New Lincoln Town Car

[Brazen]

Well with the Panther chassis becoming extinct, and GRWD long forgotten, Ford have released the new Lincoln MKT Town Car....based on a SUV!

Anyone who has visited a US airport will recall seeing banks of big RWD Ford Crown Victorias and Lincoln Town Cars. Well it looks like the landscape will be changing.

Very interesting to see how Ford replaced these large RWD sedans, with the Taurus-based FWD and AWD MKT Town Car, should make sense as a limo, being more upright and easier to get in and out of.

Not really suprised to see them retain the Town Car name as its has a solid reputation, funny to see it on a FWD SUV though!!

http://www.caranddriver.com/news/car...hotos_and_info

2012 Lincoln MKT Town Car Livery and Limousine - Official Photos and Info


Rest easy, the Town Car name lives on.


As the last Lincoln Town Car is set to roll off the assembly line in August of this year, many in New York and other metropolises are fretting over the future of transportation as they know it. But, as the body-on-frame sedan drives off into the sunset, livery owners and riders will be comforted by a familiar name adorning its replacement: The Lincoln MKT Town Car. Livery and limousine versions of Lincoln’s new full-size people hauler are ready to fill their cargo holds with Samsonites and Halliburtons as they transport anyone from the prom queen to company execs.

Revealed at 2011 International Limousine, Charter, and Tour show—we’re going to have to rethink our auto-show priorities—the MKT Town Car will be offered in a standard-length “Livery” body style with the option of front or all-wheel drive, as well as a heavy-duty “Limousine” model that is stretchable by up to 10 feet and comes standard with all-wheel drive. Engine info has yet to be revealed (as if passengers even care), but we’re guessing a version of the 2.0-liter EcoBoost four-cylinder could power the front-drive livery model, while AWD versions of livery and limo will pack a 3.7-liter V-6 producing about 300 hp. Neither of these boats will be winning any stoplight races, but recall that the V-8 of the original-recipe Town Car sedan was only pushing 260 hp.

Living with the Livery

On to what passengers will really care about. Both versions of the MKT Town Car feature a higher ride height for easier ingress and egress, and, in livery models, the second row is moved back 1.5 inches (the third row disappears altogether). The three-person leather seat also reclines and features a switch to move the front passenger seat if even more legroom is desired. A USB port and 110-volt outlet are available to passengers for juicing up mobile devices, which may come in handy if they spend a lot of time using the MKT Town Car’s Wi-Fi system. The audio can be controlled from the rear seat, so you won’t have to suffer through the driver’s choice of entertainment while sitting in traffic.



Party in Back with the Limo Edition

Stretchable by up to 120 inches, the limo version of the MKT Town Car is built on what Lincoln says is a specially engineered heavy-duty chassis. It features upgrades to the suspension, electric power steering, and transmission, as well as unique wheels and tires (with a full-size spare), different wheel bearings, standard all-wheel drive, and—thankfully—upsized brakes. Most important, the Limo has vanity mirrors in the headliner. For the safety of all—including other drivers—both MKT Town Cars will list a rear-view camera, Sync (including voice-activated controls), and a blind-spot monitoring system as standard equipment.

The new MKT Town Car models will begin rolling off the line of the Oakville assembly plant in Ontario, Canada, next spring, and more details will emerge before then. (Presumably, that timing will coincide with production of the MKT hearse.) It’ll surely be a bit of a strange sight when this Town Car pulls up to chauffer you to your destination, but as we say good-bye to the antique Town Car sedan, something just feels right about the fact that a new generation of Town Car will be there for executives on the move.

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[chevypower]

Very nice. I was riding in a Town Car two weeks ago operated by a transportation company in Orlando. I was sitting in there thinking "this is still a very nice car, that's aged very well over the years." Then I wondered what could they possibly replace it with, as Lincoln's new products are more aimed at the driver than the passenger. Town Cars have always been V8s, so it would be sad not to have the EcoBoost V6 with AWD. I would want one for myself!

[XR_Strider_GuY]

I am in the US at the moment. My rental car for 2 weeks is a 2010 Lincoln Towncar signiture limited with 11k miles.

Must say in terms of traditional american ful size luxury sedans I like the Cadillac DTS much better despite being front wheel drive. DTS has more power, sounds better and I like the shape and interior appointments better.

The Towncar is traditional american barge, soft, stable and very heavy. Ergonomics is 1970's. The boot is huuuuge and a nice novalty with self open and closing trunk. The car is a tank and I am amazed Ford/Lincoln did not put the 5.4L block instead of using the base 4.6L 2v engine making 180kw. For such a heavy car, it really is alittle under powered and the throttle is tuned for smoothness so it feels even more doey than usual.

[kpcart]

Originally Posted by XR_Strider_GuY

I am in the US at the moment. My rental car for 2 weeks is a 2010 Lincoln Towncar signiture limited with 11k miles.

Must say in terms of traditional american ful size luxury sedans I like the Cadillac DTS much better despite being front wheel drive. DTS has more power, sounds better and I like the shape and interior appointments better.

The Towncar is traditional american barge, soft, stable and very heavy. Ergonomics is 1970's. The boot is huuuuge and a nice novalty with self open and closing trunk. The car is a tank and I am amazed Ford/Lincoln did not put the 5.4L block instead of using the base 4.6L 2v engine making 180kw. For such a heavy car, it really is alittle under powered and the throttle is tuned for smoothness so it feels even more doey than usual.

sounds like the towncar is a great lazy cruiser!

[chevypower]

I think they didn't go the 5.4, because it was mainly a fleet operated vehicle. The Town Car was all about the passenger, not the driver. You should have gone for the CTS or MKS if they had those.

[Raptor]

Originally Posted by Brazen

....
Anyone who has visited a US airport will recall seeing banks of big RWD Ford Crown Victorias and Lincoln Town Cars. Well it looks like the landscape will be changing.
....

Just like Aussie airports have traditional had banks of Fairlane/LTDs and Stateman/Caprice. It's a changing world alright.