Lincoln LS V8 vs Lincoln MKZ

[Beamer]

They both are ugly if you compare to other cars out there. The MKZ's interior has potential to be very nice but as of now its, well, ugly like many have said. LS' interior is rather cheap looking on the inside that some econo or just over the econo car interiors are much better, look and feel wise. Course I am into the more sporty style interiors and prefer dark colors so anything light would have to meet a high quality and look for to like it. I was looking at a fusion earlier and it reminded me of the LS on the inside, granted there is style changes but pretty much ford follows the same generic style. Fusion was nice for what it was though, just needs to be a two door.

I used to be pro-LS while I had it, would get on anyones case if they bashed it just slightly but now I see that I only did that cause it was my car at the time. Now I could care less and even put the car down alot now, someone said the 2nd gen was more old folky, thats I think is true. '02 was the year imo. But the LS was nothing special now that I look at it, granted it handled nicely for a large car, and could get up and go but besides the exterior styling its just another one of them cars that FoMoCo could of made great but instead gave up and tossed out many other ugly new things(well not really new since they like the parts bin so much)

 

[SoonerLS]

The MKZ may not be a "replacement" for the LS, but it is certainly filling the same spot in Lincoln's lineup.

No way, no how, not even close. I can't find the MSRP of the Continental, so I can't say that the LS wasn't the least expensive Lincoln, but it was NOT entry-level luxury; that slot did not exist in the Lincoln lineup. The LS's target (against which it competed quite favorably in the day) was the BMW 5-series, not the 3-series or any Acura, regardless of the cars against which you cross-shopped it.

 

[wildstang607]

No, it's not. The Fusion, Milan, and Zephyr/MKZ are built on Ford's CD3 platform, which is an altered version of the platform under the Mazda6. The Edge, MKX, and the Mazda CX-7 are also built on this platform, but you wouldn't call any of them a Mazda6, would you?

your'e right, i wouldn't call them a mazda 6, but they are all mazda material. they all feel cheap. I've worked on all of them for my ford dealer except for the cx-7 and all the cars share striking resemblances. Ford should take a great car like the ls and start a family with it, but that would be too expensive.

 

[jmz2k5]

I am not sure if I like the LS because of or in spite of the fact that so little was changed through the life of the car.
What I mean by that is, of all the enhancements that FLA02LS mentioned, almost all are interior mods, and those that are exterior could be done with the right amount of money and time.
I have to agree that the MKZ can't hold a candle to the LS (those air vents remind me of the Mercury Cougar/Pontiac Vibe) inside and out, but overall it is sad that Lincoln has fallen so hard...

 

[bigbuck15]

The MKZ can hold a candle to the LS anyday I don't care what you say.When the MKS comes out it should really put the LS to shame because the interior will be sweet and it will have a 3.7 liter v-6 making over 300 hp.Lincoln has not fallen to hard because they have lots of new cars and future cars so just wait.There sales are also up too, not a lot but its an improvement.

 

[eastcoastLS]

sorry to say but i read and heard in many different places that ford was talking about turning lincoln into the buick of ford. that would be horrible real talk

 

[macboy]

... At least the MKZ uses real wood- the one in the LS looks more like plastic...

You obviously own a 1st gen, and yes, it is plastic in those. The 2nd gen does use real wood, and it looks sooooo much better than the 1st gen (I have owned both).

 

[SoonerLS]

sorry to say but i read and heard in many different places that ford was talking about turning lincoln into the buick of ford. that would be horrible real talk

I've heard that, but not from anyone who's in a position to know (ie, I've never heard that coming from anyone at Ford/Lincoln). Most of those who've said it have said it because Ford has said that Lincoln is not going to chase Cadillac into the $50K+ market, while GM has simultaneously decided to move Buick up-market.

GM chosing to have Buick compete in Lincoln's price range does not equal Ford chosing to have Lincoln compete with Buick, and it also does not equal them turning Lincoln into Ford's Buick.

Now, this was also said well before Ford sold Aston Martin. The sale of AM will remove the cap over Jaguar, and Ford (or maybe Jag's management) is pushing them into a more up-market, niche brand. This, in turn, removes the cap from Lincoln, which will allow them to move more upmarket as well. If you look at what they're developing (MKS) and showing (MKR), it definitely looks like that's the direction Lincoln is taking.

 

[eastcoastLS]

I've heard that, but not from anyone who's in a position to know (ie, I've never heard that coming from anyone at Ford/Lincoln). Most of those who've said it have said it because Ford has said that Lincoln is not going to chase Cadillac into the $50K+ market, while GM has simultaneously decided to move Buick up-market.

hey same here!

regards to the rest of the post..i never put much thought into it but if i would have i would be saying everything you said

 

[MDavis0424]

No way, no how, not even close. I can't find the MSRP of the Continental, so I can't say that the LS wasn't the least expensive Lincoln, but it was NOT entry-level luxury; that slot did not exist in the Lincoln lineup. The LS's target (against which it competed quite favorably in the day) was the BMW 5-series, not the 3-series or any Acura, regardless of the cars against which you cross-shopped it.

2002 Continental base MSRP 38010
2002 LS base MSRP 33045

The generally accepted definition of entry level luxury is a car that retails for between 30-35k, is offered by a luxury marque, and offers a reasonable level of comfort and amenities. The LS clearly fits that definition.

The LS' target was to provide 5-series acceleration and handling at a 3-series price. While it could keep up with a 5 series at the track, the quality of materials, tempermental automatic and no manual for V8's kept it from ever being a true competitor to the 5-series.

A quick look at the major car sites show that the Acura TL and ES330 are listed as competitors to the LS just as often as the 5 series.

I'm not saying that the MKZ will ever be mistaken for a true performance sedan, but it has taken the entry level place in the lineup that was formerly held by the LS.

 

[SoonerLS]

I'm not saying that the MKZ will ever be mistaken for a true performance sedan, but it has taken the entry level place in the lineup that was formerly held by the LS.

The MKZ and the LS may have both held the position of Lincoln's least expensive sedan, but they are far from holding down the same slot in the lineup. The MKZ holds a slot that Lincoln didn't have when the LS was introduced; the LS held a slot that is currently vacant in Lincoln's lineup.

The MKZ tops out around $35K. The LS started at almost $35K and went up to almost $50K. I don't think there's any way you can call the LS "entry level luxury" just because it's base model's base price started at the high end of the "accepted" entry-level luxury price range.

If you look at the V8s, there's no possible way you could call them "entry level luxury," considering that they started at almost $40K.

Furthermore, if you look at the advertising (what little there was), the automotive press coverage, and the very nature of the LS, it is most certainly, without a doubt, luxury sport, not entry-level luxury, even by the most tortured definition of entry-level luxury available.

Let me ask you this: if the MKZ has taken the LS's slot in the Lincoln line-up, then where's the $48K V8 version of the car? Where's the near 50-50 weight balance? Where's the "F1-inspired suspension"? For crying out loud, where's the ability to choose a gear other than P, R, N, D, or L?

The MKZ is what it is, and the LS is what it is, but they are not in the same class, not by a long shot.

 

[MDavis0424]

Just because the LS is a luxury sport car does not exclude it from the entry level luxury class. Virtually all of the cars that are considered entry level have base price's that start in the 30-35k range and go way north from there.

Is the MKZ in the same class as the LS? It all depends on how you define the class. If your class is "RWD V8performance sedans with 50/50 weight balance and F1 inspired sport suspension" then no, they are obviously not in the same class.