El Kabong

Well, it was SUPPOSED to just be a 1,000 run between Edmonton and Fort Mcmurray. Then I got the bright idea to do a day trip to Banff, via Red Deer and Rocky Mountain House, and double back through Calgary, because crazy. Anyhoo, 1,927km later, after running through mountains, highways, and cities... 25.6mpg. Not bad.

It was an interesting car. A true rear-engined machine, like the Porsche 911. But calling it an AMX would have been a bit much.

Once again, I'm not commenting on the vehicle's competence as a fancy product. But calling it a luxury product strikes me as being a reach.

So the chassis is the foundation upon which everything else is built. The S-Class chassis is an ingot. The Continental is a Fusion. That's all I'm saying, man. You need to bust yer ass to succeed in the car racket. There ain't no free lunch. When Ford gets that chassis ready, I'll be watching. And cheering.

Fair enough, on both counts. But the S-Class has a seriously engineered chassis.

Here's how you make this car work: -make it a global RWD platform -make sure it can hold the 5.0 V8 -don't change the styling -do some intense development work at the Nurburgring It'll be a solid attention-getter, with an outside chance of greatness.

Nope. Engineering, all the way. I'm counting the days when that bespoke platform drops for Lincoln. Then I'll know they're really cooking.

My issue isn't making fancy versions of ordinary stuff. Buick, also, should exist. But it ain't luxury, in any true aspirational sense. You show me a kid who says "when I grow up I wanna drive an ACURA!" and I'll show you Ralph Wiggums, come to life.

How's the weather? Any golf ball-sized hail? It's been a thing down there as of late

And yet, the last paragraph of the writeup states that Ford should pass on a version of this, so as not to steal the Lincoln's thunder. This would not have happened if what was under the skin was as spiffy as what's on display. And before anyone brings up the Escalade, let the record show that I regard it as a happy accident, and have called it an exception to the rule in previous posts. Maybe this, too, will be an exception to the rule. But I'm not going to bet the farm on it.

I guess this means the downvotes aren't coming back anytime soon

I just see an awful lot of "why not get a Ford instead" in the opening and closing paragraphs. I'm sure it's nice and all, but so's the Ford on which its based.

Here's the link: http://www.automobilemag.com/reviews/driven/1508-2016-lincoln-mkx-review/ ...and here's a few quotes I thought were kinda interesting in light of the discussion we're having elsewhere about luxury: "The 2016 Lincoln MKX checks all the mid-size, two-row luxury crossover boxes and is better than the standard-bearer that launched this segment, the Lexus RX. But it’s a Lincoln, which means it will take a great deal of heavy-duty marketing to convince the average consumer that the Lincoln MKX is more than an extra trim level above the Ford Edge Titanium." "The 2016 Lincoln MKX rides on the new Edge’s architecture but has unique sheetmetal, or what Lincoln calls the vehicle’s 'tophat.'" "The nicely finished interior has padded surfaces covered in premium-grade stitched leather and high-quality vinyl, and you grab a handful of cush every time you open or close a door from inside... The 2016 Lincoln MKX further separates itself from the Ford with active noise cancellation, an acoustic windshield, and additional sound insulation. A big, panoramic sunroof with a power sunshade is standard on the Reserve trim level, and electronic pushbuttons arranged vertically to the right of the instrument panel control the transmission. Lincoln also adds a nifty 360-degree camera system that’s really useful." "The MKX’s two biggest standout features, available at extra cost, are the Revel hi-fi audio systems and 22-way power adjustable, massaging front seats. Cooled and heated, these seats match anything available from Mercedes-Benz." "[The stereo] was enough to convince us the Lincoln Revel Ultima... is a match for a Mercedes-Benz Burmeister system or Lexus Mark Levinson system.. Under that lovely spangle, the MKX’s suspension is pretty much the same as the Edge’s, save continuously controlled damping. The MKX has four trim levels: Premiere, Select, Reserve, and Black Label, the latter of which added Lexus dealer-like levels of service and gives you a choice of four paint-and-interior themes." "The $2,000 turbocharged 2.7-liter V-6, rated at 335 hp and 380 lb-ft of torque, is a retuned version of the Edge Sport’s engine, with 20 more horsepower and 30 more lb-ft... Our weeklong first drive was in an all-wheel-drive MKX Reserve with the 2.7-liter turbocharged engine and the aforementioned Luxury Package, as well as the $595 Climate Package, with heated rear seats, heated steering wheel, and rain-sensing wipers; the $1,720 Technology Package, with active parking assist, front parking sensors, and a front video camera hidden behind the Lincoln nose badge; the $1,650 Driver Assistance Package, with a camera in the interior mirror, a lane keeping system, active cruise control, and active braking; and $250 inflatable rear seatbelts." "Base price of the Reserve model is $48,545 and thusly optioned, the bottom line comes to $63,245. That’s a lot of scratch, though it buys you a lot. While the brand has none of the luxe cache of, say, a BMW X5 or Range Rover Evoque, it’s a name that will at least garner some recognition from your friends and co-workers. Give them rides and they’ll enjoy dynamics befitting a luxury CUV. There’s an impressive absence of road, tire, and wind noise -- until the big, 20-inch wheels and tires roll over potholes and expansion strips." "The mid-size, two-row premium CUV is the personal luxury car of our age; it’s well-suited to comfortably upper-middle-class professional singles and empty-nest couples who stereotypically like to drive their single and empty-nest friends to dinner at pop-up restaurants." "Like the new Edge, the 2016 Lincoln MKX is a vast improvement over its predecessor, which, like the last Edge, was heavy, clumsy, and uninspired. Perhaps Ford ought to drop the Edge, keep covering all the other CUV sub-segments, and leave this one to Lincoln. That would give this luxury brand struggling through a reinvention the exclusive model it needs."

