Wikicars - User contributions [en]

Lincoln

2007-01-05T11:32:18Z

66.240.31.3:

{{List Of Lincoln Models}}

'''Lincoln''' is an American luxury automobile brand, operated under the [[Ford|Ford Motor Company]].

==History==
[[Image:445px-31_Lincoln.jpg|thumb|190px|left|1931 Lincoln with greyhound hood-ornament]]
[[Image:800px-30s_Lincoln.jpg|thumb|240|left|30s Lincoln front half detail]]
[[Image:800px-Lincoln_Zephyr.jpg|right|thumb|1937 Lincoln Zephyr]]
[[Image:800px-1998LincolnTownCar.jpg|thumb|right|2000 Lincoln Town Car]]The company was founded in 1917 by Henry M. Leland. Leland, one of the founders of [[Cadillac]], left the Cadillac division of [[General Motors Corporation|General Motors]] during World War I and formed the Lincoln Motor Company to build Liberty aircraft engines. After the war, the company's factories were retooled to manufacture luxury automobiles.

The company encountered severe financial troubles during the transition, and was consequently bought by [[Ford|Ford Motor Company]] in 1922, who still owns and manufactures cars under the Lincoln marque in its Lincoln-[[Mercury (automobile)|Mercury]] division. The purchase of Lincoln was a personal triumph for Ford who had been forced out of his second company by a group of investors led by Leland. Ironically that company was later renamed Cadillac. Lincoln quickly became one of America's top selling luxury brands alongside [[Cadillac]] and Duesenberg. In 1927, Lincoln adopted the greyhound as their emblem, which was later replaced with diamond that is currently in use.

With the 1936 model year, Lincoln introduced the [[Lincoln Zephyr]], which was a sportier design. Zephyr was almost a distinct brand name, rather than just a model. It was produced from 1936 until WWII stopped production in early 1942. From the 1939 Zephyr, Edsel Ford began his efforts to create the Lincoln Continental, which eventually became the most important car made by Lincoln. It began as a one-off project car for Edsel Ford to drive around on vacations in Florida. Edsel wanted a European-style car unlike the boxier designs his father's company produced. The Continental proved popular and plans were made to sell it.

The Continental Mark II was a revival of the concept. It was produced by the short-lived Continental division from April 1955 to July 1956 before it was returned to the Lincoln marque. The Mark II had a basic list price of $10,000, $70,000 considering inflation, the same price as a [[Rolls-Royce]] that year. The [[Edsel]] division was merged with the Lincoln-Mercury division in January 1958 to form the Mercury-Edsel-Lincoln division until the Edsel was discontinued in 1960.

The [[Lincoln Continental]] became Lincoln's flagship model until 1981 when the [[Lincoln Town Car]], previously the top-of-the-line trim level on [[Lincoln Continental|Continental]], became its own model and took over as Lincoln flagship model.

As recently as 1998 Lincoln was the best-selling luxury brand in the United States, helped by the massive success of the [[Lincoln Navigator|Navigator]] [[Sport utility vehicle|SUV]], and a redesign of the [[Lincoln Town Car|Town Car]] as well as the [[Lincoln Continental|Continental]]. The company was also part of the [[Premier Automotive Group]] from 1998 to 2002, but was pulled out due to Ford's new marketing strategy to separate its "import" brands from its domestic marques. In recent years, however, the company has fallen behind Japanese, European, and American competitors for a lack of new models. The company is working to remedy this, however, and is sharing parts and platforms with other Ford divisions worldwide in an attempt to bring more new models to market faster. The company promises five new models in the four years 2004-2008, and has already begun with the new 2006 Mark LT pickup and MKZ (Formely the Zephyr for 2006.

==Presidential cars==
[[Image:1924LincolnLimosine.jpg|thumbnail|250px|right|Lincoln Limousine used by President Calvin Coolidge, c. 1924]]
Leland named the brand after his longtime hero Abraham Lincoln, for whom he had voted in 1860 in the first presidential elections he was eligible for.

