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We test Lincoln's 20-speaker Revel Ultima stereo with a rock star

If there's two things Detroiters know, it's music and cars. So when Lincoln approached us with big claims about their latest stereo system, the Revel Ultima System, we sought out a veteran of the Motor City music scene to test it out. First unveiled at the 2015 Detroit International Auto Show in the Lincoln MKX, Revel is bringing its bumping bass to the 2017 Lincoln MKZ. We had Dick Valentine, lead singer of Electric Six and favorite son of Detroit, try out the 20-speaker, 1200-watt system. If you want it on your MKZ, Revel Ultima is part of the $4,400 Luxury Package. Electric Six is perhaps most famous for its early hit, Gay Bar, and the music video filled with shirtless Abe Lincolns in the White House. Since their debut release, Fire, E6 has backed up a regular touring schedule with ten more studio albums, both a live album and live DVD, and an upcoming quasi-reality film titled Roulette Stars of Metro Detroit. We met up with Valentine on the set of the Roulette Stars to explore the depths of his sardonic wit that oozes through every E6 song. Lincoln says that Revel is the best in the biz. And we'll admit, the stats are impressive. But are 20 speakers and marketing terms like Quantum Logic Surround Technology, Clari-Fi Technology and Point Source Architecture enough to impress a Detroit legend? Valentine knows a little something about sound. As the lead singer and frontman of the Electric Six, he's spent over twenty years hearing his tunes played through speakers. While Valentine hasn't owned a car in a while, he does have opinions on jamming inside of them. We played songs from the band's latest album Bitch, Don't Let Me Die to see if Revel truly delivers on it's bold claims. Related Video: Celebrities Lincoln Ownership music audio sound system

2016 Lincoln MKX First Drive [w/video]

The Lincoln Motor Company was one of America's great luxury symbols of the 20th Century. It grew from an aircraft engine maker during the First World War to become the car of presidents. The jaw-dropping Continental concept revealed earlier this year is a clear indication that Lincoln plans to build on its history and recapture some of that luxury magic. While the image of a powerful Continental thundering over a tony Westchester road is certainly romantic, it does little to sell cars today. Enter the 2016 Lincoln MKX. Flagships like the Continental are great, but Americans buy way more crossovers, and Lincoln's redesign of the MKX focuses on the needs of modern luxury customers. That means more and better safety features, a quiet interior with attractive materials, and classy exterior design. The potent 2.7-liter twin-turbo V6 pushes out 335 horsepower, outperforming V6 offerings from Lexus and Acura. There's also a new engine – Ford's potent 2.7-liter twin-turbo V6 pushing out 335 horsepower – that outguns V6 offerings from Lexus and Acura. All told, it's a tasteful redesign with some spotlight features that might turn a few more customers Lincoln's way. The updates are intriguing, yet many of them (aside from the V6's 380 pound-feet of torque) are rather subtle. So we grab the key fob to an attractive all-wheel-drive model decked out with the Reserve package and set out for a long weekend to absorb the new MKX. Several days of running errands around town, commuting, and a three-and-half-hour drive from metro Detroit to the northern tip of Michigan lay ahead of us. We're going to be spending a lot of time in the MKX, so naturally, we take stock of the interior. Our tester (we photographed a different one) is done up in a cappuccino leather theme, which means brown leather for the steering wheel, armrests, and the tops of the door panels. Another chocolately strip bisects the dashboard. The rest of the cabin – the headliner, the seats, the sides of the doors, etc. – is a creamy white. We sink into the seats, which are cushy yet supportive. The headrest is like a pillow, and the plush floormats feel made for bare feet. The touchscreen works well, and it's complemented by redundant buttons and switches, which we like. The MKX is generally user friendly. The touchscreen works well, with little poking or jabbing. It's complemented by redundant buttons and switches, which we like.

Ford, Stellantis workers join those at GM in ratifying contract that ended UAW strikes

DETROIT — The United Auto Workers union overwhelmingly ratified new contracts with Ford and Stellantis, that along with a similar deal with General Motors will raise pay across the industry, force automakers to absorb higher costs and help reshape the auto business as it shifts away from gasoline-fueled vehicles. Workers at Stellantis, the maker of Jeep, Dodge and Ram vehicles, voted 68.8% in favor of the deal. Their approval brought to a close a contentious labor dispute that included name-calling and a series of punishing strikes that imposed high costs on the companies and led to significant gains in pay and benefits for UAW workers. The deal at Stellantis passed by a roughly 10,000 vote margin, with ballot counts ending Saturday afternoon. Workers at Ford voted 69.3% in favor of the pact, which passed with nearly a 15,000-vote margin in balloting that ended early Saturday. Earlier this week, GM workers narrowly approved a similar contract. The agreements, which run through April 2028, will end contentious talks that began last summer and led to six-week-long strikes at all three automakers. Shawn Fain, the pugnacious new UAW leader, had branded the companies enemies of the UAW who were led by overpaid CEOs, declaring the days of union cooperation with the automakers were over. After summerlong negotiations failed to produce a deal, Fain kicked off strikes on Sept. 15 at one assembly plant at each company. The union later extended the strike to parts warehouses and other factories to try to intensify pressure on the automakers until tentative agreements were reached late in October. The new contract agreements were widely seen as a victory for the UAW. The companies agreed to dramatically raise pay for top-scale assembly plant workers, with increases and cost-of-living adjustments that would translate into 33% wage gains. Top assembly plant workers are to receive immediate 11% raises and will earn roughly $42 an hour when the contracts expire in April of 2028. Under the agreements, the automakers also ended many of the multiple tiers of wages they had used to pay different workers. They also agreed in principle to bring new electric-vehicle battery plants into the national union contract. This provision will give the UAW an opportunity to unionize the EV battery plants plants, which will represent a rising share of industry jobs in the years ahead.