Since the dawn of time, Lincoln, Buick and Cadillac have been competing for who can make a car that appeals to old people the most.
I have always had a biased opinion towards Cadillac because my grandfather always drove them, it was really the only brand I knew. Recently, however, I was able to get my hands on a brand new 2017 Lincoln Continental and it seems the old man has traded in his orthopedics for a pair of Nike’s.
After a 15 year hiatus from the Lincoln line, Lincoln reintroduced the Continental in the fall of 2016 for the 2017 year. For the new model, Lincoln developed a new 3.0L twin turbocharged V6 that produces 400 HP with an equal 400 lb.-ft. of torque. This means that this 4,224lb sedan can go 0 – 60 in 5.3 seconds.
When it comes to styling, in my opinion, Buick has always taken the trophy for “least exciting”. Their vehicles look like they’ve been designed by someone who has never seen a car but has had one thoroughly explained to them. Cadillac has evolved with the times with more aggressive styling. Staying true to their “look” while still having that old man feel about them.
Lincoln has created a new line of vehicles that appeal to most people. It’s as if the design team lowered their target demographic age by about 20 years. The new Continental looks like it’s taken inspiration from the likes of Jaguar and Audi with it’s huge grill and sloping rear end. The interior is done very tastefully with an all-digital dash. The center console is neatly organized, the buttons are very tactile, they don’t feel cheap or fake. If you don’t understand all the options for the power seats, it will take time to get comfortable. Thankfully though, they have 3 save points for different drivers.
One thing that bothers me is how companies are steering away from gear levers. The Lincoln has buttons beside the touch screen to select Park, Neutral, Drive and Reverse. Throwing a vehicle into gear should be an event. That split second while selecting drive then take your foot off the brake should be exciting and dramatic. Pushing a button on the dash just doesn’t do it for me.
The new Continental has the styling of a modern vehicle with classic flare. The future of luxury vehicles is upon us. More and more technology will go into these cars and with it, more and more old people that wont know how to use it. I'm excited to see what the future of Lincoln holds. In the immortal words of Matthew Mcconaughey, the new Lincoln Continental is Alright, Alright, Alright.