Lincoln had a long history of providing limousines for the U.S. President. The first car specially built for Presidential use was the 1939 Lincoln V12 convertible called the "Sunshine Special" used by Franklin D. Roosevelt. It remained in use until 1950. A 1950 Lincoln Cosmopolitan called the "Bubble Top" was used by Presidents Truman, Eisenhower, Kennedy and once by Johnson. It was retired in 1965. The Kennedy car was a 1961 Lincoln Continental convertible. It was in use from 1961 to 1977, having undergone extensive alterations which made it an armor-plated sedan after Kennedy's assassination. A 1969 Lincoln was used by Nixon and a 1972 Lincoln used by Presidents Ford, Carter, Reagan and Bush. A 1989 Lincoln was the last Presidential Lincoln as of 2004. [[Cadillac]] supplied Presidential limousines in 1983, 1993, 2001, and 2004.

==Lincoln automobiles==
{| class=wikitable
|colspan=3|'''2006 Lincoln Model Line-up'''
|-
!width="40%"|Model!!Type!!Price Range
|-
|[[Lincoln Town Car|Town Car]]||Flagship||$42,875 - $56,745
|-
|[[Lincoln Navigator|Navigator]]||Full-size SUV||$50,140 - $67,645
|-
|[[Lincoln LS|LS V8]]||Sport Sedan||$39,285 - $48,405
|-
|[[Lincoln Mark LT|Mark LT]]||Pick-up||$38,680 - $47,220
|-
|[[Lincoln Zephyr|Zephyr]]||Entry-level||$28,995 - $35,240
|-
|colspan=3|'''2007 Lincoln Model Line-up'''
|-
!width="40%"|Model!!Type!!Price Range
|-
|[[Lincoln Town Car|Town Car]]||Flagship||$42,875 - $56,745
|-
|[[Lincoln Navigator|Navigator]]||Full-size SUV||$52,990 - $66,545
|-
|[[Lincoln MKX|MKX]]||Crossover SUV||$34,495 - $44,885
|-
|[[Lincoln Mark LT|Mark LT]]||Pick-up||$38,680 - $47,220
|-
|[[Lincoln MKZ|MKZ]]||Entry-level||$28,995 - $35,240
|}
===Current and near future models===
Lincoln is currently switching to a new naming system based around the "[[Lincoln Mark|Mark]]" name used since the 1950s. Most Lincoln models will be given a three-letter name starting "MK" (originally standing for "Mark," but now simply pronounced em-kay) starting in 2007. The [[Lincoln Navigator|Navigator]] and [[Lincoln Town Car|Town Car]] name will remain, but all other models are expected to use this convention by the end of the decade.

*[[Lincoln Mark LT]] (2005–)
*[[Lincoln MKS]] (2008–)
*[[Lincoln MKX]] (2007–)
*[[Lincoln MKZ]] (2007–)
*[[Lincoln Navigator]] (1998–)
*[[Lincoln Town Car]] (1981–)
*[[Lincoln MKZ|Lincoln Zephyr/MKZ]] (2006–)

===Recent models===
*[[Lincoln LS]] (2000–2006)
*[[Lincoln Aviator]] (2003–2005)
*[[Lincoln Blackwood]] (2002)
*[[Lincoln Continental]] (1961–2002)
*[[Lincoln Mark|Lincoln Mark Series]] (1956–1998)

