Autoblog

Lincoln has seen a bit of a resurgence lately, with sales up 11% over last year. To keep the good times rolling, Ford has tabbed the world's best Frank Sinatra impersonator; Harry Connick Jr. The jazz scion will make his debut on Sunday Night Football sporting MKX duds on a trip through his hometown New Orleans. The spot will run during the Saints game, and the theme is about dreams.

The Lincoln brand also picked up amputee triathlete Sarah Reinertsen to help sell the MKZ. Reinertsen was the first female amputee to finish the Ford Ironman Triathlon Kona. While charitable contributions and inspirational athletes make for great stories, we question how much it helps to move product off dealer lots. Lincoln needs to focus more on highlighting its products, as the MKX and MKZ are newer offerings that many luxury buyers don't even know exist. The MKX commercial is playing during a pricey primetime NFL slot, and the MKX interior is largely unseen and the exterior appears all too briefly. Check out the Harry Connick Jr. MKX commercial after the jump.

[Source: BRANDWEEK]

The Manolo. He reads the Autoblog. Which is pretty cool, actually. The shoe/styleblogger extraordinaire tipped us off on the fabulous Flueguar. Right about now, you may be wondering, "What the %$#! is a Flueguar?"

Allow us to elaborate.

The Flueguar, seen above, is shoe designer John Fluevog's lead-sled '65 Jaguar Mk X. The car was purchased when it was just a year old by his late dad, and over time it had decomposed into a neglected hulk. For all intents and purposes, it was dead. Fluevog decided to not take the easy way out and junk the ride, however. Instead, he embarked on a restoration/modification project with the help of RX Autoworks. That collaboration resulted in the homage to English elegance and American-style hot-rodder badassedness you see here.

Follow the jump for more.

[Source: Fluevog Shoes via Manolo's Shoe Blog]

The Ford Edge is off to a strong start in sales, at least stronger than the Fusion's first full month of sales, and word has come from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety that the CUV and its platform mate, the Lincoln MKX, has earned a Top Safety Pick, which should help move a few more units. Not only must a vehicle earn a top crash test rating of "good" for front, side and rear crash tests to become a Top Safety Pick, but this year the guidelines were further beefed up to mandate that honorees also offer Electronic Stability Control.

The Ford Fusion, meanwhile, didn't come close to earning a Top Safety Pick last year when 2006 models and pre-production 2007 were tested, but Ford asked the IIHS to test the car again after a few changes were made including side airbags becoming standard equipment and alterations to the door trim and floorpan. This time the Fusion earned a "good" rating for both front and side impacts, but only earned a marginal rating for rear impacts. Since ESC isn't even an option on the Fusion, a Top Safety Pick was out of the question anyway. The same front impact rating also apply to the Mercury Milan and Lincoln MKZ, but the MKZ won't share the same side impact rating since it uses different door trim than the other two models. .

[Source: IIHS]

Click image for high-res comparison gallery

Attending a show always gets us thinking about concept cars and how they'll wind up translating into real in-the-showroom and on-the-road vehicles. This week, all the talk was about cars like Ford's Interceptor, Lincoln's MKR, Chevy's Volt, Mazda's Ryuga and Nissan's Bevel, for example. The extent to which any or all of those will influence future production vehicles remains to be seen.

It's when new models are on the stands that we can look back and compare. This year, Lincoln's MKX is in showrooms, and we're now able to look back at the concept car that clearly showed the world what was coming. That would be the 2005 Lincoln Aviator (which shared its name with the Explorer-based production vehicle), and aside from some detail changes, it's pretty much the MKX we all see today.

The concept's leaner-looking -- something that didn't carry over as well to the production car. The MKX's more sedate interior trim is much more appealing than the blinged-out chrome look the cabin of the Aviator concept sported. Our feeling is that the Aviator's big wheels and hood-ornament look better than the smaller rollers and integrated grille badge on the production car. We also prefer the thicker c-pillar and rear-end treatment of the concept, but we know as well as anyone that you're going to lose something when you go to production, and that rear looked like it didn't have much of a chance.

