Lincoln vs. Cadillac

[corbon44]

In the US, how do Lincoln and Cadillac measure up to each other? They're supposedly the luxo-brands of Ford and GM right?

Ala BMW vs. Mercedes-Benz ba ang rivalry nila, and if so who ranks better, at least in the American's hearts?

[niky]

Cadillac, definitely. They have better market penetration and more stand-out products.

Lincoln has only had one or two really good cars (read: the Lincoln LS) but true to Ford of America form, they never utilized the car to its fullest potential. Like the Taurus, it was a potential hit product saddled by poor development by Ford.

Errh... how good was the Lincoln LS? The same basic architecture is used in the Jaguar S-Type and the new Ford Mustang. And yet the LS suffered from poor market exposure, underpowered engine choices, and bland styling. It could have been a BMW-fighter, but it wasn't. Sadly, the LS's replacement, the Zephyr, is another step down, being based on a FWD platform (albeit a good one).

Their other products, the ancient Town Car and the Navigator, have only ever been so-so on the market. The Town Car is actually excellent for what it is... a soft riding limo that a lot of company execs prefer to the ultra-stiff German luxury sedans, but it's only a matter of time before sheer age kills it completely.

The Navigator (A Ford Expedition plus kit) is nice, but it really can't compete with the Escalade in terms of bling.

Cadillac, on the other hand, hit it big with the Escalade (merely a Chevrolet Tahoe in drag), as it had just the right looks, the right price and the right amount of exclusivity to capture the urban youth market. And since rap stars all wanted one, lots of other people wanted it too.

Cadillac's new sedans are also a big improvement over their predecessors. The CTS is especially good... for a Cadillac. Cadillac didn't follow Lincoln's example with the LS... they poured enough money and engines into the CTS to make it a credible threat to BMW's uber-sedans. And it almost is.

In comparison to BMW and Mercedes, Cadillac is still a step behind in terms of interior quality and exclusivity. But Caddy is cheaper... and "blinging".

[wren]

at the moment, cadillac has the upper hand. ganda tsaka bilis ng V-Series ng cadillac...pero ipon pa ako ng pera.

[slicker_boi]

Not to mention the XLR - potential SL fighter!

[oldblue]

wow Cadillac Escalade. i will only buy a Cadillac Escalade if I can already afford to buy a 5 story building.

[Flagg]

Not to mention the XLR - potential SL fighter!

Oo nga, gusto ko yan, with fuzzy dice.

[AG4]

Sadly, the LS's replacement, the Zephyr, is another step down, being based on a FWD platform (albeit a good one).

Their other products, the ancient Town Car and the Navigator, have only ever been so-so on the market. The Town Car is actually excellent for what it is... a soft riding limo that a lot of company execs prefer to the ultra-stiff German luxury sedans, but it's only a matter of time before sheer age kills it completely.

Update: the Zephyr which is now called the MKZ (powered by a 250hp Duratec35) replaces the V6 Lincoln LS which is no longer in the 2006 lineup. Its also available with AWD.
Lincoln MKZ (Mark Z)

The MKZ is based on Ford's CD3 platform, which is an updated and enlarged version of the Mazda 6 platform.

The V8 LS will be replaced by the MKS an AWD sedan based on Ford's D3 platform(derived from Volvo's P2 platform) and powered by a 315hp 4.4 liter Volvo-Yamaha V8.
Lincoln MKS

[Flagg]

Hmmm may Hofmeister kink nanaman...

[empy]

it's basically Ford vs. Chevy (GM) in a different income bracket. :D

[AG4]

Lincoln's new crossover SUV which will eventually replace the Aviator...
The Lincoln MKX (Mark X)

The MKX is shares its CD3 derived platform with the Ford Edge and Mazda CX-7.

Btw, this is the new facelifted Lincoln Navigator.

[AG4]

It would be interesting to see the AWD Lincoln MKS here...
The production MKS will be launched next year in North America.
It looks like new and upcoming Lincolns will be AWD...

I'm not a big fan of Cadillac's CTS model....
But the sporty 400hp 6.0 V8 powered CTS-V and its big brother the supercharged 469hp STS-V look great.

[niky]

Lincoln's MKS may be "interesting", but as almost everyone know it's a Five Hundred in drag, will anyone bite?

Remember when Ford tried to create volume with Jaguar by using the Mondeo platform to create the X-Type? They had a hard time convincing anyone that FWD or Front-biased AWD platforms were "luxury" (although Audi doesn't seem to be having that problem, weirdly).

I fear the same fate will befall the MKS and Zephyr.

Cadillac is just happy as git that the US public is so obsessed with RWD right now. This bodes well for future sales of the CTS and STS.

