(first posted 7/18/2017) Launched to critical acclaim, the 1988 Continental was Lincoln’s first front-wheel-drive model and a technology showcase for Ford’s luxury brand. After a positive reception from critics and consumers alike, Ford neglected their new FWD luxury sedan even as ferocious winds of change from the East blew through the luxury segment.
Brendan Saur pointed out how rare the Continental has become with age, the Town Car surviving in greater numbers. Part of that is simple math, as two to three times as many Town Cars were sold each year during the Continental’s run.
Another contributing factor to the Continental’s scarcity today is the trick computer-controlled suspension, the car’s signature piece of equipment. An impressive bit of kit, the Continental’s suspension utilized strut-mounted air springs and automatic levelling. Sensors detected the car’s motion and speed and adjusted the amount of air in each spring to soften or firm up the ride. Impressive, yes, but inevitably a costly repair. The Continental never became a collectible or earned a truly loyal enthusiast following so there’s little incentive to spend a lot of money repairing one of these now 20+ year-old luxury sedans. Compounding matters, the 3.8 V6 engine and four-speed automatic transmission were also prone to failure.
At its debut, the Continental was a modern new offering from Lincoln. In addition to the novel suspension, speed-sensitive power-assisted steering and four-wheel anti-lock disc brakes were standard, as were dual airbags after 1989. The new Lincoln, like its predecessor, rode on a humble Ford platform but this time it was a stretched version of the Taurus platform. Like its rival the Cadillac DeVille but unlike old-guard luxoboats like the Town Car and Brougham, the Continental had four-wheel independent suspension—a first for Lincoln.
The Continental’s air suspension wasn’t just a silly gimmick (unlike the optional InstaClear windshield). It showed Ford was serious about modernizing their luxury brand and exploring new ways of engineering a prestige sedan. With the Continental, Lincoln proved it was possible to have a pillowy ride as well as capable handling. The Lincoln’s dynamics were also aided by direct steering with good road feel.
The styling was also very modern, even though it used a formal, six-window roofline outside and a front bench-seat inside. The car struck a sensible balance between formal styling and modern aerodynamics—brightwork was kept to a minimum and awkward (if historical) touches like the fake tire hump were banished. It was simultaneously classic American and modern international both inside and out, although for some it may have been too restrained.
The Continental impressed not only Motor Trend but also the historically import-friendly Car & Driver, who praised the car’s ride/handling balance and liked the Continental enough to put it on their 10Best list for 1989.
It wasn’t perfect, however. The ’88 Continental had been Lincoln’s first model with fewer than eight cylinders and with gas prices low and even the Japanese introducing V8s, that proved to be a miscalculation. At least on paper, the Continental’s transverse-mounted, fuel-injected 3.8 V6 seemed competitive. Torque was a stout 215 ft-lbs at 2200 rpm, while horsepower was 140 at 3800 rpm. This wasn’t too far off the Cadillac DeVille and Seville’s 4.5 V8 (155 hp and 240 ft-lbs). But the Continental was a hefty 3600 pounds, hampering performance—0-60 took 11.4 seconds. A V8 engine was rumored to be introduced during the car’s run but didn’t appear until the next generation.
The Continental also suffered from a lengthy model run, its replacement not arriving until 1995. And although the Continental received an extra 15 horsepower for 1991 and another five the following year, precious little else changed. When the Continental was first launched, the Cadillac Seville was a slow-selling box on wheels and Lexus and Infiniti didn’t exist. When the Continental was finally replaced, Acura had taken a step upmarket with a svelte new Legend, Lexus and Infiniti both had RWD V8 flagships as well as keenly-priced FWD entry-level models, and Cadillac had a silky smooth new V8 and, in the Seville at least, dynamic and contemporary styling.
Another issue was Ford’s obliviousness to how their FWD and RWD Lincolns were converging. When the Cadillac Seville and Lincoln Versailles were first launched, for example, they were considerably smaller than their stablemates but priced higher. But as their stablemates were downsized, both Cadillac and Lincoln found themselves with two parallel lines of vehicles in their showrooms that, although mechanically dissimilar, were priced, sized and positioned similarly. With the ’88, Lincoln actually upsized the Continental and bragged about this move in their advertising. Although it weighed 200 pounds less, the new car was 4.4 inches longer overall – half an inch of that in the wheelbase – with a bigger trunk. The car shrank only in width, and by just an inch.
Cadillac took steps to distance its ’92 Seville from the DeVille, but the Continental and the redesigned 1990 Town Car didn’t look a whole lot different to showroom browsers. Sure, the Continental was front-wheel-drive and had some more technology but they were priced the same, although the FWD Lincoln had initially been priced $3k higher. The Town Car probably looked more appealing to many shoppers with its greater width, longer wheelbase, and V8 engine, not to mention its similarly aerodynamic and yet more formal styling.
Although sales had been steadily rising with this generation – and indeed, the FWD Continental typically sold twice as well as its predecessor – the arrival of first new Town Car since 1980 coincided with a drop in sales for the Continental. That suggests the typical Continental buyer and Town Car buyer weren’t that much different, although the Continental would have been more popular in snowy climes. Sales did spike in 1994 with little explanation, however.
The Continental would surely have benefited from more power and a proper mid-cycle enhancement. But Ford should have also contemplated the trajectory of the Continental. The market was embracing sport sedans. The Cadillac Seville’s flagship STS trim was accounting for half of total Seville volume. The Continental was one of the more sluggish luxury sedans and didn’t even offer a buckets-and-console setup until 1993, something that was expected from any import fighter. A Continental LSC might have helped the Continental’s image and help differentiate it in consumers’ eyes from the Town Car. Instead, the Continental and Town Car continued to converge. The 1995 redesign slowed this trend, but Lincoln leaned heavily on gadgetry to shape the Continental’s identity and when sales flagged, the Continental was heavily facelifted and made to look more like the Town Car.
While we contemplate alternate realities, let’s also consider how a Lincoln sedan based on the MN-12 platform might have done. Presaging the LS, a RWD Continental would have probably been more successful than the Mark VIII and might have helped establish Lincoln as a closer rival to the soaring BMW and Mercedes-Benz.
