Same here, no commercials even. No media of any kind. If you look at YouTube, where are the reviews? Clearly they aren't sending out any press cars...no reviews from any of the usual suspects on YouTube. Nothing on MotorWeek other than the original reveal from the auto show.

Like I said, Ford doesn't place a lot of value on this car for some reason. They've invested a lot marketing the MKZ and the MKC, think the Matthew McConaughey commercials...but they've invested little in the Continental or really the MKX come to think of it...

 

The reviews are done, they're just embargoed...

 

Why would they be embargoed when the car has been on sale at dealers for several weeks? Nobody else does that...

If they are still embargoed thats a huge mistake on Ford's part

 

Again, happens more often than you think. The Civic Hatch has started hitting dealers and US reviews will be embargoed until sometime around November.

EDIT: The 2016 Cruze hit dealers before the configurator was even up on the website, much less before press reviews were OK'd for release.

 

I get what you are saying and I completely respect and understand embargo's. In this situation, it is a little odd.

 

We can agree on that- I personally think something went very wrong fairly recently and caused a delay in the media push. For luxury vehicles at least there's usually a healthy amount of build up as cars are being transported to dealers. I just wanted to point out that just because you don't see anything right now doesn't mean its not coming.

 

From what I've seen, there's plenty of marketing on this car, at least at the individual level. Ford has sent me a bunch of things in the mail about it, including even a fold-up, push-button, portable video. Despite many static-reviews of the car in both article and video format, though, I agree that what is (curiously) missing has been any significant media test-drives. Quite unusual.

 

^ Yeah its weird there hasn't been a single media review on this car. I will give Ford some credit, from the pictures it doesn't look like a warmed over Ford Taurus, from the way you guys talk about the interior, it doesn't feel like one either.

That's always been Lincoln's big problem for the past 10-15 years or so, doesn't feel any more special than the Ford its based on, I think this new Continential might have shattered that perception, that it is something special(even if it is Ford Taurus mechanicals under the hood).

You all have said the trunk is small. That was probably the best feature of the old MKS, the trunk was VAST, probably the largest sedan trunk on the market. Do you think the small trunk will hurt sales with the livery companies?? That's one reason they loved the town car, plenty of trunk space for airport runs.

 

This thing is so DOA.
A plus-sized FWD with small trunk, and styling that only attracts my grandpa.

Why even bother bringing this back.

For 45k, i'd rather get a smaller rwd luxury car and use a roof rack cargo box if i needed space.

 

i think that the grandpa demographic may be just who lincoln is aiming to attract.

 

Your grandpa must like Jaguars.

Simple. Because its MKS predecessor actually was DOA. I don't think this car is going to follow in its footsteps. If nothing else, as Steve said, the limo/livery/executive-car business will love it.

Although just a few pounds probably won't make much of a difference, in general, adding weight on the roof is not a good idea. It can raise the car's center of gravity and make it more unstable, though not necessarily like an old Suzuki Samurai or Jeep CJ-series that would flip at the drop of a hat.

 

Lots of grandpas right now with the baby boomers aging and having a lot of disposable income, there is definitely a market. The thing is you really do want younger customers who aren't going to die on you or are too old to drive in 15 years or so. Cadillac had this problem back in the 90's/early 2000's, most of the people who bought them was the greatest generation, then they all started to die off. Luckily Cadillac did reinvent themselves and didn't become totally irrelevant like Lincoln. Still, compare Cadillac's sales to their heyday, its a drop in the bucket.

 

I also think Baby Boomer "grandpas" aren't going to be interested in this because they identify with youth and style. There's nothing youthful about this car.

As for styling, I really don't think it looks like a Jaguar. Yeah the nose has some jag in it but overall it looks like...a Lincoln.

 

Maybe so, but I also liked cars like this even when I was a teen-ager, in high school. (and I went to high school during the classic 60s American muscle-car era). So did some of my closest then-friends. The problem with cars like this and young people is not necessarily that young people don't like them, but that people in high school and college (and during much of young adulthood) simply don't have the cash for them...especially as brand-new vehicles.

 

it's definitely problematic and it seems to be a crucial point that lincoln has missed. by attracting the aging boomers, lincoln may straggle along just fine for a few years and then set its hopes high that the next generation of aged citizens will take favor to the overall design language and driving dynamics that the marque has going for it.

it's a poor strategy, indeed, although one that lincoln seems to be employing. they can't count on livery service vehicle sales alone to compensate for brand health.