To be precise, they acknowledged that Lincoln wants people to use those words when describing the car, and they sort of agree:

 

Just wanted to pop this back up. Have people been seeing Continentals on the road? Just this week I've seen 4...not surprising to me every one was operated by a livery company (we can tell by the tags here). One parked in my neighborhood, one at the car wash, one down in DC and one in Bethesda.

Its very ordinary looking on the road and doesn't stand out much at all IMHO.

 

I haven't seen a few when I've traveled to other cities. You're right, it blends in. Once I notice it I like it though.

 

We checked out the interior of the Continental today. Its a fantastic job by Lincoln. Easily the best Ford interior on the market and perhaps its the best American interior. Very nice door handles, seats are great, the info system is easy to use and the PNDRL buttons are easily the best of the design so far. There are also so really nice interior materials all over the place. The trunk is huge and its well finished. Its got lovely wood trim. Thick carpets scream quality. We didn't drive it but I think the interior is as nice or nicer than the current LS460. Sad part is, the cars are being sold with all the other Fords under the same roof. Likely won't steal customers from the German brands. Go into any BMW, Audi, or MB dealer and one will see why they have a huge advantage. I think the next ES will line up with the Conti very well.

PS: Its strange that it took Lincoln so long to get into the touchscreens. The system is similar to the older Lexus designs where the HVAC and radio all run through the touchscreen.

 

Having done a full-review on a new Continental, I agree with most of what Jill says. Best Ford interior in decades.......and arguably the the best on on any current American-badged car. Good choice of paint colors. A N/A V6 engine on the base model instead of a turbo four like the CT6. This car, at 45-50K to start, is as much of a luxury-car bargain as anything I've seen for the price.

I do disagree somewhat, however, on two issues. First, IMO, the inside electronic door-releases are basically a gimmick, and something else to go wrong or malfunction.....apparantly there is a mechanical back-up if needed. Second, the trunk isn't that terribly roomy for a car this size......it indeed wide, but rather shallow on the floor-to-ceiling height. And (though it isn't a big deal) the standard N/A V6 is probably a little noisier at low speeds, taking off from a stop, than a car of this caliber should be.

But, for 45K to start, this car is a steal.

 

I have not seen one on the road in the Dallas area.

 

I saw one a few weeks back by Northpark Mall. Dealer tags. It looked nice but I do agree it does not have a standout road presence. I was hoping for a bit more in person.

 

I've seen a few on the road here in the D.C. area.......but, then, with the money, income, and widespread dealer-network in this area, everything sells.

 

The exterior is definitely on the conservative side. But, then, that's the core buyer-group this car is aimed at......conservative drivers who like traditional American luxury and bling, which has been missing from the sedan market for a number of years now.

 

Agree, just feel it could use the show cars lower chrome trim and better stance.

 

They have sold just over 5200 of them since the car went on sale in the last quarter of 2016. So somebody is buying them. These are USA numbers. In Canada they sold in the dozens so that's irrelevant. For the next quarter of this year? Well you can try and do some projections.

http://www.goodcarbadcar.net/2013/07...gures-usa.html

http://fordauthority.com/fmc/ford-mo...sales-numbers/

By comparison the Cadillac CT6 went just under that at 5100 or so, but it also had a head start since it started selling in March 2016.

http://gmauthority.com/blog/gm/cadil...sales-numbers/

Now the CT6 is a RWD platform while the Lincoln is a FWD platform. IMO I find a lot of E and S class in the side profile of both of these cars.

 

I would be interested to know what % of those 5200 sales are to fleets. I bet it's a huge number.

 

I was waiting for this answer since the "fleet" argument has been made ad nauseum. Didn't take long. Could somebody head off to the downtown hotels and start doing measures or counts on which limos are Continentals driven by fleet/limo/taxi drivers? Maybe we could talk about the Conti's viability and its value for money for what it is. Will the 5LS also end up as a fleet vehicle? Not sure right now, but we could speculate

 

The LS has never been a popular fleet vehicle, I doubt the 5LS will be any different.

Like i said, every Continental I have seen so far on the road has been a livery vehicle.

It it doesn't surprise me, the Continental makes a great fleet package, a car that livery fleets have been waiting for for a long time.

 

More likely to limo, executive, or funeral-home services than to the general fleet of rental-cars.

I see what apparently are some privately-owned ones, but it can sometimes be hard to tell on the outside. The limos, of course, are most likely (but not totally) to be black.