To Australian eyes, the Continental bears a slight resemblance to the NA-series Ford Fairlane and plusher DA-series Ford LTD. Like the Continental, these were powered by a six-cylinder (3.9 liters instead of 3.8) although they used rear-wheel-drive. The Aussie twins were arguably a little less refined than the Lincoln and lacked some of its high-tech features. However, Ford Australia managed to get 186 hp and 249 ft-lbs of torque out of an almost identically-sized engine. Even back at home, cheaper sedans like the Buick Electra and Oldsmobile Ninety-Eight were managing 165 hp from their 3.8 V6 engines. By the time the Lincoln caught up, the GM full-sizers had introduced a supercharged V6 engine that provided the kind of effortless power many luxury car buyers expected.
Interestingly, the Continental nameplate has been resurrected after 15 years. Once again, it’s a premium mid/full-size sedan based on a mid-size Ford platform with some additional features, a nicer interior, and different styling. To Ford’s credit, the Continental has a much better range of powertrains and all-wheel-drive and twin-turbo V6 engines are optional. But we will have to wait and see if Ford falls back into old habits and lets the car become irrelevant. The introduction of the Continental to the luxury-loving Chinese market may help avoid that.
Ford had harnessed an existing platform – a shrewd, profit-friendly move – and used advanced technology and new styling to differentiate the Continental from the cheaper Ford Taurus and Mercury Sable. They were rewarded immediately with increased sales and yet, despite this, they let the Continental wither on the vine at the worst possible time.
To enthusiasts, the ’88 Continental lives in the shadow of the classically American Town Car and the desirable Mark VII. To buyers at the time, the Continental may have seemed poor value next to the Town Car. To buyers today, if they can find one, the Continental is a sketchy used proposition. The idea of the Continental at the time was sound but, sadly, Ford sabotaged the car.
I spotted both the clean, white and rusty, gold Continentals in Rivertown, Detroit within a block of each other in June 2017.
Gold Continental photographed in Washington Heights, NY in 2014, Town Car photographed in downtown Detroit in June 2017 and LTD photographed in Bracken Ridge, Australia in December 2014.
Related Reading/Viewing:
Curbside Classic: 1995-2002 Lincoln Continental – In Pursuit of the Pursuer
CC Capsule: 1982 Lincoln Continental – Bustling-Back To Prominence
I was a fan of the FWD Continental when it first arrived. It had a long, airy look when new, especially compared to its predecessor Fox-based Continental with the pseudo-Rolls grille, bustleback, and fake, uh, Continental kit. The new one had many of the best features of the forward-looking ’86 Taurus and Sable, with the same basic (excellent) front and rear seats as the Taurus LX but with more back seat room, a bigger trunk, and air suspension. Then in only its second year on the market, it got a substantially redesigned interior with an all-new dash (the one shown here but with more woodgrain, specifically along the full-width horizontal section) and completely new door panels as well with improved ergonomics (over both the ’88 Conti and Taurus/Sable). The reason for the revamped interior was the fitment of dual front airbags, one of the first cars so equipped. Most cars sold in the US didn’t even have a driver-side airbag yet in 1989.
But then, as noted, Lincoln sat on its laurels at a time when the competition was rapidly growing and improving, and Lincoln just didn’t keep up. The buckets and console don’t really improve anything, trendy as they were, and took up usable space. Slight trim modifications inside and out made it look worse to my eyes, and anyway were too subtle to be easily noticed. The eventual next generation never had the appeal this one did, even though it finally got a V8 engine. The car it powered was too ordinary and plain, neither sporty nor luxurious enough for a modern Lincoln Continental. I have high hopes for the newly resurrected Continental and Navigator, especially if the high-end Black Label models take off. These look and feel like Lincolns should. But will the buyers be convinced to look at them?
What I always find peculiar is how the new Continental seems to enjoy a lot of positive attention on this website. Don’t get me wrong, I like it. But still, it’s hardly any more impressive than, say, an MKX or MKZ. They’re all Fords underneath, albeit all with handsome exteriors and upscale cabins. But the Continental gets singled out as a ray of hope for a brand perennially perceived as being adrift, while the cheaper and just as compelling MKZ is ignored. Is the allure of an old-school American nameplate at play here? Would it be as fondly spoken of if it was called MKS?
I have to say that the Cadillac CT6, although arguably inferior in the interior, is what I would imagine as being more popular around here. After all, it’s RWD (with optional AWD). There’s also a twin-turbo V6 option, like on the Continental. It has classic RWD proportions and is based on a Cadillac-exclusive platform. But the Continental gets all the buzz. I’ve seen the Conty in person and it doesn’t pop. In fact, it’s really quite anonymous. The CT6 could use a sharpening at the rear but the front is clean yet stately. And it looks like a big car, while the Continental is more deceptive with its size.
The simple fact is the MKZ will outsell the Continental by some measure, and Lincoln’s crossovers will cream it. I dare say if it wasn’t for China, Lincoln wouldn’t even have bothered with the new Conty, much like the new Taurus is a China exclusive offering.
Again, I like the Continental but I just feel the praise is disproportionate.
Now that new Navigator… I don’t like SUVs, but I sure like it!
The CT6 borrowed the vast majority of its styling from pre-existing Cadillac sedans while the Continental ushered in a new design language for the brand. With both the MKZ and Continental leading their Cadillac counterparts (the MKZ has been outselling the ATS and CTS combined for some time now) it seems consumers like the new Lincoln styling more than Cadillac’s Art and Science.
I think you’re right about the Lincoln getting more buzz because of its name. It’s also a huge step up from its predecessor. Initially, Lincoln designers thought they were just working on a replacement for the MKS, but were later told it was going to be the Continental. They got permission to spend money on pretty much everything they asked for, which is how we got the electronic door handles and the nice interior.
Lincoln is slowly building brand equity by doing something other than chasing the Germans. Cadillac strives to be the American BMW, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but its what they’ve been doing for years. With the Continental you had a lot of people who ignored Lincoln finally notice the brand’s recent transformation. The new Navigator also helped with that.
I also think part of the problem with Cadillac styling is that the looks migrated up from the lower-level cars in the range, rather than the other way around. German flagships like the Mercedes-Benz S Class and BMW 7 Series set the design language, which then gets copied/reinterpreted on the less expensive offerings. Cadillac did the opposite, with the ATS, then the CTS, then the CT6–so the newest, biggest, most expensive car looks like a bloated version of the oldest, cheapest car. Plus, even after all these years of chasing the Bavarians, I think very few BMW/MB/Audi customers/prospects seriously consider Cadillac as a legitimate alternative to a German sports sedan, no matter what “performance stats” and “SOHO street cred” GM boasts about.
While I agree with Will’s assessment that the Continental is terribly bland, it did at least introduce a new face that “trickled down” to the cheaper models. I also agree that people love the Continental name and the idea of a genuine American flagship sedan that’s not trying to be German. Sadly, the car itself is a letdown and not a true aspirational Lincoln.