===Historical===
[[Image:800px-1970_Lincoln_Continental_Mark_III_rear.jpg|thumb|right|The 1970 Lincoln Mark III, along with others in the series, used a rounded "Continental"-style trunk lid, designed to suggest that the spare tire was stored there]]
*Lincoln L-series (1920–1930)
*[[Lincoln K-series]] (1931–1939)
*[[Lincoln Zephyr]] (1936–1942), a car line priced between Ford and Lincoln
*Lincoln-Zephyr Continental (1940–1942, 1946–1948), later [[Lincoln Continental]]
*[[Lincoln Custom]] (1941–1942)
*Lincoln (no other name) (1946–1951)
*[[Lincoln Sport]] (1949–1951)
*[[Lincoln Cosmopolitan]] (1949–1954)
*[[Lincoln Lido]] (1950–1951)
*[[Lincoln Custom]] (1955)
*[[Lincoln Capri]] (1952–1959)
*[[Lincoln Premiere]] (1956–1960)
*[[Lincoln Versailles]] (1976–1980)

==Recent Lincoln models timeline==

{{Lincoln Timeline}}

{{Lincoln vehicles}}

{{Lincoln}}

==External links and references==
*[http://www.lincolnvehicles.com/ Official Website]
*[http://www.lincoln.com/lifestyle/heritage.asp Heritage page at Lincoln.com]
*[http://www.lincolnvscadillac.com Lincoln vs Cadillac] A site dedicated to the Lincoln Mark VIII and other Lincoln Automobiles and a good source for repair and modification information
*[http://www.lincolnsofdistinction.com/ Lincolns of Distinction]- Lincoln Automobile History and information
* http://www.classiclincolns.com/
*[http://www.lincolnforums.com/ Lincoln Owners]- Website with live community, pictures and technical information for owners and enthusiasts of Lincoln luxury automobiles

{{Ford Motor Company}}

[[Category:Makes]]
[[Category:Ford]]
[[Category:Lincoln vehicles|*]]
[[Category:Luxury car manufacturers]]

Saturn VUE

2007-01-02T11:29:34Z

66.240.31.3: /* External Links */

[[image:2007_VUE_silverleft.jpg|thumb|right|400px|'''2007 [[Saturn]] VUE''']]
The '''Saturn VUE''' is a [[compact SUV]] from [[General Motors Corporation|General Motors]]' [[Saturn]] marque. It uses GM's Theta platform. In 2006, a [[hybrid]] version was added to the Vue's Greenline.

See Wikicars' comprehensive '''[[Saturn Vue Review]]'''.

===Recent Changes===
The VUE received several interior and exterior upgrades in 2006, and these remain in tact for 2007. The biggest change for 2007 is the addition of a Green Line [[hybrid]] model, the first [[hybrid]] SUV from [[General Motors]].

===Styles and Major Options===
The VUE comes in three engine forms: a base model, a [[V6]], and a [[hybrid]] model. The base model is powered by a 2.2L 144[[hp]] [[I-4]] engine, the [[V6]] is 3.5L 250[[hp]] engine, and the [[hybrid]] uses a 2.4L 170[[hp]] [[I-4]] gasoline-electric engine. While the [[V6]] and [[hybrid]] are only available with [[automatic transmission]]s, the [[I-4]] is available in both an [[automatic transmission|auto]] and [[manual transmission|manual]] version. Some of the standout features of each trim include:
[[image:2007_VUE_blueleft.jpg|right|thumb|300px]]

'''Base [[I-4]]'''
*16" steel wheels
*6-way driver (4-way passenger) front seats
*Cloth/vinyl seating
*Metal-look dashboard insert
*Manual front air conditioning
*6-speaker AM/FM/CD audio system
*Cruise control
*OnStar

'''[[V6]]'''
*16" polished alloy wheels
*Simulated wood dashboard insert
*Leather/simulated wood shift knob
*Four wheel anti-lock brakes
*OnStar

'''Green Line [[Hybrid]]'''
*16" polished alloy wheels
*Driveline [[traction control]]
*Metal-look dashboard insert
*Cruise Control
*OnStar

===Pricing===
Today's actual prices for the [[Saturn]] VUE can be found at [http://www.carsdirect.com/saturn/vue/prices CarsDirect].

