Road Tests: Long-Term Test

As a light chill settles into the Southern California evenings, we are reminded that our remaining days with the Lincoln LS are few. And as Contributing Editor Erin Riches has allowed herself a certain fondness for the LS, she welcomed a brief interlude in our resident sport sedan.

"I love the V8's low- and mid-range torque," she wrote in the logbook. "I have made some dramatic entrances onto the freeway and some equally lively passing maneuvers — what a perfect vehicle for slipping into the gaps. But in spite of everything that has been replaced and reprogrammed thus far, I have not been consistently happy with the transmission's behavior — it's not quick with downshifts on the freeway, and occasionally, it will hesitate long enough during a gear transition that it seems to freewheel (with an accompanying jerky pause in forward movement). While I have enjoyed the LS immensely in the past — so comfortable, so quick, such a good handler — this certainly makes me think. What at first seemed like a low-cost alternative to a 5 Series sedan with a Premium package (and a roomier alternative to the 3 Series), now seems like a repair liability."

Riches was also annoyed by the trip computer's "miles to empty" protocol. You see, when the computer determines that the fuel level is low, it replaces the "x miles to empty" message with a "low fuel level" message. Our associate editor would prefer that the computer simply activate a traditional low fuel light near the gauge itself and leave the "miles to empty" counter intact. With the Lincoln's setup, much of the usefulness of the "miles to empty" counter is lost.

After a quick run through the coastal canyons, though, Riches softened. From the logbook: "Except for getting stuck behind slow-moving light trucks, it was quite a lot of fun. For a 3,700-pound vehicle, the Lincoln manages its weight extremely well. Its communicative steering and chassis led to good times on Old Topanga Canyon. It (and I) felt so agile that I began to get a little worried about children and pets running out into the road (nothing close to a casualty, though). I began to feel that the Lincoln really is a good value for a consumer who wants a good-handling rear-wheel-drive car the size of a 5 Series sedan with plenty of low-end torque (the kind that you can only get from a V8). I can't think of another car priced in the upper $30s that meets these criteria (at least not until Chrysler and Cadillac get their rear-drive cars to market). Now, if Lincoln would just give the LS a manual transmission or a smooth-shifting automatic."

As you learned in our August 2001 update, our Lincoln's glovebox-mounted CD changer had to be removed and sent to the factory for repairs. Well, early in the month, Consumer Advice Editor Phil Reed contacted our service advisor, Jerry Hicks, at Santa Monica Lincoln/Mercury and was informed that the CD changer had been returned and was ready to be reinstalled in the LS. According to Jerry, the reinstallation process would take about an hour, so we made an appointment and dropped the Lincoln off. A couple of hours later, though, Jerry called and politely delivered the bad news — the changer still didn't work. So back to the factory it went. And Riches made do with tapes for the rest of the month.

We did have another repair issue — pulsing and shuddering through the brake pedal during moderate braking — and Riches, suspecting warped rotors, made another appointment with Jerry to have this checked out. "Suffice it to say that our cover is blown," she wrote in the logbook. "The Lincoln was already in the Santa Monica Lincoln/Mercury's system under Edmunds.com, and when I dropped it off on Monday, Jerry told me that any brake work would likely be covered under warranty. Replacement of a wear item on the house at 35,000-plus miles? Unheard of!"

And sure enough, when we picked up the LS later that afternoon, the out-of-round front rotors had been resurfaced "under warranty." We don't think that the average LS owner can expect such tender care.

After two years of hard driving (well, and a new transmission), our long-term LS is still in good shape, except for a number of rattles that erupt in the cabin whenever the car encounters rough pavement or freeway expansion joints. Oh well — perhaps panel fits have been tightened up in successive model years. Whatever your experience, tell us about the LS in your life — any model year, any powertrain — and we'll include your comments in our Wrap-Up. Please send all commentary to editor@edmunds.com by November 15, 2001, and please provide your full name and city and state of residence.

Current Odometer: 35,579
Best Fuel Economy: 17.8 mpg
Worst Fuel Economy: 14.4 mpg
Average Fuel Economy (over the life of the vehicle): 17.2 mpg
Body Repair Costs: None
Maintenance Costs: None
Problems: Brake pedal pulsation (had front rotors resurfaced).