Given the trade-offs that were made, the transformation from Aviator Concept to MKX worked out okay. Yes, we're aware that it's an alternately-styled Ford Edge, but the style it has works well. Check out the comparison gallery we put together and let us know what you think. We just wish they'd have kept the old name.



[Photos: Ford]

After the Lincoln MKR found its way to center stage inside the Cobo Arena here in Detroit, Peter Horbury (Ford's North American design chief) stepped out of the Lincoln with the gait of a proud man. Now, that could be just because he avoided the task of explaining Ford's Airstream concept (J Mays must have lost that game of rock-paper-scissors), or perhaps it's because Lincoln has some design cues it can call its own after so many years of wandering the styling wilderness.

In the flesh, the MKR's proportions the include severe inward curvature of the rocker panels and short overhangs make it appear smaller than it actually is, and lend an athletic stance - something we probably haven't said of contemporary Lincoln products. The grille stands out - perhaps too much so - from the other subtle styling cues, but it would at least be unmistakable when headed down the road.

The TwinForce twin-turbo V6 is mated to a six-speed gearbox of unknown type (a twin-layshaft would make sense, given the engine nomenclature), which is shifted via pushbuttons on the T-shaped center console and paddles on the steering wheel. The recycled black oak that runs throughout the interior has just the right finish and looks antique without looking old, and contrasts nicely with the white leather and chrome accents. We're betting that the bottom-swinging pedals and deep-dish steering wheel don't ever make it to production, though.

And so just when can we expect to see showrooms filled with this spiritual successor to the Mark VII and Mark VIII? Well, Ford made no mention of production, so for now everyone is left to guessing.

Check out Lincoln's complete press release after the jump, and the 19 additional high-resolution live shots we've added to the MKR Concept's gallery.

Thank God it's over. Goodbye Freestar, you won't be missed. Ford has turned out its last head-gasket-consuming, transmission-torturing, flaccid minivan. It was a good try twelve years ago when it debuted as the Windstar, but time has not been kind to Ford's efforts. Moreover, Ford was not kind to the Freestar, letting it die on the vine while the competition became ever more competent. The Oakville, Ontario plant will continue to build cars, keeping all its employees busy with Ford Edge and Lincoln MKX production.The only folks that will even notice the unavailability of the Freestar (act fast, there's about 2,500 left) are fleet customers, with whom Ford will work to substitute other FoMoCo vehicles. Seems like a win-win-win: a tired horse is put out to pasture, the blue-collar folks kept their jobs and the fleet customers who lose out will be made whole.

[Source: Automotive News]

Ford's trying a multi-pronged approach at raising the public's awareness of their turnaround efforts. Of course the big, glossy, traditional marketing campaigns will lead the way, but the Blue Oval's also beating the streets.

Ford is sending execs across the land to talk with community groups like Lions and Rotary clubs, chambers of commerce, and local news media. Most of the populace is aware that Ford is having some trouble, but they're less aware of how Ford plans to fly out of this stall. Emmissaries are spreading the word about the great Consumer Reports quality results of the Fusion/Milan twins, getting them jazzed about the MKX and Edge, and taking the time to answer locals' questions and let them check out the cars. The message Ford is trying to send appears to be "we want to stick around, we're working on it." Hopefully, those questions and comments coming back from the audience are being relayed up the chain of command. To really be successful, Ford needs to build cars people want, and what better way to find out what the public has on its mind than to ask?