The problem is that it “trickled down” too quickly. The Continental and the MKZ are basically indistinguishable from the front at this point, which I think is a problem. Maybe if they had waited a year or two? I suppose they were looking to completely excise the “flying wing” grille from the sedans but it’s just too similar.
And personally I think the Continental is quite compelling in person. Looks better in dark colors though. Maybe it’s not quite differentiated well enough from the MKZ outside, but that interior is night and day different. And overall, really, it’s a detail car. The door handles, the single chrome accent on the side, the interior touches. Quiet luxury rather than in-your-face.
Very nice article. This was unfortunately one of the low points for Lincoln – equivalent to the Versailles. Lincoln should have learned that taking a platform from a lower-line model, doing only the minimal to differentiate it, and then hanging on a premium price just courts disaster – in sales and reputation. They also weren’t assembled at Wixom which typically took pride in their product – you could see the difference in build quality between these and a Town Car right there on the showroom floor. You don’t see many of these at LCOC meets.
So you can spot the Taurus in this design? I for one find it a whole lot easier to spot the Crown Vic in the Town Car, or the Thunderbird in the Mark VII, than spot the tells that would link this car to the Taurus. The Versailles was far more egregious, it shared 100% of the Granada’s sheetmetal. These were bad and not so common now because of the 3.8 V6, and also for trickling the styling down to the dumpy Topaz the same year it debuted.
The Taurus lineage was much more apparent from the inside. The seats, front and rear, were shaped exactly like the ones in the Taurus and have the same distinct feel despite different stitching patterns. Other switchgear and parts that were first used on the Taurus were evident here as well.
Taurus seat cores were used in quite a lot of Ford vehicles, including MN12, FN10 and Panther platform cars, including the Town Car. Find fault in this practice, sure, but it wasn’t like this Continental started Ford down the path, or that it was the only offender in the Lincoln lineup circa 88-94.
I think the Taurus DNA is easy to spot. That became true in 1992, because the ’92 facelift of the Taurus, making it a bit more conservative, brought it and the Continental closer in appearance.
My mistake as pointed out below – these were assembled at Wixom – I was sure I read where they were built at the existing Taurus/Sable plants.
Not one of the better assembled cars to come out of Wixom.
I actually saw one of these, briefly, when I was driving. Given how historically, Southern California is not very big on domestic makes that aren’t SUVs, it was surprising to see one of these Continentals still running in good old San Diego.
But that’s just one, compared to the handful of Town Cars I’ve seen before and after. I saw about 10 Town Cars (all 1995-1997 model years) before that one Continental, which just says it all.
I think you hit the nail on the head William, it just was stuck in no man’s land. The worst thing a luxury car can be is unclear and unfocused as to what it’s mission is. This Continental suffered from that, once the refreshed Town Car hit in 1990, it just made this Continental seem that much more muddled. I sort of understand what they were going for, Ford clearly was positioning the Town Car to be more of a blend of traditional American luxury with European DNA throughout, but it just didn’t really do either well. I doubt people infatuated with BMWs and Audis were going to seriously consider this, and as for people that like American cars, why not just go with the Town Car? Yes, the Town Car had the same failure prone rear air suspension, but that 4.6 and 470RW will last throughout the next nuclear fallout. The fact that the Continental couldn’t even provide a bulletproof drivetrain combo, was pretty much the kiss of death for it.
I certainly don’t hate this Continental. It’s a bit boring and generic, but it certainly looks fine and is clearly a step up from Cadillac’s pathetic downsized efforts, but it’s nondescript appearance doesn’t lend itself favors. It’s successor was even worse, going full on melted bar of soap that did not lend itself to aging well.
I don’t think anyone would be surprised when I say, I would just have gotten a Town Car and been done with it. In all my years of searching, I have yet to see one of these Continentals come up for sale on any website compared to the surprising amount of second gen Town Cars in pretty good condition that are going for less than five figures. I could hit a rock and find a Town Car that’s been taken care of, I can’t even find beater variants of these Continentals and when you can’t even find a rusted out hooptie example of a particular car for sale in any capacity, that says a lot.
Also, once the 1992 Seville came out, it just made this look worse. Sure, the Northstar is not a paragon of reliability itself, but it looked much better, looked like a Cadillac while still blending in European influence, and even though it was FWD, it had a V8 engine with a lot of bang for it’s buck. In essence, it was essentially what the Continental could’ve and indeed, should’ve been all along.
These cars sowed the seeds for Lincoln’s irrelevance, if Town Car fleet sales weren’t as strong as they were, and if the Navigator didn’t inject a spare bit of cash into the profit margins, I honestly think the company could’ve met the same fate as Mercury. (I know it almost did, and that Mullaly came around to rethinking his decision, but you have to admit, that decision could’ve been easier and come a lot sooner if those factors weren’t in play)
Sounds like they had a try at emulating Citroens active computer controlled suspension, whatever these Lincolns had a quite advanced spec, Aussie Fords did not have a V6 they had a OHC update of the verable straight six an ex GFs mother bought a 91 DA LTD to replace her 73 V8 HQ Holden for towing a horse float it was a nice car but didnt have the roadholding of the ancient Holden it replaced that car had wide wheels and a Kmac sway bar kit under it
Ah Bryce, I feel such a fool. I own a Falcon and somehow forgot they’ve long used inline sixes. I’ve fixed that now, thank you.
I remember liking these when they were introduced. Then I got to experience it…. My Pop and I checked out the 1989 Continental when he was cross shopping with Cadillac. On the plus side, the car was contemporary looking, a good size (big enough but not cumbersome) and comfortable inside. But it wasn’t as uniquely striking as the then-old Mark VII, which still looked modern but with more Lincoln character (which the ’90 Town Car would also offer the following year, but the boxy ’89 landau-vinyl-topped Town Car looked like a true relic in the showroom at that point).
But the big gotcha for the Continental, even when brand new on a test drive from the showroom, was the seeming lack of power. The Continental felt sluggish, and the engine sounded gruff/cheap for the class of car. GM did much better with its “corporate” 3.8 V6, and Cadillac’s 4.5 V8 was smooth, sounded good and was geared for great response off the line, even if the engine ran out of juice at higher RPM.
The Lincoln needed to be “Lexus-good” in order to win converts from domestics and imports, and sadly it just wasn’t. And the fact that the Continental aged poorly and was rife with engine, transmission and suspension issues was another black eye for Lincoln at a very critical juncture in the evolution of the luxury market.
