Lincoln LS
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The Lincoln LS is a four-door, five-passenger luxury sedan manufactured and marketed by Ford's Lincoln division over a single generation from 1999 until 2006. Introduced in June 1999 for the 2000 model year, the LS featured
rear-wheel drive Rear-wheel drive (RWD) is a form of engine and transmission layout used in motor vehicles, in which the engine drives the rear wheels only. Until the late 20th century, rear-wheel drive was the most common configuration for cars. Most rear-whee ...
and near 50/50
weight distribution Weight distribution is the apportioning of weight within a vehicle, especially cars, airplanes, and trains. Typically, it is written in the form ''x''/''y'', where ''x'' is the percentage of weight in the front, and ''y'' is the percentage in t ...
and was available with a V8 or V6, the latter initially offered with a
manual transmission A manual transmission (MT), also known as manual gearbox, standard transmission (in Canadian English, Canada, British English, the United Kingdom and American English, the United States), or stick shift (in the United States), is a multi-speed ...
. The LS aimed to provide a blend of luxury and sport to attract a new generation of buyers to the Lincoln brand. The LS shared the Ford DEW98 platform with the
Jaguar S-Type Jaguar S-Type is the name of two vehicles: * Jaguar S-Type (1963) (1963–1968) * Jaguar S-Type (1999) (1999–2008) File:1966-Jaguar-S-type.jpg, 1963–1968 Jaguar S-Type File:2001 Jaguar S-Type V6 SE Automatic 3.0 Front.jpg, 1999–2007 Ja ...
and the
Ford Thunderbird The Ford Thunderbird is a personal luxury car manufactured and marketed by Ford Motor Company for model years 1955 to 2005, with a hiatus from 1998 to 2001. Ultimately gaining a broadly used colloquial nickname, the ''T-Bird'', Ford Introduce ...
. Trim levels ranged from the base V6 model to the Special Edition V8 LSE trims in 2004, with revised front and rear fascia, taillights and foglights, and front grille. LS models were manufactured at Ford's Wixom Assembly Plant until production ended on April 3, 2006, and the plant was idled as part of Ford's The Way Forward. Approximately 262,900 were manufactured, including 2,331 with manual transmissions and 1,500 LSE editions.


