Putting that new transmission in the Lincoln was like watching the elderfolk in "Cocoon." It completely revitalized the powertrain and once again made the LS a hot commodity amongst the editors. The LS was the charge of our associate editor this month, who truly appreciated the improvement in its drivability. It now downshifts quicker, upshifts with more oomph, and generally operates in a more coherent manner, which endeared it to us in the first place.

The Lincoln received its 9,000-mile tune-up, comprised of an oil change, replaced oil filter, and fluid checks. The service guys at Santa Monica Lincoln Mercury were nice enough to check the brakes and rotate the tires that were required at the 10,000-mile checkup, so that we didn't have to make a second trip. While she was there, Kim asked about the "Check AdvanceTrac" warning light (remember how this kept the Lincoln at the dealer for three weeks back in December?) that illuminated when she drove over a puddle at 55 mph, and didn't extinguish until she turned off the engine about 20 minutes later. The service advisor assured her that this was normal, and she merrily went along her way.

While Kim was being tossed about between assignments, editor-in-chief Wardlaw appropriated the sleek silver sedan. While he enjoyed the revitalized performance of the LS, he still found faults with the interior:

"The car's high, intrusive cowl and armrests that are of unequal heights made for an uncomfortable ride. The door panels fail to provide a decent resting spot for my left arm when driving one-handed. Also, I was perturbed by the utter lack of storage space inside the cabin. Lincoln needs to chuck this entire interior and redesign it to be more open, airy and user-friendly. Give me two power points (phone and radar detector or laptop) that can take pressure without sliding into the dash, as the single ashtray-mounted 12-volt outlet in our LS does. Give me a place to rest my cell phone where it's easy to grab and won't be flung onto the floor. Put the manual shift gate on the driver's side of the center console, not the passenger's side. Lower the cowl for better forward visibility. Dump the slab-sided door panels for more flowing designs with power window and lock switches canted at a nice angle for better ergonomics. Give me classier gauges and real wood (or, at least, more convincing ersatz timber)."

Overall, however, Wardlaw still thinks the LS is a winner. It looks great, feels rock solid, and performs on equal footing with competitors from Japan and Europe. But, he wondered, can we really continue to gush over a vehicle that has spent nearly six weeks in service during its first 12,000 miles? He thinks not. He's horrified by the fact that, due to AdvanceTrac and transmission woes, this "luxury" car has been sidelined for such a tremendous amount of time by mechanical failures. This is one reason why people buy the Lexus ES and GS (and upcoming IS). Great customer service is the other.

The Lincoln was also the transport of choice for our road test editor, who took three of his friends (and all their luggage) on a 1,000-mile journey to Lake Tahoe, Calif., and back for the Fourth of July weekend, and recounts his tale:

"We cruised effortlessly, with the Lincoln not breaking a sweat while attaining and maintaining extralegal speeds. And through all the hills, all the ascents, and all the mashes of the throttle I could muster up (and mind you those were many!), the LS still reported back almost 20 miles per gallon.

"Once we got to about 6,000 feet above sea level, the 250 horse V8 started wheezing a bit, as to be expected of any car, but it's amazing how much power is lost at this altitude. I'd say the car would lose a full second to 60 if it were forced to run under these conditions. But hey, I was carrying almost 600 pounds of people, and over 100 pounds of luggage!

"The steering wheel-mounted stereo controls are perfectly placed, and I loved the toggles for quick pre-set changes on the back of the hub. After one gets used to them, one will never want to drive a car without them. As far as placement goes, these are far superior over our 328i long-termer. The BMW makes you take your hands out of their appropriate driving position to work them, while the Lincoln lets you drive AND screw around with the stereo.

"While in Lake Tahoe, citizens and visitors on the Cali and Nevada side still sized up the Lincoln to make sure that they were reading the badge right. A hotel valet described it as "awesome," and wanted to know what year it was and if that was the first year it was offered. The Silver Frost exterior with Charcoal leather is an attractive mating, to say the least. And our Lincoln looks far better, far more sporty, and far more filled out than the LS sans the sport package.

"I also had a chance to test out the cell phone which came as a part of our RESCU option. While passing Mount Whitney, the highest point in the continental U.S. at almost 15,000 feet, my digital cellular phone would not work. In disgust, I reached into the Lincoln's center console, swung open the cell phone bracket and proceeded to make the call. Not only was (managing editor) Brauer now crystal clear, but I had him on speakerphone which worked marvelously. On the stereo display, I could see the signal strength. And those aforementioned steering wheel stereo controls? Well, they now acted as a volume control for the cell phone! Awesome! Karl confirmed that we all sounded great.

"Now that the tranny's functioning properly, there's very little to complain about in the LS. Some nicer looking wood trim would be cool, as would an upgrade in interior materials all around. Besides that the car is a gem. Now we'll just have to see if anything else breaks, and how long it takes to get repaired."

Looks like the LS is back in everyone's good graces, but we're still keeping a wary eye on the speedster. Once bitten, twice shy.

Total Odometer Reading: 10,946 miles
Best Fuel Economy: 22.34 mpg
Worst Fuel Economy: 13.31 mpg
Running Average Over Life of Vehicle: 16.53 mpg
Body Damage Costs: $0
Maintenance Costs: $38.00
Problems: None.