<table border=1 tablecolor=#000000 bordercolor=#000008>
<tr bgcolor=#cccccc>
<td colspan=4>
'''VUE Trims'''
</td>
</tr>
<tr bgcolor=#ffffcc>
<td>
[[I-4]] [[2WD]]
</td>
<td>
[[V6]] [[2WD]]
</td>
<td>
[[V6]] [[AWD]]
</td>
<td>
[[I-4]] [[2WD
<br>
[[Hybrid]]
</td>
</tr>
<tr bgcolor=#66ccff>
<td colspan=4>
''MSRP''
</td>
</tr>
<tr bgcolor=#ffffcc>
<td>
$17,475
</td>
<td>
$21,750
</td>
<td>
$23,710
</td>
<td>
$22,370
</td>
</tr>
<tr bgcolor=#66ccff>
<td colspan=4>
''Invoice''
</td>
</tr>
<tr bgcolor=#ffffcc>
<td>
$16,339
</td>
<td>
$20,336
</td>
<td>
$22,168
</td>
<td>
$20,915
</td>
</tr>
</table>

===Gas Mileage===
As seen on the [http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/findacar.htm FuelEconomy.gov] website, the City/Highway MPG averages are as follows:

<table border=1 tablecolor=#000000 bordercolor=#000008>
<tr bgcolor=#cccccc>
<td colspan=5>
'''Trim'''
</td>
</tr>
<tr bgcolor=#ffffcc>
<td>
Vue [[AWD]]
<br>
[[V6]] [[automatic transmission|auto]]
</td>
<td>
Vue [[2WD]]
<br>
[[I-4]] [[manual transmission|manual]]
</td>
<td>
Vue [[2WD]]
<br>
[[I-4]] [[automatic transmission|auto]]
</td>
<td>
Vue [[2WD]]
<br>
[[V6]] [[automatic transmission|auto]]
</td>
<td>
Vue Hybrid [[2WD]]
<br>
4-cyl. [[automatic transmission|auto]]
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td colspan=5 bgcolor=#cccccc>
'''MPG'''
</td>
</tr>
<tr bgcolor=#ffffcc>
<td>
19/25
</td>
<td>
23/29
</td>
<td>
22/27
</td>
<td>
20/28
</td>
<td>
27/32
</td>
</tr>
</table>

===Reliability===
The VUE received an update in 2006, and accurate long-term reliability information is not yet available. The 2004 model, however, received an overall Green rating from Automotive Information Systems, indicating minimal problems in all categories.

===Safety===
In tests carried out by the [http://www.safercar.gov NHTSA,] the 2007 Vue did well. It received 5-Star ratings for all front- and side-impact crash tests, and for rollover it received a 3-Star rating. Some of the standard safety features located in the Vue include:
*Front and rear anti-roll bars
*Driver/Passenger front-impact [[airbag]]s
*Occupancy sensors
*Side impact bars

===Photos===
<gallery>
image:800px-SaturnVUE.jpg
image:2007_VUE_bluerear.jpg
image:2007_VUE_dashboard.jpg
image:2007_VUE_frontinterior.jpg
image:
</gallery>

===Colors===
Available colors for the VUE will vary by trim, and a full list is viewable at [http://www.carsdirect.com/saturn/vue/colors CarsDirect.com.] Some of the possible combination include:

'''Exterior'''
*Black Onyx
*Chili Pepper Red
*Cypress Green
*Deep Blue
*Polar White

'''Interior'''
*Black
*Gray
*Tan

===Main Competitors===
*[[Honda Element]]
*[[Toyota RAV4]]
*[[Ford Escape]]
*[[Mazda Tribute]]
*[[Honda CR-V]]
*[[Jeep Liberty]]
*[[Subaru Forester]]

==Hybrid Models==
'''Green Line'''
The high-performance VUE Red Line will be joined for 2007 (in summer 2006) by an environmentally-oriented '''Green Line''' model. The VUE is a [[hybrid car|mild hybrid]] using what GM calls a "belt alternator starter" (BAS) system. A large electric motor is connected to the accessory drive via a belt, with a special [[Automatic transmission|automatic]] transmission fitted. It automatically stops the engine when the vehicle comes to a halt and instantly restarts it when the vehicle must move again. The electric motor will also assist somewhat in acceleration, though not to the extent that [[Honda]]'s Integrated Motor Assist system does.

