SW17LS

Audi is a different matter. Their Quattro cars are Longditudinal setups, and they're for the most part bespoke platforms. This is a transverse Taurus platform. Sort of like an Acura.

jainla

I saw it at the car show and wasn't blown away either. I had high hopes for that car but was underwhelmed seeing it in person.
The new Conti is actually built on the current Fusion platform; which has gotten pretty good reviews. The current Taurus is based on the ancient Volvo D series platform that even Volvo has abandoned. I saw the concept in LA which was spectacular and the prototype was also pretty good. I like the LED details; although those door handles look ridiculous. I didn't get to see the interior up close; maybe this year. From afar it looked impressive.

That being said I really think Ford has no idea what it's doing in the luxury car business. Cadillac was brought back from the dead by a single model; the Escalade. For at least 10 years almost all the modern brand equity was derived from that car; it's not until recently that GM has seen fit to invest in a world class component set for it's Cadillac sedans; and while they may not be to our taste they are consistently getting good reviews. They aren't a joke anymore.

I can't really say I've been impressed with any Lincoln in the last 20 years. While the Navigator had a heyday in the late 1990s and early 2000s when those mastodons were all the rage it hasn't been seriously updated in almost 15 years. All their current cars look and feel like Fords with lots and lots of makeup. While using a platform across multiple brands isn't anything new (VW is masterful at it), everybody else does a better job of hiding the bits and bobs. Some Fords I've been in are really impressive because you aren't expecting anything that nice at that price point; but the Lincoln interiors, fittings, etc consistently underwhelm. Also the naming convention is stupid; MKZ? MKX? Even the Zephr had some interesting history behind it, but MKZ? WTF?

Ford blew billions of dollars building a PAG group and consistently underinvested in it; consequently other companies (Tata, Geely) bought those assets, put some cash and time in, and now have very competitive cars to show for their efforts. Even one of Ford's rare successes in that area, the previous Range Rover, was largely conceived and engineered by BMW before its sale to Ford.

Someone said Ford will need to spend $8-10 billion over the next several years to rebuild the Lincoln brand. While it might not take that much they need something that's not just a warmed over Ford. Toyota built the first LS400 for that very reason; Ford will have to do the same for anybody to take them seriously.

The last RWD sedan they made was the Town Car; which was ridiculously profitable because it was based on a 30 year old platform and didn't try to compete with all the gadgets you get in the 7 series / S Class (it was also much cheaper). Livery sales kept that car alive; i don't know anybody under 75 who bought one on purpose.

Ford doesn't really have a dedicated RWD sedan platform anymore; they'd have to build or buy one. Even GM has been coy about investing in the Omega platform as they see the future in crossovers and smaller cars. Perhaps the Mustang platform can be extended but then we have the old 'Panther' platform all over again.

They are in a real pickle here; but maybe they don't care. If they can move enough of these cars at $60+ they'll make money; respect and reputation be damned.

SW17LS

But the next Taurus will be on this platform as well. Which model is inconsequential, a car of this sort of caliber can't be a platform engineered car. It would be like charging $70,000 for an ES. Its fine in the entry level, but not when you're trying to play with the big boys.

Even Hyundai understands that.

I personally like the door handles. They're a unique and retro touch.

My guess is this will wind up being a fleet queen.

Not that I'm rooting for that to happen. I think this is a great looking car inside and out, and I actually like the brand proposition of Lincoln and Cadillac. I would drive the right Lincoln or Cadillac. I just wish they had invested more in its chassis and development though. If I want something on a family car platform I would spend $45k on an ES, not $60k on this Continental.

The CT6 gets the exterior right, the chassis setup right and the drive pretty right, where it falls down is the interior. Too much hard plastic and drab materials. This Continental is best compared to the Cadillac XTS, which is a chassis derived from FWD Buicks and Chevys. Classic rental "lux" car

jainla

Agreed.They look strange in person. Lincoln always tries these 'retro' styling touches (gauge fonts anyone) and somehow they manage to make them look old fashioned. They have to decide are they retro (old Jaguar) or avant-garde (new Cadillac)?
Again, for someone to take them seriously they have to make a serious car. I've driven the latest ES and Camry and Toyota has done a pretty good job of separating them; but again like you said a bespoke platform for the brand seems essential. IS/GS, LS, SC (except for gen1) have all been Lexus exclusive and have done much for the credibility of the Lexus brand; Hyundai is doing the same with the Genesis platform.

