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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  Wasted Dollars! - 2001 Lincoln LS
  By CT - April 22 - 9:40 pm

  My first 2000 LS was horrible! The car went in the shop 13 times in less than nine months. I got a 2001 LS and it has been one problem after the other also. I have always been afraid to take a long trip in it for fear of being stranded beside the road- which has happened several times. As of now, there is no air conditioning and it doesnt want to go in reverse. The repairs are numerous and very expensive! Wish I had never bought the first one and despise the fact that I got rid of the first one for a second headache! I have paid dearly to put all the miles that I have on this car.

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  A few mechanical problems in first year - 2004 Lincoln Aviator
  By ac_in_cv - December 3 - 10:00 am

  Ive had my Aviator for a little more than six months. Its making a wind whistle at high speed and the gas door has caused a crease in the side panel. Its a beautiful car, but not economical. 14.5 mpg most of the time. Had a fuel line problem which the dealer fixed in a weeks time. Does not inspire confidence w/reliability.

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  F150 with a cool plastic grill - 2006 Lincoln Mark LT
  By Jeff B - November 25 - 11:13 am

  I fortunately only leased this vehicle for 2 years. Its a great looking truck that gets a lot of compliments. The main problem is that the seats look good but are hard as a rock and terribly uncomfortable even on short drives. The Interior looks good but has cheap materials, and is nearly exactly the same as a Ford F150. This is a truck with truck capabilities. I also have 4 Chevy Avalanches in my 40+ vehicle fleet and would rather drive one of them hands down. Youll get much better fuel mileage as well. This is a well built "truck" with terrible seats, and terrible fuel mileage of 11-12mpg average. 20% better on the Avalanche.

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  Improvement needed - 2006 Lincoln Navigator
  By Joe - October 31 - 1:10 pm

  My second. 1998 was a quiet, reliable vehicle with over 115,000 miles. 2006 has only 6,000 miles is very noisy up to 60 mph, leaks oil and has a navigation system that works sometimes. Quality has gone downhill. I have been to the dealer 3 times to repair the oil leak. What a disappointment from my previous Navigator.

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  This car blows. - 2002 Lincoln LS
  By norminator - August 31 - 2:00 am

  It sucks. Its the B-team vehicle at the A-team price. Theres no interior storage room, its completely unreliable. It gets bad gas mileage. Its run out of gas on me twice indicating more than a third of a tank left. Shifting gears requires a 3 second wait time.

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  Nice to look at cost to drive - 2003 Lincoln Navigator
  By stan walker - August 25 - 10:00 am

  Under Power,The radio which is part of the navigation system on the AM side picks so much static from the engine and power lines you can only use it if you are parked in the radio station lot.They have dropped two cup holders in the front seat area and storage pockets next to the front seats.The floor area in back of the front seats are not level my dogs falls in the big crack between the third row seats andthe second row seats.I had an 2000 navigator which was much better.cant get the same MPG as I could on my 2000 nav.

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  Loses some of its Lincoln charm - 2009 Lincoln MKS
  By ponchoman49 - August 21 - 10:03 am

  Just bought the new Lincoln MKS. The letter names car manufacturers are all going over to are getting confusing. Even the saleman had to think a second when I asked to see the MKS. That aside, this car provides reasonable performance, ride comfort and room. The electronic features are worthy such as SYNC which lets you store a load of songs on board and talk hands free on the phone. The front seats are comfy and rear legroom is abundant. The dash is well laid out and looks attractive. The exterior leaves me a bit cold however with its plain slab sides and indistinct rear end treatment. The sides in particular are too plain and would benefit from a door molding to break up the tall doors.

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  Mildly Disappointed - 2005 Lincoln LS
  By Mildly Disappointed - August 11 - 9:06 am

  Ive owned my LS for nearly two years, having "stepped up" from a Grand Marquis. For a car prices in the upper 30s, Im not impressed. The front tires (Continentals) began severly cupping at 30,000 miles. Lincoln would only stand by a 50% replacement with Michelens. Gas mileage is signficantly less than advertised. There is no backseat room when the drivers seat is fully back. Trunk space is very"shallow, will accomodate only one large suitcase. On the plus side, the V6 does give plenty of power when passing, but sometimes lurches when backing up or starting forward. The front seat AC/Heat is a nice feature and overall the AC system cools well. I expected more from a Lincoln.

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  Never Ford again - 2003 Lincoln LS
  By Poo - August 8 - 2:00 am

  This was the biggest waste of money I have ever spent on a auto. I have a 2000 with 60K miles and it is a piece of you know what. Paid $30K for it and I cant even get $9K for trade in. Please, please, dont make the same mistake as I did. No resale value at all. Brakes have been replaced at least 4 times and now it feels like the transmission is going out. Power window motors replaced twice. Windshield replaced three times due to cracks. NEVER AGAIN!!

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  Lots of small problems - 2007 Lincoln MKX
  By kg - July 16 - 9:00 pm

  The car drives well. The headrests are extremely uncomfortable because they are slanted forward force you to lean forward. I have had my MKX back at the dealer about every 2 weeks for minor problems such as inserting screws into a panel in front of the rear passenger side wheel that werent inserted when I bought the vehicle. My interior drivers side light went out and I took that to the dealer to be fixed. They said that a connector was loose and that they fixed the problem. Now, a couple of weeks later, the interior drivers side light is out again and I have to take it back to the dealer. If I wanted to spend time getting things fixed, I would have bought a project car not a 2007 Lincoln!