I would say "pants-crappingly terrifying," but that's just me

The fact that a Detroit automaker made such a car and didn't feel compelled to spread the word is either a great example of self-confidence or dumb as a bag of rocks. Nevertheless, there it is, in all its exotica-smoking glory, at the link: http://blog.caranddriver.com/the-500-hp-corvette-that-chevrolet-didnt-talk-about/

Yeah that isn't much performance though.. 17 second quarter mile.. It basically JUST gets great fuel economy, which there is nothing wrong with that. that is what it was intended to do and it does it. ..It can't keep up with Fiestas let alone Ram R/Ts..lol I will agree with from what I've read that daily driving without an agressive foot it is fantastic because all of the low end tq. Exactly like cp said, "surfs a wave of immense torque so it doesn't feel slow until you're gunning it." But with that said..That is why I got the 2.0EB over the 1.6EB. I want passing power if I need it, or whatever rare situation I may find myself in. I want to be able to stand on the "go" pedal and not have issues. The acceleration is so polarizing to me because on one hand I don't drive aggressively and don't need a wicked top end and 420lb/ft is definitely adequate for 99% of the time. But on the other hand..that's slow.. Oh I guarantee you can do that in less than one tank no problem. 36 gallon tank? easy 26mpg(being conservative). My friend's '10 Cummins when he filled up had a range of 540 miles and that's before we got 19mpg for our trip. You'll be deep into the 20's. Actually, does that have an instant mpg readout? If so.. Few questions.. First, what is the minimum speed that it'll drop into 8th gear? Second, at that speed can you set cruise and see what your mpg is? I bet it'll be some stupid 30+. I wouldnt doubt 31..32.. Or even higher. I don't know how fast it has to be going to finally drop into 8th but I know in my 2.0 if I set cruise at 50mph I can easily see 35mpg. And they are rated very similar(my 2.0 and your 3.0 - mine is rated 21/28). Thing is, I don't have a 36-gallon tank. Mine is 98 Litres, or 26 US gallons. It'll probably do the deed all the same. If I were to guess I'd say that it'll shift into eighth as low as 30-35 mph if you drive gently. I know it'll go into third at parking-lot speeds. At this point I should point out that this would suck if it had the old six-speed auto and its lurchy shift quality-the eight-speed is amazingly smooth. The prairies are smooth and flat-I could easily do 30+mpg on those. Northern Alberta, though... bit hillier. I'll still do good, but probably not THAT good. Finally, acceleration: it really isn't that big a deal. In my experience driving, if you're in a situation where you need acceleration (and that situation is not of you own making ), the best source of speed change is the brake pedal.

So, they lowball the trade in value. I'm not saying it's the right thing to do, but there it is. What's even worse (better?) is that they can actually use NHTSA's own ruling to justify doing so, since a negative ruling by a government agency would inevitably drive down consumer confidence and thus retained value.

Uh, awkward. ...still, several years of software advances and a few hundred pounds of downforce make for surprisingly accessible performance.

^^^dingdingding ...I really should post the writeup I did on mine a while back. Try to explain all the fuss.

The thing about the diesel is that, UNLIKE the EB, it delivers both its performance and economy numbers all the time. In casual driving, when you're in a hurry, stop and go, whatever-you will nearly always get those numbers. Which means that, while you may not be able to keep up with Hemi R/Ts, you never feel like the truck is straining to merge, or keep up in speed zone changes. The last sentence I quoted was the clincher-it really does just feel RIGHT, especially for a truck. If you want the latent shame of driving an "Eco" Boost that will only average mid-teens mpg, that's between you and your conscience. As for me, I'm doing a round trip between Edmonton and the oil patch on my days off. It'll come to about 600 miles round-trip, and I fully expect that the truck will do it on less than a tank of fuel.

Well, for starters, the Chevy has as much as 160 more hp than a GTR (they still offer the 480hp version, don't they?). It also weighs several hundred pounds less. It has a lower centre of gravity. But most importantly, it has much more advanced performance management software and gonzo amounts of downforce. All of this goes a long way to negating the advantages of the Nissan's AWD system.

Pretty spiffy for a Volvo.

The biggest shocker is just how heavy that Ford was. Wow

It is large. If you do a LOT of urban driving it may test your patience. And... End of complaints. It is a superb truck. And one we now know isn't as heavy as we thought it might be, at certain trim levels.

The caveats about diesel are relavant-it CAN be more expensive than gas, and there is a price premium to the truck. But as I've also said: right now diesel is quits a bit cheaper where I live, you recoup some of they upfront price on trade in, and you're looking at upwards of 40% better real-world mileage over some (still disturbingly tubby, as it turns out) competition. Based on my experience, if you can swing for it, it's a fantastic driveline.