[Source: Detroit News]

After some snafus in the supply chain forced a few weeks of delay, Ford has finally begun shipping the Edge, a vehicle that's been built up in the press as the automotive equivalent of a Hail Mary Pass. While we don't think Ford's in that dire a situation, the Edge is certainly a significant launch and the delays were warranted to ensure the first batch of Edge CUVs would be in tip top shape when delivered to dealers. Apparently all stations on the assembly line at Ford's Oakville, Ontario plant where the Edge and its platform mate, the Lincoln MKX, are produced are operating up to spec, and Ford is comfortable now with its suppliers' ability to keep up with demand for the vehicles. With a fourth of December already in the books, however, it appears that any units sold through the end of 2006 won't have much of an impact on the company's sales figures this month. That's the price you pay for quality assurance, though.

[Source: Business Week]

Recently we had the opportunity to spend some time behind the wheel of the new 2007 Lincoln MKX crossover. This is a critical vehicle to the brand as it works to establish credibility and build brand equity in the luxury crossover market against competitors such as the Lexus RX and Infiniti FX.

Driving the heaviest model available -- laden with AWD, Vista Roof, etc. -- initial impressions with the powertrain are very positive. The 3.5-liter V6 is smooth until pressed into high rpm duty, where it gets a little raspy. The engine is complimented by an excellent six-speed automatic transmission that provides reasonable acceleration from a standstill, holding the lower gears to prevent premature up shifts. Without the constant up-and-down hunting sometimes experienced with an automatic, this gearbox feels almost intuitive in its ability to be in the right gear at the right time. A request for more acceleration is quickly addressed with a downshift from sixth to fourth or even third when necessary.

Follow the jump for the rest of our driving impressions and some official photos from the MKX press kit.

Generally, manufacturer vehicle programs are held to show the vehicles and go for a short drive. They usually feed you a boring lunch and then send you on your way, loaded with all kinds of information to sift through and find the real story. Tying into the James Bond theme and Ford's affiliation with the new movie "Casino Royale", Lincoln took us all on a full-day adventure. The "My Dream is to be a Special Agent" program held in Detroit to showcase the new MKZ and MKX models as well as Lincoln's new "Dreams" (www.mydreams.tv) website, which goes live Monday, was anything but boring.

It started as a normal media event, with executives and engineers presenting information about the new products and features and walking us through the new website. From there it got interesting. In an effort to give us the true Bond driving experience, we were then invited to a couple of really cool driving events.

We were handed the reins of a new Mustang GT and invited to try our skills at drifting the Mustangs through a wet autocross course. Are they nuts? Asking journalists to drive like, well, journalists? As if that weren't enough, we were then escorted to the Michigan Stare Police "Alley Test" where we guided a P.I. Crown Vic through a narrow lane of cones first forward, then backward, only stopping briefly to back into a parking spot and accelerate out. Lots of fun, damaged cones, and bruised egos.

After my turn in the MKZ, we stopped at the Firing Line gun range and were allowed to shoot an array of pistols, learn close combat skills, and test our S.W.A.T. abilities on a laser simulator. If you haven't had the chance to fire a .44 Magnum, it's one of those things you should put on your list of stuff to do before you die.

Into the MKX and on to the MGM Grand Casino for a "shaken not stirred" martini class and game of baccarat on the house. Are you starting to see the 007 connection yet?

Last but not least we were shuttled to the Star Theatre to attend a pre-screening of the new James Bond 007 movie "Casino Royale" which featured the most automotive nirvana this side of "Gone in 60 Seconds". Of course, James eventually drives the Aston-Martin DBS, but only after piloting a new Ford Mondeo sedan as well as a '64 Aston-Martin DB7. Other notables included a Bentley Continental GT and GTC as well as a Flying Spur. One scene includes the Bentleys, the DBS, a Maserati Spyder, and a Rolls-Royce Phantom. Although the movie has tons of cool automotive iron, very little of the movie revolved around the cars. As a matter of fact, the DBS gets driven about 2 minutes before it is...I don't want to ruin it for you!

Between each of the events, we were able to drive an MKX and MKZ. The initial impressions will be posted soon, with full Autoblog Garage evaluations scheduled in the very near future.