Road Tests: Long-Term Test

Salvation from the LS' feeble transmission came in the form of Technical Service Bulletin (TSB) 99-26-1. This TSB calls for a PCM reflash (fancy term for computer reprogramming) of the Lincoln's powertrain control module. This corrective measure was performed halfway through our managing editor's month with the LS, and came not a moment too soon. Prior to the PCM reflash, Mr. Brauer complained that, "Either the LS' transmission is getting worse or I am losing my patience with it. It truly wrecks an otherwise great driver's car. Repeatedly I would try to accelerate in city traffic and find it hesitating before figuring out what to do. VERY ANNOYING!"

The TSB service was performed at Lincoln-Mercury of Hollywood after they assured us, over the phone, that the car would be ready by the end of the day. Our editorial assistant arrived at the dealership before noon and dealt with Tony, a service advisor who insisted on knowing the exact characteristics of the transmission before he would perform the TSB. After confirming that the tranny was indecisive, unrefined and generally stupid when it came to picking gears (especially during part-throttle kick downs) Tony agreed to perform the required fix, but now said it might not be done before 5 p.m. that day. He also suggested an unnecessary oil change for the car and told our assistant that the dealership could not provide a ride back to the Edmunds.com offices because they were too far away (about 13 miles).

This did not sit well with our loyal assistant, primarily because she had taken the car to Lincoln-Mercury of Hollywood only after they said it could be completed by the end of business that day. Otherwise she would have used the closer, and friendlier, Santa Monica Lincoln-Mercury dealership - where transportation back to our offices would not have been an issue. She reminded Tony that the LS was only brought to his dealership because of the promised completion time. If it couldn't be ready on time, she stated, she'd take her business elsewhere. Thirty seconds later, after a brief discussion with his mechanic, Tony changed his tune and said it would be ready in time. A few minutes later he told her the car would be ready in 30 minutes if she wanted to wait instead of wasting our road test editor's time to shuffle her back and forth to the dealership. Hmm, and five minutes earlier it wasn't going to be ready until the next day... Consistency was not Lincoln-Mercury of Hollywood's strong suit.

Less than an hour later the car was ready and we signed the invoice at the cashier's window. But it took an additional 15 minutes to locate the keys to a Town Car that had trapped the LS. She eventually made her escape and was charged nothing (aside from an emotional roller-coaster ride) for TSB 99-26-1. She plans on not returning to Lincoln-Mercury of Hollywood if she can help it.

Dealership woes aside, the TSB worked! Our managing editor noticed an immediate improvement in the car's behavior, particularly under casual driving conditions. "The car is vastly improved with increased responsiveness and smoother power delivery. It actually feels quicker under part-throttle conditions because of the rapid and crisp downshifts. Occasionally it will still make a subtle misstep but, comparatively speaking, it's almost like a completely different vehicle. The LS could have made a far better first impression had the tranny been this well sorted from the start. Hopefully it can recover some of its lost luster with the Edmunds.com staff."

With the transmission issue rectified, we were left to nit-pick at the LS' other minor failings. These include occasional phantom beeps that have no apparent purpose, occasional hard starting, radio and clock displays that look identical to Ford products from the early 1980s (one editor noted the similarity to his Dad's 1982 Mark VI radio display), and a tall center console that makes buckling the front seatbelts difficult-especially if front passengers are wearing coats or other "fluffy" clothing. "You really have to dig down deep to locate the seat belt clasp" noted our managing editor.

Mr. Brauer also found the limit of the LS' sporty suspension when he loaded the car up with four adults and an infant. Under these circumstances the Lincoln's suspension was not nearly as taut or well damped as it was with just one or two passengers. In one instance the car traveled over three pavement "swoops" in quick succession while going about 60 mph on the northbound 405 freeway. By the third swoop the LS' underpinnings had given up and the car went into a rather substantial body wallow. Brauer's wife, who happens to be pregnant and hypersensitive to motion, was not amused by the car's wild undulations.

The Lincoln's RESCU system was officially put into service this month when we placed a call to the RESCU operator to confirm our car's mobile phone number and other basic information. The entire experience, from the congenial RESCU operator to the accurate GPS-based locator to the easy hands-free operation of the system, was quite pleasant and left us feeling confident that in a true emergency, RESCU could likely do just that. However, we were left searching for an adequate storage space for the notepad-sized RESCU handbook after the call ended. A lack of interior storage could be the LS' greatest flaw now that the tranny is fixed.

Our managing editor's final appraisal of the car was a positive one. "At $40K you're basically getting a European sedan with an American nameplate and interior space. This means a functional, if not truly roomy, rear seat, along with excellent road manners, clean styling and a user-friendly interior. If every American carmaker that tried to take on the Europeans succeeded to the extent the LS does, the world would be a far better place."

A pretty heavy statement when you consider we're just talkin' cars here, but that's always been his way.

Total Odometer Reading: 6,275
Best Fuel Economy: 17.5 mpg
Worst Fuel Economy: 12.6 mpg
Running Average Over Life of Vehicle: 15.7 mpg
Body Damage: $0
Maintenance Costs: $0
Problems: Occasional hard starting and beeps from information center that have no apparent purpose.

Response from Toyota Lincoln Mercury of Hollywood