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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  lincoln ls - 2000 Lincoln LS
  By blake - May 14 - 10:00 am

  simply over priced,and extreamly over rated.i experienced nothing but costly problems and the lincoln service is not swell,unless your the type of person that like to be without a car!..lol. overall looks,id have to say the car looks sporty and classy.

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  BEST SUV in the WORLD - 2003 Lincoln Navigator
  By John Godel - May 14 - 10:00 am

  I love this car. Screams out success and agression at the same time. Powerful and reliable. Room for, well, just about anything. I never seen better than 2003 Lincoln. My old car was Escalade, and now I understand Navigator better than Escalade !

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  Where did my old Town Car go? - 2000 Lincoln Town Car
  By Terryfic - May 14 - 10:00 am

  I bought this car new to replace a 1992 Cartier that had been wrecked. The new styling does not live up to my old cars. The seats are hard, front seat passenger leg room is cramped. As a matter of fact, my long legged friends all prefer sitting in the back seat because their knees are in their faces in the front seat! Overall though, this has been an incredibly reliable car - never needed anything but oil changes since I bought it 3 years ago. It rides beautifully. It is easy to get in and out. The handling is much more crisp than my old Town Car - I amaze people by parallell parking in very tight spots.

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  Perfect SUV - 2005 Lincoln Aviator
  By BG Bob - May 13 - 12:06 pm

  The best way to describe our Aviator AWD with the elite package is an entertainment delight with a great smooth ride. The touch screen GPS and sound system is easy to use. Perfect SUV for short or long trips and easy parking.

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  Absolutely Love It - 2003 Lincoln Aviator
  By Burns - May 11 - 9:30 pm

  This is my work vehicle, my office if you will, but the wife and I end up in it over the weekends even though we have an Acura MDX. The Aviator is much more comfortable, smoother, less noise, and is all around more fun to drive. 52,000 miles and smiles. I hate that Lincoln will soon change it. Oh well, Ill have to get the last 2005!

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  Underrated, Undervalued - 2006 Lincoln Zephyr
  By kb1 - May 11 - 10:16 am

  What a deal. I cant think of anything else I could add to this car except a more powerful engine. It feels solid, people stop and look at it all the time. It drives well, has good pick up, corners well and all the instruments are laid out well. You cant read the computer in bright sun, but only at an angle. All in all a great buy!

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  Lincolns lost their build quality - 2003 Lincoln Town Car
  By Virginia - May 9 - 10:00 am

  With 21 years and 400K miles driving Lincolns, I loved them and bought the 03. More annoying issues with this car than Ive had in 20 years. Vibration at idle is built-in and cant be corrected. Compared to older Lincolns,the car has poor acceleration from low RPMs with poorer gas mileage and a smaller gas tank.Contrary to the manual-duplicated pages-doesnt have DSP.Left out an AM filter so the AM reception was a return to the 50s. With a fix,dash now rattles. Gas tank cover wouldnt open. Lincoln wont communicate. Comparing features, Lincoln designers have done next to nothing in 10 years. I take that back-- they took the quality out.

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  My one month experience so far - 2008 Lincoln Navigator
  By bobsmall - May 8 - 9:53 pm

  I had a 2000 Expedition before that I bought new, so, I have been driving these beasts for some time. I love the Expedition. There was more leg room in the second row and more head room in the 1st and 2nd rows. I miss my big cubby hole I had in the console since the gear shifter was on the column.

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  DonsTC experience - 2004 Lincoln Town Car
  By Donal - May 8 - 12:13 pm

  Great car- rides like a dream and leaves the driver with practically no sense of fatique after very long drive times-up to 12 hours. The rate of depreciation in two years from $48,000 to $23,000 is a real negative on early replacement.

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  Nice Car, But Quality Control Problems - 2009 Lincoln MKS
  By EEG - May 7 - 5:23 am

  The 2009 MKS has a lot of technology within the vehicle, but suffers from Ford/Lincoln quality. My new MKS has several issues which should have been detective by the dealer. First, paint is missing on the rear bumper cover seams, one side of the bumper cover is not flush with the 1/4 panel. There is a bur/bump on the edge of the trunk by the rear window. Also, there is some beige splatter underneath the clearcoat on the front fender and a crooked spreaker grille on the front dash. Having owned Acura, Lexus and Mercedes and all have been flawless, this is a huge letdown. The dealer now has to repaint/realign all these issues and the paint option was an additional $590. I will stick to the imports