2000–2002

In 1999, the LS debuted as Lincoln's first rear-wheel drive sport luxury sedan for the 2000 model year, under the influence of the newly established Premier Automotive Group. Lincoln originally intended to market the sedan in two versions, the LS6 and the LS8, the names reflecting their respective engine layouts.
Toyota is a Japanese Multinational corporation, multinational Automotive industry, automotive manufacturer headquartered in Toyota City, Aichi, Japan. It was founded by Kiichiro Toyoda and incorporated on August 28, 1937. Toyota is the List of manuf ...
's
Lexus is the luxury vehicle division of the Japanese automaker Toyota, Toyota Motor Corporation. The Lexus brand is marketed in more than 90 countries and territories worldwide and is Japan's largest-selling make of premium cars. It has ranked amon ...
division noted concern about the potential name confusion with its
Lexus LS The is a series of full-size luxury sedans that have served as the flagship model of Lexus, the luxury division of Toyota, since 1989. For the first four generations, all LS models featured V8 engines and were predominantly rear-wheel-drive ...
full-size luxury sedan, and Lincoln ended up using only the name "LS". At the same time, Ford threatened a lawsuit regarding the Toyota T150 concept, arguing that the name was too close to that of the F150, so Toyota changed the name of their pickup truck to the
Tundra In physical geography, a tundra () is a type of biome where tree growth is hindered by frigid temperatures and short growing seasons. There are three regions and associated types of tundra: #Arctic, Arctic, Alpine tundra, Alpine, and #Antarctic ...
. In designing the LS to be competitive in its segment, the LS' German-born chief designer, said of the car, "In a segment defined and dominated by BMW and Mercedes, the car had to have a functional, no-nonsense look. This redefines the Lincoln brand, but we still had to make sure it was recognizable as a member of the same family as the
Town Car A town is a type of a human settlement, generally larger than a village but smaller than a city. The criteria for distinguishing a town vary globally, often depending on factors such as population size, economic character, administrative stat ...
,
Continental Continental may refer to: Places * Continental, Arizona, a small community in Pima County, Arizona, US * Continental, Ohio, a small town in Putnam County, US Arts and entertainment * ''Continental'' (album), an album by Saint Etienne * Continen ...
, Mark VIII, and the
Navigator A navigator is the person on board a ship or aircraft responsible for its navigation.Grierson, MikeAviation History—Demise of the Flight Navigator FrancoFlyers.org website, October 14, 2008. Retrieved August 31, 2014. The navigator's prim ...
." The LS featured understated exterior and interior styling. Leather seating surfaces were standard, and the steering wheel could be wood or leather-wrapped, with the interior featuring wood accents. Standard features included power windows, power door locks with keyless entry, power heated mirrors, automatic headlights, air conditioning with automatic climate control, cruise control, and an AM/FM cassette radio. Available options included a six-disc in-dash CD changer (only accessible through the glove box initially; changed on later models), a power moonroof, and a universal garage door opener. The LS shared platforms and equipment with the Jaguar S-Type. The DEW98 platform used
independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in Pennsylvania, United States * Independentes (English: Independents), a Portuguese artist ...
double wishbone Double, The Double or Dubble may refer to: Mathematics and computing * Multiplication by 2 * Double precision, a floating-point representation of numbers that is typically 64 bits in length * A double number of the form x+yj, where j^2=+1 * A ...
(short-long arm; SLA) front and rear suspensions and a wheelbase. Four-wheel antilock disc brakes were standard. The optional
traction control system A traction control system (TCS), is typically (but not necessarily) a secondary function of the electronic stability control (ESC) on production motor vehicles, designed to prevent loss of traction (i.e., wheelspin) of the driven road wheels. TC ...
was marketed as Ford's ''AdvanceTrac''. Numerous suspension components, as well as the hood, decklid, and front fenders, were
aluminum Aluminium (or aluminum in North American English) is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol, symbol Al and atomic number 13. It has a density lower than that of other common metals, about one-third that of steel. Aluminium has ...
. The LS came with standard 16-inch alloy wheels, while 17-inch wheels were available through an optional sport package. The sport package for an extra $1,000 included a stiffer suspension, 17-inch wheels, and manual shift capability for the automatic transmission. The battery of the LS was located in the spare tire well in the car's trunk. The base LS had an all-aluminum 3.0 L
DOHC An overhead camshaft (OHC) engine is a piston engine in which the camshaft is located in the cylinder head above the combustion chamber. This contrasts with earlier overhead valve engines (OHV), where the camshaft is located below the combus ...
V6 was a variant of the
Jaguar AJ-V6 engine The Jaguar AJ-V6 engine is a piston engine based on the Ford Duratec V6 engine. The Duratec V6 was originally a Porsche design, purchased by the Ford Motor Company with a proprietary Cosworth cylinder head design to suit Ford's design brief ...
. Optional was an all-aluminum 3.9 L DOHC V8, a shorter-stroke variant of the Jaguar 4.0 L AJ-26 V8. Both engines required premium-grade gasoline. Ford's 5R55S five-speed automatic transmission with an optional manual shift ability called ''SelectShift'' was standard with either engine. In contrast, a Getrag 221 five-speed
manual transmission A manual transmission (MT), also known as manual gearbox, standard transmission (in Canadian English, Canada, British English, the United Kingdom and American English, the United States), or stick shift (in the United States), is a multi-speed ...
was available for V6-equipped LS models when equipped with an optional sport package. Automatic transmission-equipped cars featured a 3.58:1 rear-axle ratio, while manual transmission-equipped versions had a 3.07:1 rear-axle ratio. Lincoln stopped production of the manual-transmission model LS after 2,331 were manufactured. The powertrain control module in 2000 through 2002 automatic transmission models with the ''SelectShift'' option was initially programmed to prevent launching in first gear; i.e., the car would default to a second gear launch. A first-gear launch was available by depressing the throttle by more than 60%. Second-gear launches were programmed to meet EPA fuel economy regulations. For the 2003 model year, first-gear launches were programmed into the transmission, reflecting revised fuel economy regulations. In 2002, the LSE (Limited Special Edition) package was introduced in V6 and V8 versions, with a revised fascia including round fog lamp openings and a special metallic grille treatment, with enlarged lower body rocker panels, special wheels, and twin dual-exhaust tailpipes. Also for 2002, V6-equipped LS models gained and of torque.


