Mercury Dies So That Lincoln May Live

We pretty much did our post-mortem of Mercury five days early...running down the cause(s) of the impending death.

So what happens now? Well, Ford says they're going to devote their energies into revitalizing their Lincoln brand.

On paper, this makes a bunch of sense. The successful model for car sales is one mainstream brand, one luxury (think Toyota/Lexus)...with no definable space for a "middle" brand (GM is bucking that wisdom by keeping Buick).

But where exactly is Ford taking Lincoln? Part of the problem is that for all the talk of how Mercury was done in by being nothing more than some re-badged Fords, it's hard to say Lincoln's in much better shape (the MKZ is a Fusion, the MKX an Edge, the MKS a last-gen Taurus and the MKT a Flex...though those last two are pretty well disguised).

Unique products? Well, there's the Town Car...but that's a dinosaur headed to extinction with no plans for a replacement. Oh, yeah...and they still sell the Navigator. Just not many of them.

Ford says a small car (based on the next Focus) that was supposed to be a Mercury will now be a Lincoln.

Depends on how they do that...but it sounds a little down-market for where Lincoln needs to be.

The TireKicker take? Lincoln needs to take serious aim at Cadillac. They need one car at least as good as the CTS. A CTS-V competitor would have to follow. And, you may have noticed, the CTS is not a re-badged Chevrolet. They need a larger sedan to do battle with the DTS/STS replacement that's coming. They need a crossover to compete with the SRX.  And, if there's a market for a premium sedan below the CTS in the U.S., Lincoln needs to play there, too.

Until and unless the Ford Expedition becomes as good as or better than the Chevy Suburban, Lincoln doesn't need to go chasing the Escalade (especially not the pickup version).

All this means engines, materials, and enthusiasm well beyond what we've seen from Lincoln before...plus a promotion budget to get the message across to buyers (it's been 10 years since Cadillac claimed "Breakthrough" with Led Zeppelin and they're just starting to see the results). And that's going to be way more than combining the money devoted to Lincoln now with what they would have spent on Mercury.

The situation calls for a world-class luxury brand. And until and unless Ford gets that, Lincoln's in danger of being a more expensive Mercury.

Lincoln MKS Review

Do something enough times and people can assume it's true again, even when it's not.

Case in point: Lincoln has spent the last few years taking Fords and dressing them up with Lincoln grilles, badges and logos (Expedition becomes Navigator; Explorer becomes Aviator; F-150 becomes Mark LT; Fusion becomes MKZ, Edge becomes MXK) that when I saw the new MKS on a stand at the Auto Show in November 2007, I assumed that it was a gussied-up Taurus.

I was wrong.

Sure, the MKS and Taurus are built of the same platform (shared with the Volvo S80), but Lincoln has shaken off the doldrums and built its own car here...and one that actually deserves the Lincoln nameplate.

Start with the leather, top-quality stuff sourced from the same company that provided hides to Lincoln 50 years ago. Move on to fit and finish...well above anything we've seen from Dearborn in a long, long time. The interior designers have crafted a distinctly Lincoln instrument panel, making the common item from the Ford parts bin look less, rather than more conspicuous.

The MKS was also my first experience with Ford's new SYNC system featuring live weather radar, up-to-the-minute sports scores and movie listings (I wouldn't have blamed them for making it a Lincoln exclusive for a year, but it's also available in the Ford Flex and the Escape Hybrid).

On the road? More than adequate power, and far better handling than any Lincoln I can remember.

The distinctive grille, meant to evoke memories of the late 30s-early 40s Continentals, is actually pointing the way to Lincoln's future. Let's hope the MKS is indicative of what Lincoln not only can but will do with future models.

UPDATE: Recently had a week in a second MKS, this one with "premium" rather than "ultimate" leather, and missing the dual-panel moonroof. Everything I wrote above still stands. But as a full production model, this one came with price and EPA estimates.

Base price: $37,665.

Options: $1,115 for the Technology Package (rain sensing interval wipers, adaptive headlamps with auto high beam, forward sensing system and Intelligent Access push button steering wheel).

$2,995 for the Navigation Package (voice activated nav system, rear-view camera, THX-II certified audio system with 5.1 surround sound).

$510 for 19 inch bright machine cast aluminum wheels.

Bottom line (including $800 delivery charge): $43,085. Pretty much in line with Cadillac CTS.

EPA estimates: 17 city/24 highway.

Crash ratings still pending at time of shipment.