Used 2018 Lincoln Continental Consumer Reviews
American Luxury
Lincoln has done a great job with this modern interpretation of the classic American luxury car. We bought it used, with 31,000 miles on it 3 weeks ago for $27k. Thanks to the 4 year factory warranty, we still have 6 months remaining. It had been a special order, leased car with a MSRP of over $55,000. The options checked on this "Select": AWD, climate package, panoramic sunroof, blind spot/cross traffic detection and platinum white metallic paint. The base normally aspirated 3.7 V-6 engine is the only demerit and it is a minor one. On the plus side this engine is a long lived, powerful (enough) Ford standard which should be very reliable. The engine's 305 horsepower while matching the power of the old V-8 falls short of the older engines in terms of smoothness and silence. The exhaust note and vibration at idle are pronounced and while not unwelcome in a Mustang are out of place in this luxury car. Otherwise I haven't a negative thing to say about this car after 3 weeks of ownership. While styling and comfort are very subjective, my wife and I believe the car lovely, well finished and exceptionally comfortable. With standard 10 adjustment seats, my wife, who is very particular; after the test drive pronounced it the most comfortable car she had ever sat in. There is a certain exclusivity that attends Continental ownership; the highest sales year to date, was 2017 with 12,012 sold in the US; that same year Mercedes sold 15,888 of their flagship S Class in the US. Among several other luxury sedans we test drove at the time of purchase, was a 2012 Mercedes S550 (50,000 miles and the dealership asking $5,000 less). Indeed, I was surprised; the S Class had always been a "halo car" of mine. Then again, they say best not meet ones hero and in fairness to the Mercedes, it was an older car by 5 years with 20,000 more miles on it. The Mercedes was the superior "performance sedan" but I own a Corvette; so I have that covered. The Continental was unquestionably a better luxury car than the Mercedes. If you don't believe me; then you should drive them back to back as we did. Another nice thing about this Continental is that even though it is 3 years old, it still looks as new as a 2020. Rumors suggest 2020 or 2021 will mark the end of the car's production. Sedans, at least in the US, are becoming increasingly rare, which is a real shame (we also own a AWD Highlander...so while we appreciate the "utility" of the 3rd seat and cargo capacity of the Highlander, we rarely need it unless we have out of town company). There are many interesting things about the Continental, most already fully detailed by other reviewers; but I'll mention a few of my favorites. The car welcoming you with lighting as you approach it is a nice classy touch- when dark, you can see the lights underneath the mirrors project down the Lincoln logo upon the pavement and upon opening the doors the word Lincoln is illuminated along the threshold. The electric "push button" entry and self closing doors and trunk are literally a nice touch; together with the kick of the foot trunk opening and closing (it takes a bit of practice to master the trunk... center the foot and pretend you are kicking a ball...viola). The cap-less fuel fill is nice. This and much more, particularly with respect to the technology in this car (variable instrument cluster and Syn 3 system which is fairly user friendly compared to others). I really appreciate the redundant manual HVAC and audio controls and we default to the manual controls over the touch screen. The push button gear selection I could live with or without; it took my wife awhile to get used to it. While the vertical placement makes for less of a reach, this and because the buttons are flat takes some concentration to select the right gear. The touch pad door lock is handy for getting into the car and locking it without the fob. A couple of things you might not read elsewhere- the hood, front quarter panels, fuel door and trunk lid are aluminum. The glove box has a yellow button that opens an upper compartment where you can store your owner's manual (allowing for the full use of the glove box). How many cars do you know of that have an AC outlet? This car has one. The cup holders for the back seat passengers in the fold down console is a nice touch. The wood trim, is real wood, perhaps too nice, because looks artificial. Also the split folding rear seats might offer some "utility." Learning the car and its technology suite with its 538 page manual might prove to be a heavy lift for some. It took me about a week of back and forth to get the car set up to our liking. I've put our car in the "comfort" mode; that's what we wanted in a luxury car; and the car rides and handles great in hat setting. If you are in the market for a well made, uniquely American (and American made) luxury car; you'd be hard pressed to find a better automobile.
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Star Trek Technology in a Classy American Sedan
I ordered the Reserve Model RWD 2.7L turbo, with about everything except the halogen lights and backseat package. It took a little over 2 months to arrive but it was worth the wait. When I drove the test model which had the 3.7L engine, I was wowed immediately by the LED instrument panel, the performance and the active noise cancelling system. Upon delivery when I drove the car I thought that they had mistakenly put the 3.7L engine in it as I could not tell the difference in acceleration. My previous car was a 2011 Cadillac DTS. Comparing these two regarding ride and handling, the Cady gets the edge on smooth ride, but the Lincoln blows away the DTS on handling. Even in the “comfort” mode the car handles really nice, but you will notice a bump more profoundly if you are use to driving more of a land yacht. The Good: The technology is Star-Trek like. The smart cruise, lane keeper, and emergency braking features work great. I have a bad back and the seat massager is wonderful. It works much better than that on the DTS. I ordered the 13 speaker Revel sound system which blows away anything I have ever listened to in an automobile including the Bose systems. If you are a music nut research Revel, you will be impressed. The push button transmission is great, no clunky shifter in the middle to get in the way, and its idiot proof as you have to have your foot on the brake in order to put the car into D or R. The backup camera system and over head profile view are very nice additions, and the on-demand front camera is great for getting into tight quarters. The fit and finish and overall appearance are as nice as you could possible want, and I have gotten many compliments on the car since I have owned it. The Bad: There isn’t much to pick at, but there are a couple of things I would like to see changed. First the console is so far back that it is extremely difficult to access from the driver’s seat. It would nice if they could redesign the console and move it forward 4 or 5 inches. Second the translucent top which covers the entire car looks awesome but the sun roof only opens up about 1 foot, which left me a little cold. The Ugly: The automatic parking feature did not work properly when the car was delivered. The salesman and I drove the car around the lot testing it. The system failed to identify perfectly fine parking places and then tried to back the car into a “space” about 5 foot wide – thank goodness the human driver can over-ride! I have not had the car back yet for servicing so I don’t know what fixing it will entail. My conclusion is the car is worth every bit of a 5 star rating. I absolutely love it and encourage anyone interesting in a full size luxury sadden to test one out.
