This week we are reviewing the Lincoln Continental in reserve trim. Our vehicle has been assembled at the Flat Rock plant in Michigan USA and has an MSRP of $84,665 CAD.
Fun Factor:6
Can it Family: 8
Fuel-Friendly: 2
HWY-warrior: 8
Karaoke Friendly: 9
Baby friendly: 7
City Cruising: 3
The Continental isn't at everyone's reach for everyday commuting; however, many people wouldn't say no to be chauffeured around in one. The opulent luxury found in this Lincoln can only be dreamed about, starting by the massaging seats while stuck in traffic. This swanky feature is not reserved exclusively for the driver. Naturally, it is available for all passengers, everyone deserves the royal treatment! In our case, our 3 children were able to experience feeling like royalty in this luxurious comfort. Jokes aside, the Continental might not be the most lavish vehicle we've driven nor has it been the most fun, it still has that "je ne sais quoi" attribute of being a powerful full-sized luxury car packing a whopping 400hp and 400lb-ft of torque coming from a 3.0L TWIN-Turbocharged V6 engine. The estimated 0-100km/h can be achieved in 5.4 seconds. The Continental is an all wheel drive vehicle and has more of an FWD bias, meaning that most of the torque will be pushed to the front tires. This may cause the car to torque steer under heavy acceleration. However, the Continental isn't meant to be pushed hard, it's meant for you to be chauffeured around in comfort and driven relaxed. Disclaimer: One day before returning our car back to Lincoln, we hit a pothole the size of a turkey, this cause one tire to explode and one tire to be damaged. Due to these damages, we were unable to do our usual real life 0-100km/h test.
Can the Continental be a family hauler? Yes, not only bring the family, it will be a pleasure for the whole family when you drive your children to their soccer practice, horseback riding classes or to playdates, everyone will enjoy a gentle massage or heated bum. We didn't test to see if it would make bedtime quicker, should have thought of it sooner! At no time when we tested the car, would our kids complain, as they were wowed by all the amenities. They loved all of the features the car had, like not having any door handles, instead you need to press a button that will open the door for you. Want to close the door without slamming the door? This isn't an issue with the Continental as it will soft close the doors, which is practical when your toddler wants to close the door by himself, you know the car will close it by itself while his little fingers are out of the way. The rear passengers have the possibility of hiding themselves from the outside world by using the sun shades on each door, and even the rear window has a sunshade that will protect from light coming into the cabin. 3 adults can sit comfortably in the back row, the passenger behind the co-pilot can even adjust the seat in front, either to make the co-pilot's life a misery or, get more legroom. Families will love the trunk space, we were able to fit 5 medium suitcases in the trunk or 2 large strollers.
The only weak point of the Continental is that it isn't offered in a Hybrid version, hence the gas consumption in the city for this colossus is massively taken a hit with results of 17.5L per 100km in the city and 12.6L per 100km on the HWY. Lincoln announces 14L per 100km in the city and 9.4L per 100km on the HWY. We sure hope that future variations will rock a hybrid engine so that it can assist the engine and lower the fuel consumption and come to a product similar to what we see on the new Lincoln Aviator.
The Continental is an HWY cruiser's dream car. The seats are out of this world and will feel great even on longer trips, you'll even be able to adjust thigh support for each leg. Massage your back if you want to relax your back, heat your seats in the winter, cool your seats in the summer. Now going to the actual driving experience of the Continental on the HWY, the wide stance of the car gives it a very stable ride, it's very boat like. The heads up display is one of the best looking ones on the market and one of the ones that have the most information to the point that you'll no longer need to look at your dashboard.
The Revel Ultima Audio System is refined and brings lots of warmth & details to your music. You'll be able to enjoy all of your music, and if your kids or passengers that are being chauffeured don't like your music, it can be changed by the rear central console. As for the infotainment, if you're familiar to Ford Sync, you'll be right at home with the latest version available in your Continental. Apple Car Play & Android Auto works as designed.
How is the installation of car seats in the Continental? Well, starting with the door opening that opens very wide, no car seat will be too big to enter the Continental. As for the ISOFIX ports, they are slightly hidden under the seats, even if they are hidden, they are easily accessible. Installation can be done without any hassle. Children may have some difficulty opening the doors themselves from the outside as handle needs to be pressed hard to open the door, on the inside, opening the doors with just the press of a button.
Driving with the Continental in the city will bring opulence to your commute. However, parking in smaller spots will be a challenge, luckily the Continental will park itself when it finds a parking place big enough for its massive body. The park assist is one of the most effective we've tested so far. It was able to park in spots we would not have dared to try and was able to park out without giving us sweats. The major downside is that you'll need to fill your gas tank on a regular basis as we've averaged over 17.5L per 100km.
Why would we buy the Lincoln Continental and what we liked about it: It has a unique look, driving in one will be special as not many are on the road. Very spacious cabin, with lots of amenities. Very vast cargo space for a sedan. Those heavenly comfortable seats integrated with the massaging feature.
Why would we not buy the Lincoln Continental and what we didn't we like: The high fuel consumption in the city. The acceleration doesn't feel refined, especially under heavy acceleration, the front wheel can have some torque steer.
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