Excellent write-up William. An interesting anecdote about the Continental comes from Mary Walton’s “Car.” Both the Continental and Taurus were set to use the same platform for their mid-90’s redesign, but the Lincoln was further ahead in its development. When the time came for Team Taurus to show their test mule to executives they became extremely paranoid because they thought their sedan was noticeably more refined than the Continental and figured the top brass would press them to dumb it down. They didn’t say a thing. I’m wondering if that had anything to do with their reluctance to alienate their customer base, who likely preferred more traditional styling and driving experience.
I remember liking the car at the time. It was modern and nicely styled inside and out. I figured that a fwd offering wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. It came across as high tech compared to the TC, which was a conservative design.
BUT . . . that V6. Lincoln had never, ever offered any engine with fewer than 8 cylinders. Had I been in that market and paying that price the V6 would have been the deal breaker. A V8 engine might have made all the difference.
Not entirely true about the 1st use of a 6 cylinder engine as the previous generation of the Continental sedan used the same 3.8 V6 in it’s debut year of 1982. It was replaced after 1 year because of complaints it wasn’t powerful enough.
Oddly, Ford/Lincoln ignored those complaints when they put pretty much the same V6 in the generation of Continental profiled here, even though both cars weighed roughly the same.
Ford/Lincoln kind of screwed themselves with this car. The Taurus SHO would get a V8 so why didn’t Lincoln get one since it obviously fit? Then, when they re-designed the Town Car they produced a car that shared WAAAY too many design cues….and for nearly the same price.
BTW, Lincoln offered a BMW-sourced 6 cylinder engine in the Continental sedan and coupe in the mid 80s, admittedly a 6 cylinder diesel engine.
I had actually forgotten about the V6 in the 82 Continental. From what I can remember though, it was a no-cost option/alternative to the 5.0 V8. So, in a sense, today’s Continental was the first where you HAD to take a 6.
Oops, I went back and DOUBLE CHECKED THE Encyclopedia of American Cars and they showed the V6 as optional in 1982 just as you say. Yet the actually description of the car’s specifications at introduction would seem to imply that the V8 wasn’t even optional in 82. The Encyclopedia pretty much says that the 6 was dropped due to lack of power. Of course, it was rated at 112 horsepower in 82 with carburetors, so I guess when you added the fuel injection to get 28 more horses for this generation of Continental (more power than the previous generation with a V8) I guess they thought they could go with fewer cylinders.
The Ford/Yamaha V8 engine actually debuted on the third gen Taurus SHO after the Intech V8 was released in the 1995 Continental. The first/second generation Taurus never received more than a V6 (3.0/2 in the SHO.)
And those SHO V8s are time bombs. The cam gears are only pressed on to the shafts, and come off, goodbye engine. The few that remain have had the gears either pinned or welded on.
The Duratec 3.0 V6 available in the regular 96 Taurus pretty much made the V8 SHO pointless too,
In late 1989 my Dad was looking to replace his ’87 Maxima that he really wasn’t too fond of. He had a client that had just bought a brand new 1990 Continental and was bragging about how much he loved that car. He had been a Town Car owner for over 20 years and felt the Continental was much better suited to the New England climate – FWD, not too big, comfortable and efficient. So, one day Dad and I decided to go and drive one for ourselves. It was a very nice car. Very comfortable, it handled well and the silver one we drove with the black leather interior was very ‘European’ feeling, especially compared to a RWD Fleetwood Brougham or Town Car. My Dad had one problem with it – the engine. When he merged onto the highway he gunned the Continental and it let out a horrific growl – not a good sounding one at that – it sounded like a sick animal. The salesman was mortified – oh, that must be something specific to this car. Well, Dad would have been sold on the Conti if that hadn’t happened. It simply was underpowered. He ended up getting a 1990 Coupe deVille that he loved. I can never forget that day we drove that Continental. Dad was disappointed. But after getting a Maxima that he didn’t really ever love I was glad he bought the Cadillac instead as it was his last car before he passed and he absolutely loved that car!
This exactly parallels the experience my Pop and I had test driving the 1989 Continental! Our demonstrator was also Silver with black leather! I wonder if Lincoln dealers did that on purpose, since the color combo really did look classy and international.
As for the driving, part of the test drive route had us merging onto I-10 and the car was AWFUL. For the first pass, Pop was driving and the car was making really loud, unrefined noise but was barely getting into the traffic flow. I gave him grief–“What’s the matter Pop? Why can’t you merge?” while the salesman in back was absolutely silent. Next pass, same route, me driving: same problem. And the same sarcastic “What’s the matter George? Why can’t you merge?” Like father, like son…
With just one test drive it was clear that the Continental just didn’t have the right powertrain–the salesman knew it, we knew it and I am sure a lot of people walked away without buying because of it.
Continental sales really didn’t decline in 1993 and then spike again in 1994. It simply looks this way on paper because the refreshed ’94’s were actually introduced very early in 1993. Still, it’s inexplicable as to why Ford waited so long before unveiling the last MCE – would have made more sense to do this no later than 1992. Perhaps they thought the new ’95 Continental would be unveiled earlier?
Agree, wonder why bother with changes for only one model year? Like it was 1958?
My guess would be the last MCE was not initially planned. Perhaps they met with unintended delays before the ’95 Continental was launched.
Ford’s done that a few times… ’98 Windstar and the ’03 ZX2 for example.
Great write-up – I remember wanting to like these when they came out but there was something about the styling that just didn’t look like “Lincoln” to me. in retrospect, it has aged very well, much better than some of its contemporaries.
Regarding the formal roofline, it always bothered me that it looked like scaled up Topaz, but I guess it met the need for a spacious rear seat environment.
^^^^ This. I never thought this iteration of Continental was anything special in it’s exterior design. That Topaz is better looking, IMHO.
As a former ’89 Topaz owner I agree. And for the record I LOVED the car! Rock solid reliability, good fuel economy, and great in Cleveland’s winters 🙂 .
Is it just me, or is the new Lincoln Continental very much the same design as the 2010 – present Jaguar XJ?
The Jaguar, to my eyes anyway, looks more like a fastback than the Lincoln and the Jag has an almost square “grille” opening to the Lincoln’s rectangle.
From the front, yes, Lincoln’s new grille (which can be seen on the Continental, ’17+ MKZ, ’18+ MKC and ’18 Navigator) looks very much like that of Jaguar. Overall, I would say the Continental looks a lot like the Bentley Flying Spur. In fact, when it debuted, the former head of Bentley deisgn, Luc Donckerwolke, outright accused Lincoln of copying.
