2013 Lincoln Mkt Awd Ecoboost Navigation Technology Package One Owner on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Chevy, Lincoln dealers say they still want sedans

Detroit automakers have famously turned their backs on sedans as they make the strategic bet to double down on money-making trucks and SUVs, but dealers for at least two American brands are giving the companies contrary signals. In separate recent interviews with leading national dealer councils for Chevrolet and Lincoln, Automotive News reports that both brands’ dealers still see a need for cars. The publication published a Q&A interview with Mike Bowsher, chairman of the Chevrolet National Dealer Council, who said Chevy dealers managed to hold onto market share last year despite the phase-out of the Cruze compact sedan and hatchback, thanks to products like the Spark and Sonic subcompacts and the Trax and Equinox crossovers. But, he acknowledged, “We do feel like we could use a car, especially in the low-MSRP range.” The comments follow similar recent comments from Tom Lynch, who chairs the Lincoln National Dealer Council. He told AN, “If weÂ’re not in segments where there is still a good amount of business, I think the company and the dealers lose out.” The Cruze was one of the victims of GMÂ’s November 2018 announcement of plant closures, with production having ceased with the closure of GMÂ’s Lordstown, Ohio assembly plant last year. GM sold 47,975 Cruzes in 2019 but a healthy 142,617 in 2018. At Lincoln, Lynch said the council has been telling the company it needs to stick with the sedan segment, despite plans to kill the MKZ sedan in the coming months and unconfirmed reports that the Continental isnÂ’t long for this world, either, despite the buzz of the suicide-door Coach Door Edition, shown in the photo above. Lincoln sold 17,725 MKZs and 6,586 Continental sedans in 2019, down a combined 15%, but still good for almost 22% of overall Lincoln sales. It's worth noting that Lincoln competes in a luxury segment that still expresses allegiance to four- and two-door cars. Even Cadillac, its cross-town rival, is staying active with the upcoming CT5 and CT4 sedans. Lynch pointed to Tesla as evidence that strong sedan products can resonate with consumers, though he conceded that “What that looks like for Lincoln going forward, IÂ’m not sure of.” For now, anyway, Chevy still offers the Sonic and Spark subcompacts, the latter of which saw sales climb 32.5% in 2019 to 31,281 (Sonic sales fell nearly as steeply).

2024 Lincoln Navigator won't offer rear-wheel drive

Another Lincoln rear-wheel-drive trim bites the dust, following the course of the 2024 Lincoln Nautilus. When Cars Direct looked over an order guide for the 2024 Lincoln Navigator, the outlet discovered the omission of an RWD variant. The site inquired with Lincoln about the absence, anf the automaker responded, "24MY Navigator will be exclusively available as a 4x4." The relevant news for consumer wallets is that the change automatically raises the Navigator's base price by $3,000, the cost of adding four-wheel drive to the two trims that offer it, entry-level Premiere (currently called the Standard trim) and Reserve. The good news is that the order guide contained price data for the 2024 SUV, with Cars Direct saying the base Navigator MSRP is otherwise only going up $40. Early MSRP data for the 2024 model after the $1,895 destination charge, and the differences from 2023, shows: Premiere: $84,660 ($3,040) Reserve: $97,220 ($3,390)  Black Label: $112,646 ($1,495) Among the competitive set, the all-wheel drive 2024 Cadillac Escalade in base Luxury trim starts at $85,690, $1,030 more than the 2024 Navigator. The Cadillac's price gets pushed beyond the Navigator's by the $1,500 charge for three years of OnStar and Connected Services. Cadillac doesn't include this in the MSRP, instead listing the line in the Options section of the Summary page on the configurator; however, the "option" can't be removed. The 2023 Jeep Wagoneer Series III 4x4 — the top trim — starts at $77,200, the base trim of the 2023 Jeep Grand Wagoneer 4x4 starts at $92,945. The 2023 Mercedes-Benz GLS 450 starts at $82,950, the BMW X7 xDrive40i starts at $82,895.   According to Ford Authority, Lincoln's leaving the 2024 Navigator pretty much alone while the automaker prepares a refreshed 2025 model. For next year, Flight Blue returns to the color palette for the Standard and Reserve trims, displacing Ocean Blue. The most recent 2025 Navigator spy shots haven't revealed much of note, but it's clear it will carry design influences from the new Nautilus.

Hyundai, Kia, Genesis and Subaru clean up in IIHS 2018 safety ratings

Hyundai, its partner Kia and its Genesis division are the big winners in the latest vehicle safety ratings from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, accounting for six of the 15 models that earned the Top Safety Pick+ awards for 2018. Subaru was right behind with four, Mercedes-Benz had two, and Toyota, BMW and Ford each had one. Another 47 vehicles earned the Top Safety Pick designation, where Toyota had 10 vehicle models, with Hyundai recognized for nine models. All but one of the seven vehicles in Subaru's lineup, the BRZ, qualified for one of the awards. IIHS strengthened the criteria for the Top Safety Pick+ award for 2018 to require headlights to earn a "good" rating — an "acceptable" rating was previously enough to notch the "plus" award — and good or acceptable passenger-side protection in the small overlap front crash, which replicates a crash involving just the front corner of a vehicle. It also required vehicles to have acceptable or good headlights for the first time to earn a Top Safety Pick award. Most of winners for both awards qualified on the basis of optional upgrades. IIHS in October began evaluating the passenger side of vehicles in its small overlap front crash test after it said it became clear that automakers were neglecting that side of the vehicle as they focused on improving driver-side protections. IIHS first began conducting driver-side small overlap crashes in 2012. It began measuring both how well low and high beams illuminated the road and the amount of glare they produce for oncoming vehicles as part of its ratings in 2016. The Top Safety Pick+ winners are listed below. The list doesn't include any minivans, pickups or minicars, which don't appear on either list of awardees. Small cars Kia Forte Kia Soul Subaru Impreza (sedan and wagon) Subaru WRX Midsize cars Subaru Legacy Subaru Outback Toyota Camry Large luxury cars BMW 5 series Genesis G80 Genesis G90 Lincoln Continental Mercedes-Benz E-Class sedan Midsize SUVs Hyundai Santa Fe Hyundai Santa Fe Sport Midsize luxury SUV Mercedes-Benz GLC The full list of Top Safety Pick winners is available here.Related Video: Image Credit: IIHS BMW Genesis Hyundai Kia Lincoln Subaru Toyota Safety Crossover SUV Wagon Sedan crash test