A giant leap forward

Recently my fiance and I began looking for a comfortable, near-luxury sedan priced in the low 30s. The finalists were the Acura TL, Chrysler 300M, Lincoln LS, Saab 9-3 and Volvo S60. She currently drives a 1998 S70 GLT (see my review of it at http://epinions.lycos.com/auto-review-4DEA-69A3578-3978563B-prod1) and loves it more than any car she has owned.

After driving all of them, we decided on the Lincoln LS. The Acura was nice but a little cramped. The Chrysler was beautiful to look at but felt a little cheap inside. The Saab was a little cramped out back but did offer phenomenal cargo capacity when the rear seats were dropped. It was a very close second behind the Lincoln. My fiance did not like the new styling on the Volvos, preferring to keep her S70 to getting a new S60. Plus, despite their attractive base price, all the options are expensive and the price climbs quickly after adding a couple of things.

From the moment we set foot inside the showroom to look at the LS to the point where we drove away, the experience was fantastic. I have never had such a pleasant experience in a dealership before. We ended up picking up a base LS V6. No options whatsoever. It does not mean that the vehicle is a stripper by any stretch of the definition. Plus the dealer threw in the CD changer for free.

Exterior:
Some people have knocked the Lincoln's styling by saying it's too derivative and not risque enough. I realize that styling is a matter of personal opinion and even though the magazines have almost unanimously picked the Jaguar S-Type over the Lincoln for styling, I could not disagree more. To me the S-Type looks like a sad attempt at retro styling and from the windshield back it resembles a Daewoo Leganza (or some other generic sub $20K car). In the few days I have had the car I have had nothing but positive reactions to the styling from other people. It also helps that we got it in a sleek black with tan leather combination.

Interior:
The interior may not be up to BMW 528i or Lexus GS300 standards, but when you consider that you're paying below $40K loaded V8 model, it shouldn't have to. The seats are quite comfortable and both front seats provide power adjustments standard. The power tilt/telescoping wheel can accommodate almost anybody, regardless of height or seating position. The dash layout is very intuitive and the only major complaint that I have is the fact that the gas lid release and trunk release buttons are right next to each other, feel the same and are partially hidden by the angle of the dash. The sun visors are also not terribly effective if you're over 5'10". I'm 6'2" and when I pull the visors down, it blocks about half of the forward view. On the plus side though, headroom is abundant (especially without the sunroof), visibility is excellent and overall interior room is outstanding, especially for a vehicle this size. Storage space, on the other hand, is miniscule at best. Small glove box, small compartment in the armrest and small pockets on the doors. Small price to pay for this level of refinement though. The base stereo is a far cry from the more upscale Bose systems found in other cars, but it's not a bad unit either. Our Volvo has the "premium" stereo and it sounds the same as the one in our Lincoln.

On the road:
The car is very solid and drives far better than I'd imagined prior to my first test drive. The steering is light but does not feel totally disconnected in the same sense as a Town Car or damn near any other luxury American car. The ride and handling are also a giant breakthrough for Ford. It feels like a well sorted European sedan. Taut handling and excellent composure over uneven pavement. It rides considerably better than our Volvo and I love the fact that it is a rear wheel drive vehicle (never been a fan of front wheel drive). It may not be a BMW, but for my taste it provides a better driving feel and experience than its Japanese competitors. Be prepared to pay for gas though, even our V6 is rather thirsty, averaging about 20mpg. I'll see if that improves as the engine is broken in. For what it's worth, I am an active member of the BMW CCA and have been driving BMWs (either mine or my parent's) since I got my license over 15 years ago. I am very impressed at how the Lincoln feels on the road and am still having a hard time believing that I bought a Lincoln - two years ago that would not have happened.

Overall:
I personally feel that we got an excellent car for the money. Despite the fact that it is a "base" model, we got more than our share of luxuries. The dealer experience was outstanding from beginning to end and I am quite impressed with the leap Lincoln has taken with the LS. Throw in free scheduled maintenance into the mix and you have a winner. I will update this report as needed as I spend more time behind the wheel.