The 2.4 L ''Ecotec'' engine is used from the Saturn ION, and fuel savings are expected to be around 15%. The Green Line version is expected to cost just US$2,000 more than a similarly-equipped VUE, and debuted in production form on January 8, 2006 at the North American International Auto Show.

Green Line owners will be eligible for a $650 federal tax credit designed to encourage fuel efficient vehicles.

==Unique Attributes==

==Resale Values==
According to [http://www.kbb.com Kelley Blue Book,] "with the exception of the Green Line [[hybrid]], which is expected to retain a high percentage of its value, the remaining VUE models retain only an average value in the first three years and then fall to less than average after that."

==Criticisms==
*"A well-thought-out and capable mini sport-ute, the Vue's unimpressive interior and sloppy steering keep it from challenging the class leaders in this segment." - Edmunds.com
*"If you're looking for a small SUV that can seat seven, the VUE's lack of a third-row seat takes it out of the running." - Kelley Blue Book

==Current Generation: (2002–Present)==
[[image:2007_VUE_silverrear.jpg|right|thumb|350px]]
The VUE was introduced for the 2002 model year and was designed by Saturn. It is manufactured at the Spring Hill Saturn plant. Its unibody platform is shared with the [[Chevrolet Equinox]], [[Pontiac Torrent]] and the European [[Opel Antara]].

Four-cylinder VUEs use the ''Ecotec'' straight-4. The ''L81'' [[V6|V6]] from the [[Saturn L-Series|L-Series]] and 5-speed Aisin AF33 [[automatic transmission]] were initially offered, but starting in 2004, all 6-cylinder VUEs were equipped with the 250 [[HP|hp]] (186 kW) [[Honda]]-manufactured L66 engine and a Honda transmission. The four-cylinder VUE was available with the VTi [[continuously variable transmission]] (CVT) until GM cancelled it for 2005. The CVT transmission had a separate 75,000 mile warranty.

The VUE received a facelift for the 2006 model year. Upgrades included a redesigned interior with higher-quality materials, a new bumper and grille, and some minor cosmetic pieces to the exterior. OnStar is now standard as well as cruise control and [[Automatic transmission|automatic]] headlights.

==== Red Line ====
Saturn introduced a special high-performance line of vehicles in 2004 under the name, "Red Line". The '''VUE Red Line''' includes the 250 [[HP|hp]] (186 kW) ''L66'' [[V6|V6]] and sportier suspension tuning for performance. 18 in alloy wheels, ground-effect front bumpers, chrome exhaust tips, special black leather and suede seats, footwell lighting, and a special gauge cluster complete the visual updates.

==Future Generations==
The VUE will be redesigned for the 2008 model year. Production will move to Ramos Arizpe, where the [[Chevrolet HHR|HHR]] is produced. It will be developed alongside the [[Opel Frontera]]. The [[Chevrolet S3X]] concept is a good indication of what the next-generation VUE/Frontera will look like.

==Worldwide==

==Design quirks and oddities==

==Awards==

==See also==

==External Links==
www.saturn.com

== Maintenance ==
* [[Saturn Vue Maintenance]]

This page uses content from Wikipedia; see [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saturn_VUE Saturn VUE], which includes these [http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Saturn_VUE&action=history contributors].

[[Category:Crossover SUVs]]
[[Category:Hybrid vehicles]]
[[Category:Saturn vehicles|VUE]]
[[Category:Front wheel drive vehicles]]
[[Category:All wheel drive vehicles]]
[[Category:2000s automobiles]]