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Get ye behind us, O benighted MKS, for Lincoln has announced what it’ll cost to put a new Continental in your driveway. Offering a choice of three engines, four trim levels, front-wheel drive or all-wheel drive, and five option packages (some available only with certain trims), the Continental starts at $45,485 for a Premiere-trim car with the 300-hp naturally aspirated 3.7 V-6 driving the front wheels.
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Upgrading a Premiere to all-wheel drive makes that figure $47,485. Either way, it comes with a six-speed automatic transmission, hill-start assist, and what Lincoln calls its Drive Control system, which combines continuously controlled damping, active noise cancellation, and adaptive steering. The Premiere rides on 18-inch wheels, illuminates the road via adaptive HID headlights, and features power-folding heated mirrors, plus forward and reverse parking sensors augmented by a backup camera.
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Inside, Premiere drivers will find 10-way adjustable power seats, a 10-speaker sound system, push-button start, a power tilt/telescope steering column, Ford’s latest Sync 3 infotainment system with a six-month subscription to SiriusXM satellite radio, Lincoln’s now-signature push-button shifter, and eight airbags.
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Move to the Select trim, and a 3.7-liter front-drive model runs $48,440, while choosing AWD adds $2000 to the final tally. Checking the Select box brings all the Premiere goodies, plus access to the 335-hp 2.7-liter twin-turbo V-6. That engine brings the starting price to $50,690, while the all-wheel-drive option again adds two grand. Outside, the Select features 19-inch wheels and a power trunk lid, while inside, those 10-way power seats are trimmed in leather, the steering wheel gains a wood insert, the sill plates light up, and the doors clinch themselves shut for a more luxurious ingress experience. Riders in back are treated to two USB charge ports and a 110-volt, 150-watt household plug.
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Step up to Lincoln’s Reserve models and the 3.7-liter engine falls away, leaving the twin-turbo 2.7-liter as the base motor. The Reserve starts at $54,840 with front-drive while AWD again commands another two large. Stretch to $60,105 to get the Continental’s party-piece powertrain, the 400-hp, 3.0-liter twin-turbo with a torque-vectoring all-wheel-drive system closely related to the one in the hoon-grade Focus RS. Comfort upgrades include 24-way adjustable power seats, a powered rear sunshade, power-folding rear headrests, and tri-zone climate control. Tech features include a six-year subscription to SiriusXM Traffic and Travel Link, an embedded modem for the MyLincoln Mobile system, and voice-activated touchscreen navigation for Sync 3. Safety-wise, Reserve adds blind-spot warning with cross-traffic alert. The 19-inch wheels receive a polished finish with ebony pockets.
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At the top of the pile, Lincoln offers its Black Label models, and well, we’ll just let you bask in their words for a moment: “Lincoln Black Label is a curated collection of luxury designer themes combined with a personalized client experience and membership privileges.” It’s as if American Express opened an artisanal airport brewpub! The salient cash-money outlays are as follows: a 2.7 FWD car will run $63,840, adding AWD predictably ticks the clock up to $65,840, while the full-boat 3.0/AWD models start at $69,105. For the $9000 price premium over Reserve models, the wheels gain an inch in diameter, the headlamps go LED, a 19-speaker Revel Ultima sound system is standard, and you get a floormat upgrade involving Alcantara trim and Black Label badging. Opt for the Luxury package on the Reserve models, and you’ll snare the fancy hi-fi and headlights for only a $5000 surcharge. So what else does Black Label give you over Reserve?
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Floormats and dubs aside, the Black Label offers “ultra-soft Venetian leathers” as part of three interior treatments. The wintry-mix Chalet interior is supposed to remind one of “the inherent comfort of the après ski lodge,” while Rhapsody hopes to evoke the feeling of music. With its aluminized silver mesh and deep navy materials, we find it more reminiscent of the halcyon days of mid-20th-century air travel. Presumably, the earth-toned Thoroughbred will be stabled at domeciles decorated exclusively with items from the Ralph Lauren Home collection. Beyond the fancy interior treatments, membership in the Black Label society will not garner you a one-on-one audience with guitarist Zakk Wylde, but it will grant you a dinner for two at one of Lincoln’s Culinary Collection restaurants. Ford’s luxury division also will deliver your new ride directly to you, as long as you’re within 30 miles of a Black Label dealership. Shoppers 35 miles away might consider moving for that privilege. They’ll also fix you up with complimentary anytime car washes and a once-a-year detailing. Too busy to visit the Lincoln store? The “Shopping Concierge” will bring a “mobile showroom” to you.
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Not done spending? Options abound. Choose Black Label or Reserve and Lincoln offers the $4300 rear-seat package, consisting of heated and cooled power-reclining rear seats with a 40/20/40 split-folding function, a center armrest with an LCD screen and cupholders, and a dual-panel moonroof.
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On Select, Reserve, and Black Label cars, the Climate and Technology packages are also available. The $695 Climate package serves up automatic high-beams, an auto-dimming rear-view mirror, heated rear seats and a heated steering wheel, and rain-sensing wipers with a de-icer. The Technology pack costs $3105 and adds a 360-degree-view camera, adaptive cruise control, lane-keeping assist, an auto-dimming rear-view mirror, collision warning with auto-braking—including pedestrian detection—and the aforementioned rain-sensing wipers with de-icer. Lincoln’s much ballyhooed 30-way adjustable seats are a $1500 upgrade on the three upper trim levels, as well, while the sunroof will run you $1750 as a stand-alone item if you’re wont to forgo maximum backseat luxury.
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Finally, for those who might not want to spring for the Reserve trim but would like a bit more functionality from their Select models, the Select Plus package adds blind-spot warning with cross-traffic alert, as well as Sync 3 with touchscreen navigation. The Premiere party people will have to make do with being secure in the knowledge that their cars may have cost less but “Premiere” still sounds fancier than “Select.” We think. We’re pretty sure.
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- 2017 Lincoln Continental: The Flagship Has Come In
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- Butt-Tested: The Lincoln Continental’s 30-Way Adjustable Seats
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- Lincoln Continental Full Coverage: News, Reviews, Photos, and More
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Lincoln’s base price undercuts that on Cadillac’s new CT6 by $7005, and the CTS by $1070. Both the Caddys, of course, jump into the game with standard rear-wheel drive. The 3.0-liter twin-turbo all-wheel-drive Continental Reserve starts at $845 less than the $60,950 Cadillac wants for its excellent, 10Best-winning rear-wheel-drive CTS VSport with 420-hp twin-turbo V-6. At the upper end of the scale, the Black Label 3.0/AWD comes in $2720 shy of Audi’s lusty 450-horse V-8–powered S6 in its cheapest trim. Might shoppers pass up the Technology package and a free dinner for a shot at the four rings? Lincoln hopes the Continental’s blend of attributes means that well-heeled customers won’t, but the comparison defines the top end of their flagship’s ambitions.
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from Car and Driver Blog http://blog.caranddriver.com/black-label-greenbacks-lincoln-announces-2017-continental-pricing/
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