Lincoln Continental: 2018 Motor Trend Car of the Year Contender

We Like: Luxurious, well-appointed cabin

We Don’t Like: Anonymous styling; a platform stretched to its limits

Unlike Europe’s luxury automakers (and Cadillac), Lincoln has long ignored the temptation to make its luxury sedans sporty. Lincoln stays in its posh lane with the new Continental, and its flagship four-door is all the better for it.

The Lincoln Continental is the brand’s first proper full-size luxury sedan since the Town Car. Unlike the V-8-powered and rear-drive Town Car, the Continental is available in front- and all-wheel drive, powered by your choice of a trio of V-6 engines offering 305, 335, or 400 hp—and the latter gets 400 lb-ft of torque. All three V-6s are mated to a six-speed automatic.

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The Continental might have revived the legendary nameplate, but most judges thought it was missing the presence of its forefather. “There’s a generic look about this car that neither harks to previous Lincolns nor suggests global luxury,” Frank Markus said. Things are better inside, where the Continental’s distinctly American interior features two-tone leather and Alcantara surfaces, wood trim, and 30-way adjustable front seats. The back seat gets the presidential treatment, too, thanks to an executive seating package—although said executive should dip his or her head when exiting to avoid the low roofline.

The Continental goes down the road well, so long as you don’t ask much of it. The 3.0-liter is a worthy substitute for a V-8, but the automatic gets flustered when you try to use all its power. It generally rides well, too, but harsher impacts reveal vibrations and judders that indicate this MKZ-based platform has been stretched to its limits.

2017 Lincoln Continental
BASE PRICE	$45,645
PRICE AS TESTED	$79,780
VEHICLE LAYOUT	Front-engine, AWD, 5-pass, 4-door sedan
ENGINE	3.0L/400-hp/400-lb-ft twin-turbo DOHC 32-valve V-6
TRANSMISSION	6-speed automatic
CURB WEIGHT (F/R DIST)	4,731 lb (58/42%)
WHEELBASE	117.9 in
LENGTH x WIDTH x HEIGHT	201.4 x 75.3 x 58.5 in
0-60 MPH	5.9 sec
QUARTER MILE	14.2 sec @ 99.2 mph
BRAKING, 60-0 MPH	118 ft
LATERAL ACCELERATION	0.82 g (avg)
MT FIGURE EIGHT	26.7 sec @ 0.67 g (avg)
EPA CITY/HWY/COMB FUEL ECON	16/24/19 mpg
ENERGY CONS, CITY/HWY	211/140 kW-hrs/100 miles
CO2 EMISSIONS, COMB	1.03 lb/mile

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