At the same time, it’s got very confident styling that’s all its own.
I had a highly negative reaction to this car from the day it arrived, and my feelings have never changed, although I suppose I could muster a wee bit of appreciation for any of the very few survivors left, due to their very fragile drive train and suspension. But for the most part, I can only summon up the fact that there’s none around here anymore as “good riddance”.
And don’t even ask how I felt about its successor.
Neither the Continental or the early 90s Town Car seem to have survived in my area. Very, very occasionally I’ll see a Town Car on Craigslist, but neither the “bustle back” Continental nor the followup model is ever seen.
It will be interesting to see how well the newest Continental catches on. So far, I’ve only seen 2…maybe 3 of them on the streets. Cadillac does fairly well here in north Florida due to their appeal to younger buyers. Though Lincoln’s SUV/CUV lineup seems to be doing better than Cadillac’s.
In the 00s around LA and the Valley, there were plenty of these around, most of them with their tails dragging, unkempt and in beater mode. They didn’t age well.
For me these were about as non-styled as a mid 80s Maxima: nothing to see here.
You are spot on with that assessment! I can’t un-associate this generation with the faded-grey car that parked around the corner from my middle school in Hollywood around 2005, front end upwards. I liked these cars but at the same time my mom had a ’89 Taurus wagon with slipping tranny and overheating 3.8, and once I learned the two shared the same engine it was over.
Speaking of which! ’88 Lincoln Continental, meet ’89 Plymouth Acclaim. You two have a lot in…er…oh, I see you’re already well acquainted! (don’t just squint at the thumbnail, click to embiggen and really see it.)
My initial response was “That’s a Continental? Looks more like a Olds Cutlass Cierra!
Quickly heard about the fragile powertrain from a L-M dealer mechanic I knew. He hated the things.
As they aged here in the northeast, it wasn’t uncommon to see them with one end or the other down from suspension failure, which was extremely costly to repair.
These may not have damaged Lincoln’s reputation as much as the Versailles but probably came close.
Personally, don’t miss them, glad they’re gone.
These probably did more damage to Lincoln’s reputation because, unlike the Versailles, they initially sold well.
And whatever its faults, the Versailles wasn’t fragile or unreliable.
I beg to differ. Primitive computer, unreliable electronic ignition, trashy variable venturi carburetor.
The Continental had a head-gasket munching V-6, fragile automatic transmission and glitch-prone electronics. It was one of the most unreliable cars on the market at the time.
The Versailles was hardly the worst car on the market in the late 1970s, foreign or domestic. The basic components – engine, transmission, chassis – were reliable.
Clean examples of the Versailles will pop up at old cars shows around here. I’ve never seen a Continental of this vintage…even though many more of those Continentals were produced.
At various Carlisle events and the Hershey Antique Automobile Club of America (AACA) fall meet, I can’t remember ever seeing this generation of Continental, either on the show field or in the car corral.
Meanwhile, there have been Versailles (not many, to be sure) at various events.
In view of the production totals for both cars, that is telling.
Congrats on finally finding one of these to photograph! I know we’ve discussed trying to find this car for the past few years 🙂
To me, this Continental was always a close but no cigar effort. Ford definitely did a good job visually distinguishing the Continental from the Taurus/Sable, with thoroughly different styling, details such as switch gear and door handles, features, and refinement. But then they just seemed to give up on it, not making any major or significant improvements to make the Continental more competitive in a rapidly changing and growing segment. It was truly a lost opportunity.
Many of these seemed to fall quickly into disrepair even by the late 90s, with plenty of bottomed out examples littering the pages of Autotrader. This was surely a turnoff for any well-to-do geriatric hoping to impress at the weekly bridge club gathering.
It was a perfect trifecta of crappiness with the air bag suspension drama, sketchy electronics, and Ford’s notorious glass 4-speed automatic trans.
That said, my father had one, and for awhile, it was a sublimely smooth driving experience that reminded me of being behind the wheel of my ’91 MN-12 Cougar XR7.
I’m glad the new Continental has gotten people interested in Lincoln again, although the death of the panther platform and irrelevance of the Caddy XTS has left a nice vacancy in the market for a new full-size RWD V8 sedan. I just hope the new Continental doesn’t prove to be as troublesome as it’s granddaddy above. When I saw one at the Tampa International Auto Show last November, I was impressed but very skeptical of the amount of gizmos packed into it. The electronic interior door handles made me particularly nervous, especially with the amount of bluehairs driving into the local retention ponds here in South Florida.
I would say the XTS is only irrelevant in terms of marketing. It quietly posts reasonably-strong sales numbers, which isn’t as ceremonious a victory as beating “ze Germans” in their RWD-whatever segments, so GM kind of brushes it under the rug. It’s not the kind of car they want to make, but it’s the kind they can sell. GM had planned to kill the XTS by now because it didn’t fit the brand image, but it’s doing well enough that they’re giving it a facelift and keeping it past 2019. It’s unclear how much of that is due to the livery-happy Chinese market…but it’s doing well.
In my mind, the base Continental (with its carryover 3.7-liter V6 / FWD combo) is an XTS competitor at the low-end, but the model has the design flair and sense of occasion to compete with the RWD-based CT6 in 3.0TT / AWD form.
Also, the CT6 is supposed to get some kind of V8 powertrain, so that’ll be your RWD American V8 sedan. But really, the types of people who bought giant Oldsmobiles, Buicks and Cadillacs in the past would these days buy Enclaves, Yukon XL Denalis and Escalades. Or one of the pickups. They’re the modern B and C-bodies. So the large RWD American luxury sedan market is probably going to die soon.
Interesting point you make about what large sedan buyers of yore are driving today. When we needed a family vehicle last year, I thought about the old Vista Cruiser because that’s what I really wanted. The only thing that really comes close is the Buick Enclave, so that’s what we bought. If Buick was making new Roadmasters, it would have been a different story.
“Ze Germans” IMO have lost their edge in terms of offering a unique driving experience. There’s simply less contrast between what used to make a Bimmer special than what now puts a Chevy or Honda on someone’s radar if they’re interested in spirited driving.
Herein lies the opportunity for domestics. Chrysler proved with the 300, for a while at least, that big, brash Americana can sell and restore showroom traffic. Maybe there’s an opportunity here for Cadillac and Lincoln to lose the fake German accent and bring back tailfins and suicide doors???
