Intrepidation

It depends onw hat that buyer wants more. If they want more power, a manual, sharper handling, or more standout styling, the CTS would get the nod. If they wanted a comfortable cruiser that could handle twisty roads but is happier cruising at speed, prefer more understated styling, and more room, the MKS would get the nod. I myself lean more towards the CTS, but I do very much like the MKS.

Well because we couldn't just go out yesterday and get the snacks and $h! for New Year's, we had to go today, in the snow. To end the year off extra $h!ty I lost my cell phone while we were out. So either it's crushed in the snow in the parking lot or some asshole found it and figures they have a new phone. Happy f@#king New Year.

Considering the recent Opels have had a more flowing, organic design, it fits right in with Buick's design language.

I doubt you'll ever see a bench seat in a redesigned car again.

That's your opinion. I like the design like that. Also, push-button start is such a gimmick. Whther a car has it or not is something too trvial to care about. Is it cool? Yes, but I bet not so much if the fob's battery dies.

Oh, a bit of good news for Ford. The salesman who went with me told me they've been selling well for the dealer so far.

Thanks! It's well worth it to take one for a spin I think!

> Millenia

Welp, didn't get the food tonight so we'll have to do it in the morning...during a snow storm. Oh and the GM's got a flat so that has to be fixed too. Way to end the year.

I like blue better anyway.

Haha..well your car is way more rusty, so that doesn't help it's odds. Does it make more power?

Agreed, he has nothing good to say. Also agreed that it's not designed to be a sporting car. It rides very comfortably and the body motions are controlled well enough so you don't get motion sickness, unlike a Town Car. It'd make a great cruiser. It give the Aurora a nod buy using the Aurora's tail lights as inspiration.

I'm guessing a bit unprofessional.

LOL I worded that retardedly, hopefully it reads better now.

LOL I worded that retardedly, hopefully it reads better now.

I also want to add that Lincoln has chosen some very attractive interior color scheme for the MKS. In addition to the Tuxedo (black on white) and the all black, both with metal and dark wood, they have a black on light tan with metal and light wood that I saw. very, very nice and upscale looking.

You should see his redneckeriffic heater core, hell I need to see that still...I've heard only legends. Before you scrap it remember you owe me a photo shoot with the Grand Marquis.

At least the last gen was pleasant to look at even if it was FWD. Except the interior...that thing was terrible.

Agreed! I'm very picky with how music sounds. I liek to be able to hear everything, including bass but not so much that it drowns out the rest of the elements.

I don't get why people like nirvana so much, to me that is the most overrated band.

Well you just have to ask yourself how much the car means to you. Take it from me, I should know, sometimes the money that your car needs may cost more than what its worth putting into, and other people might not bother. However if the car means enough to you, then fix it, or or wait until you can fix it. :wink:

I didn't give the audio system a listen, I will when I go back again. It didn't have the optional NAV and THX sound system though. I want to give Sync a try too. The center stack is fine, IMO, as the plastic is nice quality and finish. I didn't find a single cheap piece when I poked around the interior.

You're right, made the typo, I fixed it. 3.7

There's a guy with a flat black Mustang II in there area who thinks he's the $h!. Drives like an ass and has a major attitude problem.

At the New England International Ford was having an offer to Test Drive one of their vehicles and receive a $50 MasterCard gift card. I figured: sweet, getting paid to drive a new car, its win/win. With all of the Christmas shopping and such I kind of got sidetracked, but today I finally went down to the local Lincoln-Mercury dealer to take an MKS for a spin. I got to drive a red MKS with all-black leather interior. The exterior of the car is quite handsome. It’s not gorgeous nor is it eye bold like a 300C, but the proportions are nice for a FWD based car, and the lines are pleasing to the eye. I appreciated the details of the exterior, such as the thin sliver of chrome on the door handles, and the detailing of headlights. Exterior wise, the front end was definitely my favorite element. The split grille is very nice and quite distinctive, and the slim headlights are a nice break from the recent trend of huge headlights. Out back the car is nowhere near as distinctive, however it looks fine. It would be nice if the MCE would incorporate longer tail lights like the MKZ and Navigator. The interior is where the car really shines. It is a nice place to be. Everything I touched had a sold, high quality look and feel to it. Everything was screwed together with precision. The leather was supple and high quality, and covered many surfaces. The seats were very comfortable and had a wide range of adjustments. The power tilt/telescoping steering wheel also helped make it easy to find a comfortable position. It was relatively small and thick, and felt nice in my hands. I only used the climate controls but they were intuitive and there was no learning curve. On top of that, the dials moved fluid precision as well. The interior alone makes the car worth considering. On the open road the car was pleasant to drive. Bumps and expansion joints were easily dispatched, with no harshness coming into the cabin. Yet the car doesn’t float all over the place like Lincolns of yore (or the Town Car). It road with relative firmness, and while I didn’t get to flog it at high speed around the hairpin turns, the car’s body motions felt well controlled around corns and highway ramps. It’s no BMW, but it strikes a nice balance between ride and handling. Ford’s 3.7 litre V6 provided good power for the car. It never felt like it needed more, although the upcoming EcoBoost will surely add more fun to the car. The engine was hushed most of the time, only making itself heard under throttle. I wasn’t sure what to make of what I heard though. I didn’t hate the sound but I didn’t love it either. The 6-speed automatic transmission however, felt somewhat slow to respond. It didn’t downshift when I would have liked, causing a pause before it finally gave in, downshifted, and gave me the power I requested. There was a manual mode, but I didn’t try it out. On the highway the car was very quiet and stable. At one point I felt like I was going slow, like around 60. When I glanced down at the speedometer, I realized I was going a little over 80. Whoops! The brakes registered no complaints, and the pedal had good feel and modulation. The gas pedal felt a little sensitive at initial tip-in but was otherwise progressive. The steering had nice weighting and even some feedback. Accuracy was never an issue, though I doubt it's anywhere near as sharp as the class leaders. Visibility was pretty good, although there some blind spots which made looking over my shoulder trickier than I’m used to. Overall my impression of the MKS is that it’s a very nice, wholly competitive car. That being said, I feel that it would compete more with Acura and Buick (better than any car Buick sells right now) than Cadillac, BMW, and so on. The MKS’s strength’s are its high quality interior, comfortable but not floaty ride, power, AWD, and front end. However the lack of distinctiveness of the rest of the exterior makes the car harder to stand out compared to a CTS. As for the dealership, well I’ve never been there before, but let’s just say the Mercury will be going to Wall’s Lincoln-Mercury from now on. I was impressed by the friendly atmosphere and the fact that they actually enjoyed talking with you, which is more than I can say for Clark Chrysler, and even Nassar Ford. Best of all, Ford paid me $50 to drive the car. While I was there I snagged a few photos of it before the batteries in the camera died, enjoy!