The L.A. Auto Show is in full swing, and we have spent the last couple of days trying to figure out if there was going to be anything noteworthy coming out of the show. Sure, there are some tidbits that will end up in our Scrapple coverage, but was there going to be a jaw-dropper like last year’s Detroit Auto Show, when Ford basically rolled the Ford GT onto the stage, promised more fun to come, and dropped the mic? Would Chevrolet rally up behind their successes this year? Maybe Mopar would have something solid and actually heading to showrooms to quench our thirst. Nope…so far we get a modern re-incarnation of a Baja Bug and the return of the Fiat Spyder. Oh, and a 400 horsepower, all-wheel-drive Lincoln.
Wait….WHAT? Look, the truth is that Lincoln has pretty much been on Death Watch ever since the Town Car was axed a couple of years ago, and for good reason: every last product they sold was Ford Plus, the ultimate trim level of a more pedestrian car, and there wasn’t even much differentiating the Lincoln style-wise. For the last few years the company has floundered around with waterfall grilles, questionable advertising campaigns…allright…and generally have had zero luck. They then went all-in with last year’s Continental concept, and were rewarded for their efforts with Bentley’s former designer crying “Copycat!”
Well, not so fast. Yes, the Continental is coming, the mules have been testing for some time now. But our first go-around with the new design language is the refreshened 2017 Lincoln MKZ, the former Fusion Plus. On the surface, the Conti’s front sheetmetal design language actually works well, and there are other notable changes, like the interior, but that is far and away removed from what caught our eye: 400 horsepower in the all-wheel-drive version. No kidding, that number is legitimate, and is coming out of a twin-turbocharged 3.0L V6 that is hooked up to a torque-vectoring all-wheel-drive system that is derived from the Focus RS. Oh, and by the way: this is officially the most powerful Lincoln ever sold. We know they care more about the feeling of effortless power than performance. We also know that with a little tuning magic and the right driver, this could be the kind of Hot Rod Lincoln that Charlie Ryan would never see coming.
We aren’t taking them off of Death Watch just yet, but it looks like the shot of adrenaline straight to the heart may have had an effect. Hey, Lincoln: you found a good start. Keep this up!
I liked the previous nose better. They NEED rwd to be relevent! A new Mark 9.
I agree the Mark IX needs to be based on the mustang with a Coyote!
Not my idea of the “Hot Rod Lincoln”. Do we get an amen Commander Cody??
No mention of the 400lb/ft of torque? This thing is awesome. I dig the new nose, even if it’s not the best it’s a lot better than it was. There’s a very good chance my wife will be buying one in a year or two.
I felt like Lincoln’s design language the ladt few years was as bad as Ford’s was good. The Continental previewed, and this car shows, they’ve turned the corner on that. I agree, more please.
Lincoln should only have RWD car, not rehashed Ford products. Look at Cadillac, they made the wise move to RWD.
Cadillac ATS’ and Camaros are built on the same assembly line. Why Ford doesn’t offer a RWD Lincoln sport sedan with Mustang underpinnings is beyond me.
Lincoln , Looks like Jag from upfront and does not do anything for me . Still no match for Caddy are the imports.