Yeah, BMW and Audi in particular are a lot less sharp than they used to be. Back in the day, buying a Bimmer was a sure way to get the ultimate driving machine for whatever its segment was. These days? You fail to check the right options—the sort that none of the dealer inventory cars come with—and your 3-Series feels more like an Accord, with less features and for more money. The 5-Series? A German Buick. The 7’er? Forget about it.
One of my biggest regrets in life is selling my beautiful 2000 BMW 323ci. Seven years later and I’m still feeling very unhappy about it.
I came across a drop dead gorgeous, super pristine, 1998 BMW 740il for sale 3 years ago with only 165,000 miles for $7,500. This car was $100K new. Buyer wanted cash only, but I didn’t have the funds at the time. Darn! It would’ve been the ultimate highway cruiser.
I’d love to someday own a new 3 series again, but I hear that the new BMW’s don’t quite have the same intuitive, laser sharp feel the older models had? That’s hard to imagine. I hope that’s not the case.
The “new full-size RWD V8” vehicle market is doing well. They are called F-150, Silverado, and Ram 1500 crew cabs.
Suburban dads drive these around like the Caprice/LTD/Newports of old days.
I like pickups and have an old F-150 that I use for “truck stuff”. That said, they are a fundamentaly different driving experience than that of a large sedan.
Obviously, you get no trunk with a pickup, so unless you invest in some sort of cover or storage compartment, anything that goes in the back is exposed to the elements or whomever is strolling through the parking lot.
Then there’s the parking lot maneuverability. I’ve found parking in tight spaces to be a non-issue in every rental Impala I’ve driven whereas a crew cab pickup requires me to be a bit more picky about spots.
Finally, there’s the premium you pay for buying a pickup. When I was looking for my latest vehicle purchase, the ones I saw at the price point I was looking at $18-22k were several years older with higher mileage. I did not want to pay the “pickup premium” for a family hauler.
I think the V8 option from Cadillac CT6 has very serious delays. In the engineering lessons, it was joked as what would happen if deadlines were not met: just like the V8 Cadillac CT6
It’s actually a quadfecta – you forgot the bulletproof 3.8.
You’re right. Ford has a habit of making FWD Lincolns that look promising, but are really 7/10ths luxury cars. It was true of the Continental and it was true of the MKS (which I have an example of, a ’14 with the base 3.7-liter/FWD and Elite package). It might be true of the newest Continental, if they’re considering it a 7-Series / S-Class competitor. If it’s an alternative to a 5-Series or E-Class or even the “tweener” CT6, it’s pretty dang good, although I still think it will struggle. And, unlike with those other FWD Lincolns, the Town Car isn’t around to offer more power and space for less money, however old-school.
You raise an interesting point about positioning of the new Continental. Where exactly does it fit? It’s supposed to be a “flagship” for Lincoln, but other than being overloaded with gizmos, there’s nothing really breakthrough about it. I can’t imagine it being cross shopped with an E Class, A6 or 5 Series (though I totally agree with your point above about the dumbing down of BMWs). An alternate to the Chrysler 300 or CT6? Sure, but that is not a big market… Basically the only Continentals I see in Chicago are livery cars, so if I had to pick a market niche for the car, that would be it. Really nice taxi, basically, but not a “real” luxury car in a way that would persuade status-oriented import luxury buyers to take note.
These days, I see quite few new Lincoln continental in the affluent neighborhoods like Bloomfield Hills, Grosse Pointe, just like the previous models. And people start to put white wall tires on them already, as I saw a white one with white wall tires half a year ago on Woodward Ave
Chrysler 300’s difference to Lincoln Continental is just like the difference between ’88 Chrysler Fifth Avenue and ’88 Lincoln Continental. And I see people putting vinyl roofs like on Dodge Diplomat SE on current 300.
If dead people can buy cars, both of them would sell better.
I am intensely curious to know why Paul hates these and the successors so much.
I don’t think they have anything in common with the Versailles. This was very obviously a different car than the Taurus/Sable it was based on and only very close scrutiny of the front doors reveals their commonality. The Versailles took what was a barely adequate, overweight, wallowing pig of a car and put some extra doodads on it to make it worse. At least the Seville was vastly differentiated from the Nova and the Nova was a better car to begin with, as it shared a fair portion of the front suspension with the Camaro. I remember these were quite popular when new but withered on the vine when faced with the updated Park Avenue, which was the real competition. By the time the Continental debuted GM had worked most of the bugs out of the C bodies and these weren’t as durable and there were a lot fewer sold.
Re Lincolnman’s comment, the American luxury formula has been, since the ’70’s, to take a pedestrian, mass market, cheap to produce in volume platform, and add luxury touches like fancier styling, grilles, chrome, opera windows, sound deadening, and power toys and lights to make it luxurious. Given the general competence of the mass market American car, it generally works given enough differentiation.
Having test driven both GM and Lincoln luxury products, I always thought the ford engines sounded coarser and more agricultural than their GM counterparts.
Regarding the new Continental, love the name, but . . . the car looks a LOT like a Chrysler 300, which seems to have the Large American Luxury market covered pretty well and you can load one up to the gills and with Chrysler incentives drive it out for around $35K. The Lincoln STARTS at $44 and can be loaded all the way up to !!! $74k. That’s going to be a non starter.
Even though MSRP online says it starts at $44k, but in reality I never see any Continental at that price. A bare-bone black Continental with $110 optional floor mats and $330 single CD player in the local dealership was priced around $47k, and most other fall between $50k to $70k.
A blue one like this can be priced around $82k or higher.
Seriously? Because it looked like a bloated and stretched Mercury Topaz, and reeked of Taurus with too much makeup and cheap perfume? Because it was utterly uncompetitive with the imports that were eating Lincoln’s and Cadillac’s lunch in the 80s? Because it was underpowered? Because its interior design was out of date? Because it was just so obviously another cynical and pathetic attempt by Ford to create another Continental that couldn’t hold a candle to the classic Continentals of the past? Need I go on?
And all of that applies to its successor, except that it wasn’t underpowered, but looked even worse, if that’s possible. And was even less competitive, if that’s possible.
I can assure you that no one under the age of 60 would have been caught dead inside one of these in California at the time. I can’t speak for the Midwest and other parts, because I wasn’t there. But as you know, California has a nasty habit of leading the way for the rest of the country, sooner or later, whether you like it or not.
Paul,
Have you driven/owned one?