2003–2006

The LS received a refresh for 2003, coinciding with Lincoln's then-new "Travel Well" ad campaign. The exterior received HID headlamps (optional) and a revised trunk lid with revised taillights. Both available engines received a boost in power and torque, as well as slightly improved fuel efficiency. The 3.0 L DOHC V6 with which the LS was introduced now featured continuously variable intake cam timing, improved variable-length intake runners, and electronic "drive-by-wire" throttle control (which replaced the traditional mechanical cable-linked throttle control system used previously). The optional 3.9 L DOHC V8 introduced variable exhaust-valve timing. Due to its upgraded design, the 3.9 L V8 now produced over 87% of its peak torque output at only 2000 rpm, thus cars equipped with the V8 could now accelerate from zero to in around 6.5 seconds. Other revisions included an electronic push-button
parking brake In road vehicles, the parking brake, also known as a handbrake or emergency brake (e-brake), is a mechanism used to keep the vehicle securely motionless when parked. Parking brakes often consist of a pulling mechanism attached to a Wire rope, ...
(similar to that of the BMW E65 7 Series), replacing the center console-mounted hand lever (or foot pedal), a touchscreen DVD satellite navigation map system, and an industry-first, 10-speaker
THX THX Ltd. is an American audio company based in the San Francisco Bay Area. It is known for its suite of digital high fidelity audiovisual reproduction standards for movie theaters, screening rooms, home theaters, computer speakers, video game c ...
-certified sound system. LSE versions were also available in the 2004 and 2005 model years, with unique
fascia A fascia (; : fasciae or fascias; adjective fascial; ) is a generic term for macroscopic membranous bodily structures. Fasciae are classified as superficial, visceral or deep, and further designated according to their anatomical location. ...
, unique 17-inch wheels, all-red taillights, a color-keyed grille, unique floormats, and additional wood paneling in the interior. Early LS models had a mechanical engine cooling fan operated with a hydraulic pump because the electrical charging system had insufficient capacity to power an electric fan effectively. However, a revised
alternator An alternator (or synchronous generator) is an electrical generator that converts mechanical energy to electrical energy in the form of alternating current. For reasons of cost and simplicity, most alternators use a rotating magnetic field wit ...
enabled the implementation of an electric fan for the 2003 through 2006 models. The 2003 to 2006 GPS navigation system uses a
DVD player A DVD player is a machine that plays DVDs produced under both the DVD-Video and DVD-Audio technical standards, two different and incompatible standards. Some DVD players will also play audio CDs. DVD players are connected to a television to ...
mounted in the trunk (under the package tray) to contain the map data. For 2006, the LS received exterior revision similar to the LSE fascia trim from previous model years. The V6-powered model was dropped from the lineup. The base MSRP increased from $32,370 in 2004 to $39,285.