I liked the current CTS the couple times I've driven it; there are a couple oddball interior touches but the chassis seems very well sorted out; light years ahead of the old STS my dad owned many years ago. Agreed the interior finishes are not all quite there yet, and CUE is still not great. Cadillac is definitely going in the right direction; they should make a Ciel sedan or something bigger off that platform and I think their revival would be complete. Maybe it says more to BMW's missteps that I might consider a CTS over the current 5 series but there it is.

The branding wizards at Ford need to figure out what Lincoln is. My sense is that right now they have no idea.

roadfrog

DId you ever drive, or have you ever seen the GS460? That car always intrigued me, but I prefer a larger car. Too bad they no longer make it.

Littleguy

I had a 5.0L Jaguar XF before my LS and it was fun to have mid-size with the V8. In the end the full size LS is just more of everything, including reliability, hahaha.

seanl

Agreed. While I'm no longer a big Audi fan after owning a 2002 S8 for 3 years, their platforms are designed from day 1 with Quattro in mind and cannot be compared to the pedestrian transverse Taurus platform.

Interestingly enough, I owned the 360hp 40 valve S8 and my '97 LS400 at the same time (2012-2015). While the Audi was well built and aged gracefully, it wasn't reliable at 100K miles. The LS400 was both well built and extremely reliable as well all know.

I sold the S8 after 15K painfully expensive miles and recently ditched my very clean LS400 when I bought the 460. The 460 is both quicker and faster than the 'ol D2 S8 and I trust it will be (nearly) as reliable as the LS400.

seanl

I briefly considered buying a 2008 GS460, and looked at a few but based on research here I just didn't feel that it was anything special (in looks and performance). Candidly, I could have bought a really nice 08 GS460 for low 20s, there were a few for sale. But build quality and most importantly interior space isn't at the LS460 level.

The newer GS cars look good in my opinion, much better than the previous generations. Lexus is really missing the boat as a 380hp GS460 F-Sport would be a really sweet ride and I would be sacrifice a bit of interior space for that balanced package.

My favorite thing about my 460 Sport is the interior, both in terms of spaciousness, quality, and looks. I'm not typically digging deep in the throttle or pitching it around corners but I do love the way the car feels !

superdenso

When you can, have a look at the Lexus website: The GS f has the 470hp 5.0v8
What they missed is rewarding the final year LS purchasers with a LS500.

The only issue I have with FF is that few become classics. Now when it is AWD and transverse up front I love it! The first Japanese luxury car I test drove, I was in HS and it was a 1990 Acura Legend; it was transverse and I remember how advanced & different it was. Few cars wow me like the 90' Legend and the 04' S500; and I've driven/owned many cars. It's not what you did, it's how what you did works.

seanl

I've seen the GS-F, and it's definitely a cool car, but I don't need or want another *fast* car (not to mention they're pretty scarce and not cheap). I'm sure it's fun to drive, but for my daily I wanted comfy, quiet and ample power. The GS350 doesn't have ample power in my book.

Why didn't Lexus put that 470hp V8 into the LS platform is beyond me. There's undoubtedly a (small) market for it.

Having owned an '88, 89, and '94 Legend I hear you...I rode that bandwagon throughout the mid to late 90s.

jainla

The take rate for the 460 wasn't that great apparently. The GS460 V8 doesn't have VVTI-e so it's down about 20hp from the LS V8.
It's coming. Lexus has already trademarked the LS500 and 500h nameplates; so expect a V8 and V6 hybrid options. They need it; as almost everybody else has ~450hp on tap. I'm curious as to whether or not the V8 hybrid will survive.