1976 Lincoln Continental Base Hardtop 2-door 7.5l on 2040-cars

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Consumer Reports no longer recommends Honda Civic

Consumer Reports annual Car Reliability Survey is out, and yes, there are some big surprises. First and foremost? The venerable publication no longer recommends the Honda Civic. In fact, aside from the walking-dead CR-Z and limited-release Clarity fuel-cell car, the Civic is the only Honda to miss out on CR's prestigious nod. At the opposite end there's a surprise as well – Toyota and Lexus remain the most reliable brands on the market, but Buick cracked the top three. That's up from seventh last year, and the first time for an American brand to stand on the Consumer Reports podium. Mazda's entire lineup earned Recommended checks as well. Consumer Reports dinged the Civic for its "infuriating" touch-screen radio, lack of driver lumbar adjustability, the limited selection of cars on dealer lots fitted with Honda's popular Sensing system, and the company's decision to offer LaneWatch instead of a full-tilt blind-spot monitoring system. Its score? A lowly 58. The Civic isn't the only surprise drop from CR's Recommended ranks. The Audi A3, Ford F-150, Subaru WRX/STI, and Volkswagen Jetta, GTI, and Passat all lost the Consumer Reports' checkmark. On the flipside, a number of popular vehicles graduated to the Recommended ranks, including the BMW X5, Chevrolet Camaro, Corvette, and Cruze, Hyundai Santa Fe, Porsche Macan, and Tesla Model S. Perhaps the biggest surprise is the hilariously recall-prone Ford Escape getting a Recommended check – considering the popularity of Ford's small crossover, this is likely a coup for the brand, as it puts the Escape on a level playing field with the Recommended Toyota RAV4, Honda CR-V, and Nissan Rogue. While Ford is probably happy to see CR promote the Escape, the list wasn't as kind for every brand. For example, of the entire Fiat Chrysler Automobiles catalog, the ancient Chrysler 300 was the only car to score a check – there wasn't a single Dodge, Fiat, Jeep, Maserati, or Ram on the list. That hurts. FCA isn't alone at the low end, either. GMC, Jaguar Land Rover, Mini, and Mitsubishi don't have a vehicle on CR's list between them, while brands like Mercedes-Benz, Volvo, Nissan, Lincoln, Infiniti, and Cadillac only have a few models each. You can check out Consumer Reports entire reliability roundup, even without a subscription, here.

Lincoln drops MKX base price to $38,995

Lincoln is giving the 2016 MKX a major improvement in style and tech, and is introducing the 2.7-liter EcoBoost V6 as an option for the luxury crossover. While all of those changes are significant, the cost might be just as enticing to get customers checking out the new generation. The base price for 2016 falls to $38,995, after an $895 destination charge on all models, compared to $39,795 for the 2015. At this time, there are three trim levels listed on Lincoln's site, but a Black Label version is supposed to come along later to add a bit more opulence. Above the base Premiere trim, the Select model starts at $42,285, and adds features like LED running lights, folding and heated mirrors, leather seats, and a power hatch. Spending $46,050 brings buyers to the Reserve trim with upgrades including a panoramic sunroof, 20-inch wheels, navigation, adaptive headlights, and heated seats. There are a huge number of individual options available, including full LED headlights and a safety suite of tech. Opting for the 2.7-liter EcoBoost pushes the price of any trim up an extra $2,000, and checking the box for all-wheel drive brings with it an added $2,495. As ever, you can spec one out yourself on the official configurator here.

2023 Lincoln Corsair First Drive Review: Gimme back my buttons!

While 2023 brings only a refresh to the Lincoln Corsair, it’s a fairly robust one. It loses an engine, gains BlueCruise and receives an interior overhaul featuring a new infotainment screen running the latest version of Sync 4. Corsair may be LincolnÂ’s best-seller, but it competes against a variety of big-sellers in terms of both size and price. Take your pick from the likes of the Cadillac XT4, Audi Q3, Lexus NX or the BMW X1, just to name a select few; and soon they will be joined by Alfa RomeoÂ’s new Tonale, which lines up surprisingly well with the baby Lincoln. Like virtually everything in its class, the 2023 Lincoln CorsairÂ’s standard engine is a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder, which in this case produces 250 horsepower and 275 pound-feet of torque.  Gone is the previously available 2.3-liter upgrade that apparently wasnÂ’t popular. For 2023, the only other option is therefore the returning plug-in hybrid model, which produces a reasonable (and carry-over) 266 horses. Unlike the Escape PHEV on which itÂ’s based, the plug-in Corsair comes standard with all-wheel drive. With just 16 more horsepower compared to the 2.0T and more than 560 additional pounds to motivate, it relies on the instant torque of its electric motors to get off the line with authority. Lincoln gave us the choice of sampling either the standard turbo-four or PHEV for our quick outing in the Corsair; we opted for the plug-in for symmetry with our 2021 outing. As with virtually all midcycle updates, some exterior styling elements were updated or deleted. The grille is taller (and consequently larger) and is framed on the bottom by a new horizontal protrusion. PHEV models get a metallic foiling effect on the grille mesh. In the rear, itÂ’s business as usual. Inside, the dash is redesigned around a new 13.2-inch touchscreen running Sync 4.0. Besides an updated user interface (more on that later), the screen now houses virtually all of the media and climate controls that were previously located as buttons and knobs on the LincolnÂ’s center stack. All that remains on the consequently shrunken stack is a single volume knob and various vehicle controls like max defrost, auto stop/start and the hazard lights. The start/stop button has also been relocated next to the piano-key transmission controls. Through all of that, Lincoln managed to make access to the enlarged media storage bin easier. Yay?