2019 Lincoln Nautilus Reserve on 2040-cars

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Lincoln recycling tree fibers into new MKX armrest

Want to hug a tree, or at least a really small part of one. Then set your arm down on one of those armrests in the 2014 Lincoln MKX crossover. The US automaker is working with Weyerhaeuser and Johnson Controls on a tree-based, cellulose-reinforced polypropylene material used in the component that connects the armrest to the floor console, Wards Auto says. With properties similar to plastic, the tree-based material replaces fiberglass and is about six percent lighter. No big deal for now, but if the material starts getting used for things like battery trays and interior storage covers, that loss in weight may eventually start adding up enough to boost fuel economy a bit, providing a green double bonus. Lincoln parent Ford, which isn't saying how much more (or less?) it costs to use the new material, established its Biomaterials and Plastics Research team in 2001. In 2007, the company began using soy-based foam in car seats used for models such as the Lincoln Navigator and Ford Mustang and has since broadened biomaterials use to components like floormats and cupholder inserts. Ford also used recycled plastic bottles from the 2012 North America International Auto Show for seats in the Focus Electric.

This 1977 Lincoln Continental Town Car is very green

Autoblog Green editor John Beltz Snyder asked me to come up with something for his side of the room, so I happily obliged. Team player and all. This may not be what he had in mind, but Mr. Snyder cannot deny that the car you see here is in fact extremely green. In fact, the exterior of this 1977 Lincoln Continental Town Car for sale by Worldwide Vintage Autos is rocking two verdant shades. According to this original brochure, it sure looks like a combination of Dark Jade Metallic with Light Jade Valino Grain Vinyl Roof. There was actually a "Light Jade and Dark Jade Luxury Group" for '77 that describes this very car's exterior combo, but that apparently has a "tu-tone" leather and vinyl upholstery inside, whereas this car would seem to have the optional "Majestic Velour Luxury Group" in Jade.  If you wonder why I'm oddly fascinated by Malaise era luxury yachts, descriptors like "Light Jade Valino Grain Vinyl" and "Majestic Velour" should provide key clues. Well, those and the specs. The '77 Continental Town Car was 233 inches long, which is 11.1 inches longer than a 2021 Lincoln Navigator L ... as in the extended-length version. The Town Car was also 79.7 inches wide, which is only 0.2 inches narrower than today's biggest Lincoln. Its wheelbase, however, was 127.2 inches, which is 4.4 shorter than the Navigator. You don't really need to see the specs to notice that length-to-wheelbase discrepancy, though, just check out that rear overhang! Then there's the engine: a 7.5-liter V8. Cool, that must be awesome! False. This upgrade engine for '77 produced 208 horsepower and an admittedly robust 356 pound-feet of torque. It had a three-speed automatic. It also weighed in at 4,880 pounds. Fuel economy? Ah, don't really have EPA figures for '77, so let's just say it was about as green as the Rose's Town Car on "Schitt's Creek."  So there, a very green car. Happy John?

2020 Ford Escape, Lincoln Corsair ace crash tests, earn Top Safety Pick from IIHS

The redesigned 2020 Ford Escape and its platform-mate, the 2020 Lincoln Corsair, have both just completed their bout of crash tests at the hands of the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, and while they did not emerge unscathed, they did come away with the agency's Top Safety Pick Award. One caveat: The rating only applies to the Escape equipped with the available LED headlights, which were deemed Acceptable. Similarly, the Corsair needs the available curve-adaptive LED headlights, also rated Acceptable, in order to achieve Top Safety Pick. The Escape's standard halogen headlights scored only a Marginal rating, while the Corsair's base LED headlights were deemed Poor due to glare. Those low headlight ratings knock the vehicles out of contention for Top Safety Pick. Had either vehicle offered headlights able to achieve a Good rating, that would have been enough to get them the agency's Top Safety Pick+ rating. Outside of their headlights, the 2020 Escape and Corsair acquitted themselves well. The Escape saw a big improvement in the difficult small-overlap front crash test, going from a Poor result in the previous generation to Good with the new one. The Corsair performed identically, and both achieved Good ratings in all six crash tests. The IIHS also tests automatic emergency-braking systems, and the standard and optional systems in the Escape and the Corsair both earned Superior ratings.