about it is its a smooth ride and it has AWD. I awlways buy BMWs and Hondas. My wife still has an 1987 Honda Accord and she also has a BMW 5 series from 1997. Both cars had only 1 problem each. I just sold my 1981 Honda accord for $700 with $300,000 miles on it and one problem in 1990 and one in 2001. Next year I am going to buy myself a new Toyota Avalon.

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  bad bad bad bad bad TOWN CAR - 1999 Lincoln Town Car
  By town car owner - November 5 - 2:00 am

  TERRIBLE SERVICE TERRIBLE SEATS I ALWAYS GET BACK PAIN TERRIBLE EVERYTHING ALL I HAD FROM THIS CAR IS PROBLEMS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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  Unreliable Product - 2003 Lincoln LS
  By Peter - October 11 - 10:00 am

  The 2003 Lincoln LS V8 Sport is a very unreliable vehicle. A few days after I took the car home from the dealer 11/2009, all coils had to be replaced. Obviously free of charge since the car was covered under the NY Lemon law. I drove it for almost a year up 10/2010 when the coils appear to have failed again: the car is at a garage right now. I did manage to get 26,000 miles out of the last replacement. Otherwise I have the following issues with this car: A) it was built for people approximately 5" tall: I get leg cramps driving long distance every day (I am 6" tall) and B) its road handling is really all over the place and dangerous in adverse weather (rain, snow).

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  fisherprice or ford, lego or lincoln - 2000 Lincoln LS
  By brian hughes - August 19 - 2:00 am

  Luxury car with a toy engine.I do tend to have the best looking car on the side of the road and the flasher are the best working part on it.My car now has oil leaking around the oring gaskets onto the spark plugs.This oil causes the plugs to foul out making my car cut out.The dealer could not find this problem that makes the cab of t he car smell like burnt oil until the warrant was over then they wanted to charge me for it.The transmision jerks hard when you first put it in gear.The dual climate control get stuck turning the heat on full blast on the driver side.Pass.side heated seat dont work.Both power rear window regulators have broke.

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  GOOD for the USED PRICED - 1997 Lincoln Continental
  By jayjay2008 - July 28 - 8:42 am

  i brought this car at 97k used im the second owner. with in the second week of buying it the trans just went out..not signs no nothin..i replaced the trans then 2 months later ther water pump went out ..then the thermostat the from there on with in the next 2 years my whole front end was changed from sturts ball joints tie rods starter alternator .my motor mounts went bad..im thankful my air bags didnt go out on my shocks radiator......almost 3 years later 30000 k miles later...i need a new transmission at 127k but its been slipping since 115 k this car has been hell....but at the same time i love it for its performance and comfort

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  Lincoln LS: Disappointment - 2006 Lincoln LS
  By D Waters - June 28 - 5:13 pm

  When we first got the car, I was somewhat (not very) excited, but now Im just disappointed. There are several pros and cons. PRO: The seats are pretty comfortable in the front. CON: In the rear seats, I noticed that this strange mix of dust and dirt blows in when you open the vents. PRO: At times, when youre slowly inching along (around 30 mph), you can get 40 mpg( the average is 16 mpg). CON: the radio is awful. PRO: So far, this car seems to be quite reliable. CON: The rear seats are very uncomfortable. CON: It was way overpriced for what its worth. (another)CON: This car just cant seem to stay in competition with foreign automakers. Were soon going to switch to a Mercedes S65 AMG.