Recently, at Los Angeles auto show, Lincoln\u2019s stand displayed nothing but its classic models from half a century ago and even further back. It was so sad. It\u2019s basically like Lincoln is saying, \u201cLook how beautiful I used to be. And look at the tired, wrinkly old me today\u2026 Does anybody have Dr Kevorkian\u2019s number?\u201d \u201cOh, he died last year did he? Just my luck…\u201d<\/p>\n
But there was a time when a Lincoln was as high a status symbol as a Rolls-Royce. If not higher, because before BMW beat Volkswagen to owning the marque, the Goodwood brand\u2019s cars were rubbish. And Lincolns were stately, exquisitely built, made-in-the-USA rolling artworks, back when \u2018Made in the USA\u2019 meant much more than \u2018Outsourced to China\u2019. Presidents drove Lincolns, they signed treaties and answered red telephones in them, they lived and died in Lincolns.<\/p>\n
One American president was even named after Lincoln. Or it could\u2019ve been the other way around, I don\u2019t know, but I suspect that today there aren\u2019t many prime ministers left lusting after a Lincoln. I could go on forever about the depressing demise of a once-great brand, but I am here instead to test a car. The 2013 Lincoln MKS is, in a word, fine. It\u2019s very fine, actually, and that\u2019s because it\u2019s also a Ford Taurus, which happens to be an excellent vehicle almost the size of a Mercedes-Benz S-Class.<\/p>\n
Unfortunately that also means it comes with the SYNC interface, which during the time it spent with me decided to call it a day once, and the infotainment screen refused to switch on. When it did switch on, randomly, the system required a loading time of about 60 seconds before the display came alive. Then there\u2019s also the slightly irksome bug, er, feature, which makes the screen remain off when you turn the car on, yet at other times turns itself on, together with the car.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Ford is aware of the system\u2019s faults, and is commendably updating it constantly, but in my experience of numerous different cars with the technology, it\u2019s simply not yet ready for the real world. Mechanically, since this MKS is identical to the Taurus, it gets the Blue Oval\u2019s great 3.7-litre V6, here producing 304 horsepower and 366Nm of torque, which is more than enough.<\/p>\n
There is a Sport button that adjusts all sorts of parameters to turn the MKS, dynamically speaking, from an oil tanker into an aircraft carrier. Leave that switch alone, because in truth there is only one suspension setting here, and it\u2019s heavenly. Forget about handling or steering, and make sure that wherever you\u2019re going is always straight ahead. The ride quality and cabin refinement are amazing \u2014 the 2013 MKS has adaptive damping and a long 2,868mm wheelbase in its favour.<\/p>\n
This naturally aspirated motor, mated to an imperceptible six-speed automatic transmission, feels misplaced when you thrash it, because why would you thrash a Lincoln? Keep the revs down low, and venture as far as perhaps 4,000rpm, or the torque\u2019s peaking point. You can have the 2013 MKS in one flavor only in our showrooms, which gets you sat-nav, 20in alloys, wood trim and leather.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s loaded with tech out of the box, with things like parking and lane-keeping assist, collision warning, and cruise control, plus the 2013 model gets a thorough design update and that identity-crisis mustachioed grille. It\u2019s a fine vehicle, but the question remains if you should buy this or a Mercedes-Benz C-Class, entry-level Audi A6, or a decent-spec A4, Lexus GS, BMW 3 Series\u2026<\/p>\n
Another thing to keep in mind; the Lincoln MKS is sold in the UAE under the same roof as a similarly priced<\/a> rear-wheel drive Jaguar XF. Maybe Lincoln can get a life-saving intervention, too.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Recently, at Los Angeles auto show, Lincoln\u2019s stand displayed nothing but its classic models from half a century ago and even further back. It was so sad. It\u2019s basically like Lincoln is saying, \u201cLook how beautiful I used to be. And look at the tired, wrinkly old me today\u2026 Does anybody have Dr Kevorkian\u2019s number?\u201d …<\/p>\n