For those who are lucky enough to have deep pockets, and don’t want to jump onto the SUV bandwagon, there’s always the good old, full-size luxury sedan. While the market trend on this front is pointing towards even more luxury SUVs coming in over the next few years, the charm and elegance of a large luxury sedan isn’t going anywhere. And if any of the big automakers are testament to this fact, one can notice the arrival of new & improved iterations of all the well-known sedans in this segment -- there are the Germans, the Japanese, and of course, the big American marque, too. Among the most prolific of these famous American brands is none other than Lincoln, and their big, bad boy battling it out in the luxury sedan department is their very own flagship, the new Continental.
The Lincoln Continental nameplate has actually been around since the past fifty years or so, but the all-new tenth-generation avatar only came into being in late 2016. It’s built on the Ford CD4 platform, much like its MKZ sibling, and when it went on sale, the new Continental effectively replaced the now aging MKS. In the UAE, the Lincoln Continental rivals the Cadillac CT6, BMW 7-Series, Genesis G90, and Lexus LS.
Exterior
Unlike some of its more flashy competitors from Europe or Asia, the exterior of the Lincoln Continental is rather subdued but with a touch of elegance and class. This is quite interesting and a welcome change from some of the cars (especially American ones) that glitter with excess chrome. Instead, the new Continental relies on graceful contours, subtle yet visible character lines, and certain unique features that are particular to the Continental. The front fascia incorporates the brand’s trademark chrome grille with the backlit Lincoln emblem, stylish multi-element full-LED headlamps, clean hood design with minor creases, and bumper-integrated air-intake channels, elegant chrome décor and horizontally placed LED fog lamps.
The most notable design traits along the Continental’s well-proportioned side profile come in the form of the suave stalk-mounted wing mirrors, chrome E-Latch door handles that are placed along the window line, distinctive rear haunches, and large multi-spoke 20-inch wheels. The low-slung rear of the Continental houses sophisticated LED tail lamps topped off by vivid “Lincoln” branding, large trunk lid, and neatly-integrated dual exhaust tips under the bumper. The Lincoln Continental measures 5.115 meters in length, 2.090 meters in width and 1.487 meters in height. It boasts a wheelbase of 2.994 meters, while overall boot capacity is 473 liters.
Interior
The cabin of the Lincoln Continental is a luxurious space and just like its rivals, best experienced when used as a four-seater. Most of the surfaces are either covered with supple leather, metallic accents or wood veneer, and there’s little (if any) sign of cost-cutting.
Lincoln has chucked in several nifty features, including radar-guided cruise control, twin-panel sunroof, hands-free trunk release, adaptive dampers, active noise cancellation, dual-zone climate control, 10-speaker sound system, surround-view cameras, 8.0-inch touch-infotainment system, and a head-up display. Then there are eight airbags, inflatable seatbelts, lane-keeping assist, collision detection with automatic braking etc.
Engine and performance
The most powerful variant of the Lincoln Continental makes 370hp and 575Nm from its 3.0-liter, twin-turbocharged six-cylinder engine. This motor comes mated to a 6-speed automatic transmission and an all-wheel-drive system. At full blast, the Continental will be moving at an electronically-limited top speed of 250 km/h, while the run from 0-100 km/h is done & dusted in 5.6 seconds. Not bad for a car that’s been specifically tuned for utmost comfort and not exactly breakneck performance.
Verdict
The Lincoln Continental costs between AED 209,000 to AED 325,000 for the entry-level Premier and the range-topping Reserve AWD trims, respectively.
