Jalopnik 
Enter your username and password.
Detroit, 1:01 AM
Sat Nov 21
28 posts in the last 24 hours
Tip your editors:
tips@jalopnik.com
Editor-in-Chief:
Ray Wert | Email | AIM
Road Test Editor:
Wes Siler | Email
Weekend Editor:
Murilee Martin | Email
Associate Editor - Houston:
Matt Hardigree
Associate Editor - Detroit:
Ben Wojdyla
Editor-at-Large:
Mike Spinelli
Contributors:
Mark Arnold
John Krewson | Email
Andy Didorosi
Original material is licensed under a Creative Commons License permitting non-commercial sharing with attribution.
05/16/09
Americans are willing to pay a premium for a premium car. Start making and selling cars for these people!
This car is a huge pile of shit. Look at that dash, I mean, just LOOK at it. PlasticFantastic. A TT V6 that makes a little more power than Nissan's naturally aspirated VQ engine. Pathetic.
Someone needs to chain American car designers into a chair and beat Audi interiors and BMW handling into them until they can't speak anything but kraut.
05/16/09
05/15/09
This is an Impala SS for people with taste.
05/15/09
Is this MKS a platform-mate to the Ford Taurus/500, or a derivative of the Fusion?
05/15/09
Just sayin'
Also, that red S looks a little too WalMart auto department, and if that's the case, I'm waiting for the XR Racing model. I like it otherwise though, it's reasonably attractive, the specs sound good, and I like the design of Lincoln's interiors (I'm also a sucker for their techy ads, and want to see how many Major Tom songs they can use).
05/15/09
05/15/09
05/15/09
On that note, you have been quiet about the Continental for a while. I figure that winter has been playing a role in that, but hopefully you've been giving that lady the attention she deserves.
05/15/09
05/15/09
That said, the upcoming Taurus SHO, if the autogods are smiling, will be a fighting-trim powerhouse with alleycat reflexes. Save the electronic doodaddery and satnav junk, just equip the car with the good engine, a slightly notchy gearbox and great big ol' brakes.
I'll take care of the rest.
05/15/09
For the same reason that we apparently need a 1001 hp, $2 million dollar, leather-lined tird with an overgrown VW engine:
Because someone, somewhere, f'ing said so.
05/15/09
Comparing the MKS to a 5-series is wrong. This is more a Lexus GS350, Acura RL, Infiniti M35, VW Passat 3.6, Hyundai Genesis, Volvo S80 fighter. Most of its competitors are FWD with some offering AWD. Within the correct context, the MKS is a very competitive entry.
05/15/09
Or my LS1 GTO with 'only' 350 horsepower and 27mpg highway?
05/15/09
When your engine provides a whole lot of torque low in the rev band, you don't need to wind up the engine to get going to pass someone, meaning the fuel consumption doesn't spike everytime you pass some asshole in the fastlane doing 50.
It is sad that my Saturn gets the same mileage as your GTO, with so much less power.
05/15/09
05/15/09
05/15/09
It seems to be a trait shared by all domestic automakers. My favorite was when Motor Trend declared the Saturn Aura to be COTY. Everyone show said that MT was crap and they would never so much as glance at the cover was suddenly up in arms.
It was pretty funny.
05/15/09
05/15/09
Maybe we can hope for a resurrected Thunderbird? Make it luxurious so its well above the Mustang, make sure you can have it with a manual too. Forget the Super Coupe, I think we're ready for the Twin Turbo Coupe!
05/15/09
It was one of those guilty pleasures.
05/15/09
What I'm thinking about though is less 1956-retro and more modern. Maybe borrowing styling cues from the Telnack Era? But of course, I am biased in this area, as you well know..
05/15/09
Oh God no.
If they absolutely must use Retro cues, let it be from the "Bullet Bird" or the "Flair Bird" eras.
05/15/09
05/15/09
05/15/09
05/15/09
05/15/09
05/15/09
05/15/09
05/15/09
You had to give him the satisfaction. For shame.
05/15/09
I consider mercury/lincoln to be the same level of badness. I'd actually say mercury has produced more "performance" type vehicles than lincoln.
05/15/09
It's still good product, with a fantastic engine.
05/15/09
05/15/09
At that price range though...so many other products would fit better as a driver's car.
Yeah, Mercury and Lincoln are 2 completely different brands, although usually sold almost as one brand at every dealer, it is still a faux luxury car that has some good hp, that handles poorly, for almost 50k.
I do applaud the Ford engine though. I'd like to see it in something that will be a real hotrod, maybe bring over the Euro Focus with that engine (and of course the SHO).
05/15/09
05/15/09
I think that we're all missing the fact that in this article, straight faced, Ben compared a Lincoln to a BMW, and it didn't come off half bad.
How impressive is that?
05/15/09
Either way, with a twin turbo six, all wheel drive, a good transmission, and those fantastic looks.. We've got a winner.
05/15/09
05/15/09
05/15/09
05/15/09
Cheaper?
Yes, that's true, but the difference between them isn't as big as you might think once the options boxes start getting checked off.
More economical?
Not true. The Mazdaspeed3 and its turbo four gets 25 mpg highway. An LS1 in a GTO or a Corvette gets 27 mpg highway.
Turbo lag?
Real men don't deal with it, because real men don't compromise.
Noise?
It's not how much noise you make, it's the quality of that noise. I will take small-block rumble over turbocharged blender any day.
More skill and effort?
No, not really. It may require different kind of skill, but that in no way implies that that skill is any more or less than the other.
And now for the scoring:
Turbo-4: 1
V8: 3
Tie: 1
Winner: V8
Loser: Turbo-4
I don't dislike Turbo-4s, but given the criteria that you brought up, a small-block Chevy just eats it up for the most part, and with that scoring, I would just as soon pay a little more for the V8.
05/15/09
And come now, who would put a V8 in a mondeo based, fusion sized car? I don't want an FWD V8. Pontiac tried that once, and look what's happened to them.
Comparing a V8 to a turbo 4 is also a bit un-balanced to begin with- would you prefer the V8? Sure, but it can't exactly fit in all cars. Like the Mazdaspeed3 you mention- even a V6 would be very hard pressed to fit in it. So maybe you should add that to your set of criteria- packaging. It is a much smaller engine.
05/15/09
05/15/09
05/15/09