I have to agree with you that they were not the best cars, but I say this mostly due to hindsight. Most of the issues were due to faulty suspension, electronic systems and crappy Ford transmissions, though one could make that argument about a ’91 F-150 too.
Despite what the numbers might suggest on paper, I remember driving an ’88 Continental and thinking it was at least as quick and nimble as my friend’s ’87 Acura Legend, light years ahead in terms of refinement than my ’88 Volvo 240, and pretty much on par with my ’87 Mercedes 300E in comfort, features, and responsiveness.
Styling preference is purely subjective, of course, but can you really say it was uglier than a contemporary Seville or Lexus ES 250? The body and interior held together at least as well as any other 80’s domestic.
Considering it was spawned at a time when Corvettes resembled and drove like kit cars and base BMWs came with crank windows, I’d say the Continental was a noble effort that, if nothing else, reflected the times and attempted modernization even as Town Cars were still selling well enough to pay the bills. The deadly sin here is not that the car could have been better, it’s that Ford never improved upon the foundation they started. But I guess that’s what the LS eventually did and we know how well that turned out.
Agreed. I’d say that these were bad cars based on their mechanical reputation, but in many other measures they weren’t bad. As far as styling goes, like it or not, the details, proportions and presence were better, and aged better, than the stubby Cadillacs, at least until until the 92 Seville debuted.
For all the critique of American cars, I’d really like to hear the solution. Would the cool, influential, intelligent Californians have embraced a 3 series clone with a Lincoln badge? Or would they critique the shape of the emblem, and continue to shun it?
That falls under my professional consulting service. Shall I forward you a link and the hourly rate?
After having owned a 2014 300c for a while now and after driving the new Lincoln Continental fairly extensively, in many ways I’d rather have a 300. Not that it really matters or you can really tell, but the 300 is RWD. I’ve been impressed with the quality, Mopar has stepped up their game.
I’d still consider the Continental though, same with the CT6. Much better than their predecessors.
Hated this car from day one and a rental experience confirmed that it performed as badly as it looked – a real brick.
I don’t think it has been mentioned yet, but there is some missing context here.
The D186 Platform was for a time intended to replace the Panther – that would be Crown Victoria, Marquis and Town Car being replaced by the Taurus, Sable and Continental respectively.
This Continental was in planning when gas prices were predicted to be extremely high for years to come, and the Panther was literally one pen stroke away from being a dead kitty.
With that, Ford did put some real effort into making the Continental something beyond a retrimmed Taurus, and the car, as noted, was initially rather well received.
The Town Car was this car’s undoing. As noted, they crossed lines in terms of market space, and the Town Car’s continued success along with development dollars for the 1990 Town Car (a car that was never supposed to happen when the Continental was in original planning) likely sapped the enthusiasm and budget for revisions to this Continental.
Someone mentioned this car was not built at Wixom, it was. I recall probably the 1988 Ford Annual Report making some comment with pictures of Wixom, making a deal about a Panther, Fox (Mark VII) and D186 all coming from the same plant. The three cars had limited overlap in terms of parts and design, so it was considered a very flexible plant.
While Ford did not initially have reason to believe this car would live in the shadow of the Town Car, it may have been Ford’s first real stumble during their strong roll during the mid / late ’80s. As noted, the engine, transmission and air suspension all turned out to be problematic. Ford was lucky that the Town Car carried on as the flagship in this era, allowing this Continental to be relatively forgotten.
An interesting footnote regarding this Continental and its loss of flagship positioning was the quiet removal of the Continental name from the Mark VII after 1985, likely anticipating the FWD Continental. The 1988 Continental, much like the 1985 Cadillac deVille, was originally intended to make a big splash in a set of anticipated market conditions that never quite happened.
Those Taurus based Continentals were somewhat of a common sight where I live, but those cars disappeared from the roads rather quickly, and I don’t doubt why.
I used to work with an older gentleman who purchased a new 1989 Continental and he was really impressed with the car until he began having numerous problems with the Lincoln’s suspension and electrical system. He eventually was fed up with the car when the transmission failed after 3 years.
One day I see a brand new, gorgeous, gleaming, jet black Lexus LS400 parked in his parking space at work. My coworker comes out grinning and said to me, “Friends don’t let friends buy Lincoln’s.” We both chuckled at that.
Hate these cars….they remind me of Ford Tempo/Topaz (which I like as a Ford….but not this Lincoln the exterior is way to bland)
“Launched to critical acclaim…”
I see what you did there ?
All the reliability of an early Taurus drivetrain, with uglier styling, added weight, and a trouble-prone suspension – what’s not to like?!
Happy Motoring, Mark
I have a love/hate relationship with those cars. On one hand they’re colossal pieces of s***, on the other hand I made a ton of $$$ in warranty repairs on those turds back in the day. I think the washer pump may have been the only reliable part on the whole damn car…
Neither grand enough nor stylish enough to be a Lincoln Continental, in view of its distinguished ancestry.
I remember renting one in 1990, the adaptive suspension delivered a really soft ride, but when you went into say, an off ramp quickly, it would immediately tighten up (you could hear the “click”) and the car would be set to corner well…except for the tires! The standard tires were just not up to keeping the promises the suspension was making. As a former LCOC president, you know I am fond of the brand, but this Continental was way to close to the Taurus in engine and general layout. In that way, it did recall the Versailles, but obviously more was done to this platform, just not enough. The extra length made it feel like the contemporary stretched K cars. Overall, I was disappointed and the Town Car made more sense to the target audience.
Interesting article, it seems like the theory was there but it was let down by the execution.
I’m glad you made the comparison to the Fairlane/LTD too. My father had a 1990 and the head gasket blew at 100k km which was par for the course on a lot of those, different expansion rates of cast iron block and alloy head. It was surprising though because the earlier OHV 4.1 didn’t have the same issue. Like many head gasket issues, later multi-layer steel gaskets fixed it properly – but later.
Old story, but I’ll be the first to put an updated comment.
I, for one, always liked the 1988 to 1994 Continental. I recall one of my brothers ended up going from a Cadillac to a 1988 Conti and loved it. Although I was selling Cadillac at that time, he and I agreed that the Lincoln had a nice formal yet “sporty” look for that time. I drove his once and the only real thing I recall that he and I didn’t like was the definite and obvious step in the power steering at certain speeds. I remember driving on a curvy road where my speed was around the point where the steering would go much firmer (maybe 60 MPH??). It happened on a curve and as I began to accelerate out of the corner, it firmed up suddenly and felt really artificial. In fact, it was kind of scary. My understanding was that they refined it for 1989 or 90 and it was way less noticeable.
