2017 Lincoln Continental's Detroit Debut Marks New Chapter for the Brand
The Continental is officially back.
Even before Lincoln officially pulled the sheets off the 2017 Continental at the 2016 Detroit Auto Show, the brand set an upscale mood on the show floor. Unfolding (and refolding) Hoberman sphere sculptures on either side of the stage, fancy Voss water in sleek cylindrical bottles, plus jazz musicians and a white grand piano make an impression, as does the subtle Lincoln pattern on the sheet covering the brand's next flagship sedan. Even though Lincoln is about to offer a full-size, 400-hp sedan at the price of a decently equipped midsize German or Japanese luxury sedan, it'll need all the help it can get to continue convincing media and consumers the brand is worth consideration.
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The 2017 Continental doesn't exactly have the appeal in person that the concept did, but the all-wheel-drive production car still has real presence despite the length of the front overhang. And those cool door handles mounted at the base of the side windows form a design feature you won't find anywhere else and, to me, looks great. We're eager to discover how easily the E-latch door release and power-cinching closure works on a daily basis. Carrying over to the Continental from the MKC and MKZ are the brand's highly entertaining - or highly gimmicky, depending on your view - welcome dynamics, including subtly illuminating headlights, taillights, and a light projection from the side view mirrors as the driver walks to the car. Lincoln president Kumar Galhotra noted at the press conference that the Continental's driver seat cushion will deflate a little to make getting in easier. Once you're situated, Lincoln offers another feature we haven't seen across all of its luxury competitors: power thigh extension functions for the left and right side of the driver's seat.
Seat massagers for the rear seats, Ford/Lincoln's self-parking system (with help for parallel and perpendicular spots), a full suite of active safety tech, and an available panoramic sunroof are some feature highlights for a car that, despite its twin-turbo 3.0-liter V-6, never pretends to be sporty. If you're thinking that's a mistake, consider the success Lexus has had with the front-drive ES sedan.
"Lincoln's journey is one of steady progress," said Ford Motor Company CEO Mark Fields at the press conference. The brand still has a long way to go in the U.S., but a large sedan like the Continental should help luxury sedan buyers willing to look beyond the alphanumerically named German and Japanese brands to one of three 2016 Detroit debuts: the 2017 Lincoln Continental, 2017 Volvo S90, and 2017 Genesis G90.
I’ve come a long way since I drove sugar packets across restaurant tables as a kid, pretending they were cars. With more than 17 years of experience, I'm passionate about demystifying the new car market for shoppers and enthusiasts. My expertise comes from thoughtfully reviewing countless vehicles across the automotive spectrum. The greatest thrill I get isn’t just from behind the wheel of an exotic car but from a well-executed car that’s affordable, entertaining, and well-made. Since about the time I learned to walk I’ve been fascinated by cars of all shapes and sizes, but it wasn’t until I struggled through a summer high school class at the Pasadena Art Center College of Design that I realized writing was my ticket into the automotive industry. My drive to high school was magical, taking me through a beautiful and winding canyon; I've never lost the excited feeling some 16-year-olds get when they first set out on the road. The automotive industry, singing, and writing have always been my passions, but because no one seeks a writer who sings about the automotive industry, I honed my writing and editing skills at UC Irvine (zot zot!), serving as an editor of the official campus newspaper and writing stories as a literary journalism major. At USC, I developed a much greater appreciation for broadcast journalists and became acquainted with copy editing rules such as why the Oxford comma is so important. Though my beloved 1996 Audi A4 didn’t survive my college years, my career with MotorTrend did. I started at the company in 2007 building articles for motorcycle magazines, soon transitioning to writing news posts for MotorTrend’s budding online department. I spent some valuable time in the copy editing department, as an online news director, and as a senior production editor. Today, MotorTrend keeps me busy as the Buyer's Guide Director. Not everyone has a career centered on one of their passions, and I remind myself all the time how lucky I am.
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