[AG4]

Lincoln's MKS may be "interesting", but as almost everyone know it's a Five Hundred in drag, will anyone bite?

Well, almost everyone knows that the Fivehundered was derived from a Volvo S80 luxury car.... besides, you can't get a 315hp V8 in a Ford Fivehundred.

Remember when Ford tried to create volume with Jaguar by using the Mondeo platform to create the X-Type? They had a hard time convincing anyone that FWD or Front-biased AWD platforms were "luxury"

Btw, the Jaguar X-Type's AWD system is RWD biased (40/60).
Lincolns aren't as traditional and sporty as Jaguars(RWD), thats why they had no problem selling the FWD Lincoln Continental(1988 to 2002). Jaguar on the other hand is like BMW, all their cars have always been RWD, so having a FWD base Jaguar X-type is like having a FWD BMW 3-series, not that good for their performance image.
FWD Lincoln Continental V8 (1996 model shown)


More and more luxury brands are going AWD, and Lincoln is one of them.

[basti08]

i like Lincoln better. but it depends upon the model.

what i hate about its large sedans....like, the Continental AG4 posted is that, it strongly reminds me of the Grand Marquis/Crown Vic lower priced siblings.

something that cant be said to a Large Cadillac sedan ....that it has features of say, an Impala or old Caprice.

Mark VIII LSC>Eldorado Touring Coupe
LS>CTS (base)
CTS-V>LS (V8)
Town Car>DTS... yeah, the DTS is a better driver's car, so what? TC's a better ride.
Escallade(latest not the gen1)>Navigator

[AG4]

i like Lincoln better. but it depends upon the model.

what i hate about its large sedans....like, the Continental AG4 posted is that, it strongly reminds me of the Grand Marquis/Crown Vic lower priced siblings.

something that cant be said to a Large Cadillac sedan ....that it has features of say, an Impala or old Caprice.

The FWD Cadillac DTS's K-body platform is closely related to the G-body platform used by the Buick Park Avenue(now called Lucerne), both were derived from the old K-body platform first used in the FWD Seville.
Before the Cadillac DeVille (now called DTS) became Cadillac's flagship model, this was their flagship model the Chevy Caprice based Cadillac Fleetwood Brougham.


Unlike Cadillac, Lincoln decided to retain the RWD body on frame TownCar because there was still a market for these luxury land yachts.

This is the latest Lincoln TownCar powered by a lazy 239hp(*4900rpm) V8.


The new MKS may be based on Ford's Volvo derived D3-platform, but I don't really see anything wrong about that, its a good platform and it will be revised/re-tuned for the more upmarket Lincoln MKS.

Mark VIII LSC>Eldorado Touring Coupe
LS>CTS (base)
CTS-V>LS (V8)
Town Car>DTS... yeah, the DTS is a better driver's car, so what? TC's a better ride.
Escallade(latest not the gen1)>Navigator

Correction:
Cadillac's sporty V models don't compete with any Lincolns.
The V6 CTS competes with the V6 LS which was replaced by the FWD/AWD V6 Lincoln MKZ(formerly known as the Zephyr)
The STS competes with the top LS V8 which will soon be replaced by the slightly larger AWD V8 powered MKS.

[squala]

Most Lincolns are just Fords that are converted to become more luxurious. While some models have better engines, like the SUVs, they are still based on Ford platforms.

Fusion --> Zephyr
Crown Victoria --> Town Car
Explorer --> Aviator
Expedition --> Navigator

As for Cadillac, I think only the Escalade is Chevy-based (Tahoe).

[corbon44]

Same observation as well, that Lincolns are not as "differentiated" from the basic Ford vehicles.

Looking at their current line-ups, Cadillac's efforts to refresh their image has reflected very much in their vehicles, considering the aggresive styling of their current models.

Lincoln, however, still retains the Town Car with hints of its traditional lines, considering that there is "still a market for these luxury land yachts" (though I believe the luxury part is open to debate).

Has Cadillac's decision to veer away from the retirees, limo drivers, and hearse drivers market apparently been to its benefit?

Most probably yes...though personally, I miss its huge sedans, particularly the Fleetwood -- the biggest boy in town!

[seonadancing]

I didn't know that Lincoln is on the same level as cadillac. I think Cadillac is the epitome of all american cars in terms of luxury. And the name alone stands out from the rest.

[AG4]

I didn't know that Lincoln is on the same level as cadillac.

Yes, Lincoln is in the same level as Cadillac...

I think Cadillac is the epitome of all american cars in terms of luxury.

Maybe not for long...

Chrysler will be reviving its supper luxurious Cadillac/Lincoln fighter, the Imperial.

The advanced AWD Lincoln MKS is something to wait for, too bad these luxury cars might not be sold here officially.