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- Reserve SedanMSRP: $32,998In-stock online
- Black Label SedanMSRP: $33,990In-stock online
- Select SedanMSRP: $24,998In-stock online
LINCOLN GIVING THE COMPETITION A RUN!
WOW, WOW, WOW... I just leased the 2018 Lincoln Continental. All I can say is What A Ride!! My last 2 cars have been the Audi A6 and the Genesis G80. This Lincoln blows them out of the water. Comfort is simply the best. Technology is amazing. From the 8 inch screen to the apps to the remote start. Unbeatable. I really hope Lincoln sells more of this car. Im already thinking about renewing with Lincoln if the model is still around. I have driven it for about a month now and the feedback I get from showing to people is great.. A lot of them did not know that Lincoln made this car. They should do a better job of marketing the vehicle. The only drawback is the fuel economy. only 19 miles per gallon in the city.
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A tremendous amount of luxury for the price!
First of all, I should mention that this Continental is the sixteenth Lincoln I have owned. I bought my first (a three-year-old 1973 Continental Town Car) when I was eighteen years old. At twenty-one, I purchased my first brand new one, a 1979 Continental Mark V. In between there have been other Continentals, a Mark VIII, multiple Town Cars, a couple of Navigators, a Mark LT pickup, and an MKT. Roughly half were purchased new, the rest were used. After a massive stroke, my wife is unable to drive but we keep a sedan around because it's easier for her to get in and out of than my daily driver, an F-150 Super Crew Cab 4x4. We bought this particular car as a Certified Pre-Owned recently. I know beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but I find the white platinum metallic tri-coat with cappuccino interior to be a lovely combination. In my early sixties now, I really wish cars hadn't become so technical. It's a sign of the times however, and the manufacturers have to keep up in order to survive. Our son and daughter-in-law reside with us in order to help care for my wife so one allure of this particular car was its rear seat package. Whoever is riding back there deserves just as much comfort as the front seat passengers. The massage feature in the front and rear seats is phenomenal, as is the front seats' 30-way perfect positioning. The Revel sound system is magnificent. We purchased it at a dealership about a hundred miles from home so our first drive was a pretty good test of its comfort. I personally find the ride (in comfort mode) to be similar to my last Town Car (2008) and better than my MKT (2012) or most recent Navigator (2016). The front fascia reminds me of the 2011 Jaguar XJL Supercharged we used to have but the ride is considerably smoother. It is my sincere hope that it will be more reliable as well. That Jaguar, along with a BMW I owned years ago, led to me swear off any vehicle that isn't American! Admittedly, we haven't had the car long enough yet to know how it's going to go but early indications are that we will be quite satisfied with it. I cannot think of anything else I could have purchased at the same price point that would have rivaled it for comfort and style. Edmunds is prompting me to update my review. After having owned this Continental for one year, I can only say that I like it just as much. Its performance has been flawless and I continue to be impressed with just how much car it really is. My primary concern is its depreciation factor due to sedans falling "out of favor" with consumers. Of course, that was a factor in the affordable price I paid for it last year but then Lincoln pulled the plug on Continental and MKZ and worsened the prospects. The current chip shortage, leading to soaring used car prices, has currently raised the average trade-in price on my car to a few thousand dollars more than I paid for it so we're considering whether to profit while we can or commit to just keeping it forever. We tried out a new Lincoln Corsair yesterday and were actually impressed. Entry/egress, if anything, is better for my wife than with the Continental. If I can find a new, carried-over 2020 Corsair at clearance pricing and either sell or trade my Continental while its value is up, we may take advantage of the situation... but that is no reflection on the Continental. It continues to serve us well but I've come to believe a small crossover like Corsair is probably the better choice financially. I made my last entry in the review almost a year ago. We did end up trading our Continental for new Lincoln Corsair last May. The Continental served us well and I have absolutely nothing bad to say about it. Due to pandemic-related increases in the used car values, I actually received more for it on trade-in than I paid for it a year earlier, so it essentially paid for me to drive it. Although I no longer own my Continental, my advice to anyone considering one is: go for it! You won't be sorry!
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Impressed
I recently replaced my 2014 Lincoln MKZ. Prior to that I owned a 2010 and A 2011 MKS. I was impressed by the smooth ride of the Continental. I opted for the 3.0 400 HP AWD Model. This is the best Lincoln I have driven and has exceeded my expectations. I liked each MKS I had, I actually bought 2 with 3.5 Ecoboost engines, had but I love the Continental. American elegance mixed with power and performance is exactly what I was looking for. Didn’t expect such a smooth ride and all the features. Would highly recommend.
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