Reception

The Lincoln LS was named ''Motor Trend's''
Car of the Year Car of the Year (COTY) is a common abbreviation for numerous automotive awards. The "Car of the Year" phrase is considered to have been introduced by '' Motor Trend'' magazine in 1949 when the new publication named Cadillac as Motor Trend Car of ...
for 2000 and was also nominated for the
North American Car of the Year The North American Car, Utility and Truck of the Year are a set of automotive awards announced at a news conference each January at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit. The jury consists of no more than 60 automotive journalist ...
award. Road tests by ''
Motor Trend ''Motor Trend'' is an American automobile magazine. It first appeared in September 1949, and designated the first Car of the Year, also in 1949. Petersen Publishing Company in Los Angeles published ''Motor Trend'' until 1998, when it was sold ...
'' and ''
Car and Driver ''Car and Driver'' (''CD'' or ''C/D'') is an American automotive enthusiast magazine first published in 1955. In 2006 its total circulation was 1.23 million. It is owned by Hearst Magazines, who purchased it from its prior owner Hachette Fi ...
'' found that a V8-equipped LS could accelerate from zero to in the low seven-second range, while V6 models were up to two seconds slower in the same test, while driving dynamics were impressive considering that Lincoln's other offerings were weak in this regard compared to luxury imports. The LS was touted for its value as a sport sedan since it undercut other mid-size luxury (
E-segment The E-segment is the 5th category of the European segments for passenger cars, synonymous with the term executive car. E-Segment is a niche in Europe (2-3% penetration in 2010s). In 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020, E-segment sales accounted for 2.7% ...
/
executive car Executive car is a British term for a large car, and is considered equivalent to the European E-segment and American full-size classifications. Executive cars are larger than compact executive cars (and the non-luxury equivalent mid-size cars ...
) offerings from German and Japanese marques; the LS V8 was priced similarly to six-cylinder-equipped versions of the
BMW 5 Series The BMW 5 Series is an executive car manufactured and marketed by BMW since 1972. It is the successor to the BMW New Class sedans and is currently in its eighth generation. The car is sold as either a sedan or, since 1991, a station wagon (marke ...
and
Lexus GS The is an executive car ( E-segment in Europe) manufactured and marketed by Lexus across four generations — launched in 1991 as the Toyota Aristo in Japan and as the Lexus GS for markets outside the Japanese market beginning in February ...
. While larger and roomier, the LS was also less refined than its competitors in terms of interior quality and handling.


Safety

The Lincoln LS has received very high marks in occupant protection. The
Insurance Institute for Highway Safety The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety and Highway Loss Data Institute (IIHS-HLDI) is an American nonprofit organization. It was established in 1959, and it is noted for its safety reviews of vehicles in various simulated traffic situations, ...
has rated the LS as a "Best Pick" with a perfect score in their frontal offset crash test. The
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA ) is an agency of the U.S. federal government, part of the Department of Transportation, focused on automobile safety regulations. NHTSA is charged with writing and enforcing Feder ...
gave the LS almost perfect scores in its front impact, side-impact and rollover tests. The
CNBC CNBC is an American List of business news channels, business news channel owned by the NBCUniversal News Group, a unit of Comcast's NBCUniversal. The network broadcasts live business news and analysis programming during the morning, Day ...
rated the LS as “one of the five safest cars of all time.”


Sales


Milestones

*1999 Lincoln introduced the LS as a 2000 model. *2000 ''
Motor Trend ''Motor Trend'' is an American automobile magazine. It first appeared in September 1949, and designated the first Car of the Year, also in 1949. Petersen Publishing Company in Los Angeles published ''Motor Trend'' until 1998, when it was sold ...
'' magazine named the LS “Car of the Year”. *2001 LS earned double five-star frontal safety ratings from the federal government. *2003 More than 500 revisions, including a power increase, design, and interior changes. *2004 LS earned a “Best Pick” safety rating from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. *2006 LS production ended in April after 262,900 were built over 7 years.


References


External links


Lincoln LS
(archived) {{Authority control LS Rear-wheel-drive vehicles 2000s cars Mid-size cars Sports sedans Cars introduced in 1999 Cars discontinued in 2006 Motor vehicles manufactured in the United States