A few years later I had a brand new 1998 Cadillac Catera that I ended up crashing a month after getting it. It had to be towed to the specific dealer about an hour away and they told me the parts could take some time. A week later they called and told me the parts were ordered but could be months before I get the car back. I needed a car, so I found a high miles 1992 Continental at the dealer I used to work for. Knowing how much they hated Lincolns, I picked it up for less than 2 grand. It was a fantastic driving car, got around great in the snow and did the job for me over the next 6 months (yes, it took that long for the Catera to be fixed!!). When they finally called me to come pick up the Caddy that zigs, I was about to go and they called me back telling me that the engine now needed to be replaced. When I crashed the car, they didn’t know that the timing belt jumped and the pistons hit the valves, destroying the inside of the engine. This now took another two months. So after 8 months of driving the Continental, I was kind of sad to give it up. However, my brother-in-law needed a car and like it, so he purchased it for what I paid and drove it for several more years. For us, the Continental was a great car.
The Continental was never a car I’d have considered, but I had two co-workers (older than I) that bought them. I thought them nice cars, but clearly recall their problems with the air suspension.
Accordingly, to this day I avoid air sprung vehicles. It started with these two Continentals, and was built upon by seeing car tilting, squatting or nearly laying fully down on the ground. Lincolns, Benzes, Rovers, and more. Give me a reasonably well-designed set of steel springs, please!
One of my personal favorite cars. I always got them new. They arrived in the rental locations and due to my position, I would have a white one with the dove gray interior waiting for me when I arrived back in O’Hare. I have a lot of sweet memories of them. When they were phased out of the fleet, I got white Town Cars with dove gray interiors waiting for me when I deplaned. Everyone wanted to make the auditor happy and that was me. It worked.
Those beautiful green digital dash numbers. The neat chromed buttons for the personal trip computer. The real wood across the dashboard. The layout – totally old school, but updated for those years. Paul is correct – this was not styled like an imported car. It was a modern take on the classic Detroit.
They were the perfect size. The width was wide enough and there was a lot of rear leg room. It was a long car, but the proportions worked. It was a classic retangular three box exterior, but nicely rounded and updated. It had nice little visual surprises. I liked the way it looked.
They rode very well. Quiet, front wheel drive, excellent road feel, and highly manuverable. Tooling around the cities was easy and I never felt that the car was underpowered climbing up hills.
Yet I knew that this generation Continental wasn’t built for durability. It was a fragile car. That engine worked too hard and there were too many new computers making the magic work. There was no way I would ever want one of these Continetals used. They just weren’t made to hold up well.
I’m not surprised that they are rare. They were always second-fiddle to the old Town Cars, especially after 1990. The Panthers were durable – these Connies were not. I have a lot of great memories of these cars, when I do see one – which is pretty rare today.
I like these and it has been years since I’ve seen one – last I remember was a faded gray one across my middle school with a lifted front/sagging rear end back in 2006.
I think what really dwindled their numbers were the 3.8L Essex engine – Tauruses and Windstars were also plagued with this head-gasket blowing mill but they were at least optional and more Vulcan/Duratec engined models are out there than not. Being the sole engine for this Continental, I’m sure more than a few owners dealt with suspension problems but a blown gasket added to that made scrapping vs repairing easy to choose.
Very nice article. Brings back a vivid memory:
My father in law had an 86 Conti on lease and wanted a new Mercury Sable wagon as his second car. So he found a loaded up Sable LS wagon with the 3.8 engine.
At the 2500 mile mark I was driving it on a two lane road and went to pass. Not only did the engine lack power, but the transaxle didn’t want to drop down, so I manually did it.
After several repair attempts, the dealer called him in. They had a rep from Ford there, and it was explained that the transaxle was toast. However, Ford wouldn’t replace it unless he signed a release stating that he would not pursue the lemon law, and that they would continue with the 3/36 warranty. I’ll never forget the rep walking us over to a brand new Continental and opening the hood. He said, “Paul your Sable will be special. It’ll have the same drivetrain as what’s in the best car we make.” Yea, we laughed quite a bit about that!
In retrospect, Lincoln should have simply given the Fox-based Continental a makeover similar to the one Ford gave the Mustang for 1994. That would have included a complete restyle that ditched the bustle back.
The resulting car wouldn’t have been as advanced or sophisticated as the upscale imports, but it would have been much more reliable and well-sorted than this car. A version with the Mustang GT V-8 would have found a willing audience.
I have a mixed-up memory of this car, but I’m pretty sure I drove one in 1990. What confuses me is that I was on a business trip to Raleigh, NC, but I don’t think this was my rental car (if it was, they must have upgraded me several levels, as the company wouldn’t normally cover a car in this class as a rental)… if not, there was a guy I didn’t know who was a recent retiree with the company who my co-worker knew, it may have been his car, if so I’m not sure why I would have been driving it…so the duration of my drive isn’t clear to me in retrospect. All I remember is driving the car, but whether it was a rental vs this gentlemen’s isn’t clear to me.
It was a nice car, probably the only Lincoln I’ve ever driven, despite my Uncle having an affinity for them after abandoning Cadillac (he started buying them in the early 80’s so was likely disappointed)….he then abandoned Lincoln for his last car, a Lexus.
Back then I used to frequently go to movies, and recall going to see “The Freshman” one evening with my co-worker on this trip. Back then though I’d been working 10 years at that point I kind of felt like a Freshman, in that all my co-workers were around retirement age on that trip. Now I’m that age myself, they no longer make domestic cars of this type….would have been hard to imagine in 1990.
My dad had a friend whose wife had one of these. A light blue 1989 model with dark blue leather interior. I remember her loving the crap out of the car, but I also remember it’s Taurus/Sable reliability. The lackluster powertrain almost guaranteed that this car couldn’t compete in the luxury arena. Right now my Avalon needs a coolant temp sensor and I’m waiting for the part. I switched cars with my mom because I didn’t wanna be driving from Pueblo to Springs until it’s fixed. I have been using her 2004 Taurus. Decent enough car, but like all Tauruses and Sables I have driven, acceleration is miserable.
My 1992 Taurus Gl had the 3.8 and less extra steel to carry around compared to the Continental. Probably the best one I had. We had quite a few Tauruses in my family. The 92 was my favorite. I liked the style of the Continental. Too bad the engine and transmission were so fragile. Why did Ford wait so long to put a floor shifter in this car when Taurus and Sable offered them from their 1986 introduction?