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My Personal Review of the 2011 Lincoln Town Car Signature and a little bit more

8K views 9 replies 4 participants last post by  2b2 
#1 ·
Well I ran into some misfortune recently, it was the day of the office Christmas party. We only had a half day and at noon we would all drive to Tampa to the restaurant. As I was walking out to my LS I noticed some very long scratches all along the side of the car and no car next to me. GREAT I thought to myself and just headed to the party, I would deal with it later I kept telling myself to calm me down. The next day after work I was walking to my car again but this time I saw a sticky note on the driver’s side window that said “I hit your car I am sorry” with a phone number at the bottom. Turns out it was a co-worker since our office building has several companies in it, she knew it was me since, at the time, my LS still had RI plates on it. After all the information was exchanged I set a date to get my car fixed after my vacation to Rhode Island. Once I got there and finalized everything Enterprise did not stick to their word “We will pick you up” I was waiting over a half an hour and finally someone came out and said go to the dealer and they will give you a loaner we are sick of dealing with Enterprise. I walked over and spoke with someone and they asked what kind of car I drove, I responded with a Lincoln LS and they said all they had was a Town Car or a pickup…

Now why is this review important? It isn’t, but I wanted to write up on it because of recent events with the Lincoln brand and multiple discussions on GMi and FiN, I wanted to really weigh in my 2 cents on this and show you guys where the brand has been in recent years and where I think it should go… should it stick with the same formula? Should it reach farther back? Should it go an all new direction? The Panther Mafia that hangs around Ford sites still hate Ford for killing the Crown Vic, Grand Marquis, and Town Car. Others who look into the future say it was about time. And a small few think they should have updated the Panthers just a bit till a proper replacement was ready. With that this may be my most in depth review yet.

Overall impression of this vehicle can be summed up like this. It is like driving a waterbed with lousy brakes, hang on! I know everyone says Town Cars are huge but I don’t think you really get that impression until you drive one and live with it for a few days. I personally loved having a long hood with a Lincoln star at the end; it was almost a throwback to a time before I was even a thought in my parents mind. When growing up my father had a black 1988 Lincoln Town Car Signature Series with dark red leather. I always remembered car and the presence it had and how it always somehow looked like a car that you didn’t want to mess with. It was then that I had grown a respect for the Lincoln brand, it was a smooth ride it had huge comfortable seats and it was filled with little things like cigar lighters in the doors and reading laps in the back and an arm rest that folded down in the middle back seat. At the time this feature was totally new to me since our other vehicles were a 92 Subaru Legacy L wagon and a 94 Ford Econoline Conversion Van, both of which didn’t have that.


My father's looked EXACTLY like this one except he didn't have white wall tires.

2011 Lincoln Town Car Signature Limited
- 4.6L V8 with 4 Speed Automatic
- RWD
- Leather interior
- Soundmark Sound System with 6 CD Changer
- Dual Zone Automatic Climate Control
- Dual 8 way power seats with heating
- Memory Seating
- Trip Computer

Performance:
The 4.6 is ancient, I will not lie or sugar coat it. It also sucks gas like no tomorrow. But with that said it makes some beautiful sounds and it gives the impression that it is fast. Maybe it’s not the engine itself but the sheer size of this vehicle plus the floating sensation adding up really gives an almost scary sensation of not knowing how fast you are going and then brakes that just really don’t give any sort of relief. It really is a terrible package for a true performance enthusiast and someone who wants a daily commuter. Really this car appeals to someone who just wants to be comfortable highway cruiser. Steering is almost lifeless and has lots of play like a truck. Turning radius could be better but it is not terrible. When pressing on the brakes hard the front end slams down… again waterbed! Fuel economy was not something to brag about since I averaged 16.9 MPG. Now most of it was city and I did see it dip down to 14 but I did take it out on the highway and saw it get up to 24.3. But still I can’t see someone living with this unless they have deep pockets to pay for the gas and at that point why are you driving a Town Car?

Interior:
Interior materials were down right sad. Now before someone jumps on me for this I am being honest, there were a ton of hard plastic parts, door panels however were soft which was very nice since I had a tendency to put my arm up on the top of the door panel while “cruising”. There was very liberal use of wood trim however as far as I could tell it was all fake except in the steering wheel, I could be wrong however and if I am I apologize but it felt fake. Seats all had very soft leather and the seats themselves were very comfortable but lacked any kid of lateral support so when you happen to take a quick corner and the Town Car leans… and oh yes it WILL lean, you will probably slide or lean pretty hard too. One thing I LOVED was the fact that because this Town Car is pretty much stuck in the past it still has courtesy lights on ALL the doors which really is a nice touch and something I would like to see return. One thing I found odd was that this model did NOT have a center console located in the arm rest like most models have.

Technology:
What technology right? Well the Town Car does have a few things going for it but in all honesty if you are looking for cutting edge stuff you might as well walk away. Some things it had was a full message center in-between the tachometer and speedometer, it could even give a digital reading of your speed if you so desire. This model even had power, heated and memory seats. The power seat controls are even located on the door just like all Town Cars before it a feature I personally miss on Lincoln now-a-days. Stereo happens to be the same exact one in my LS, a 180 watt Sound Mark 6 CD Changer. It provides excellent sound for a stock system but honestly you don’t want to compare it to other sound systems in competitors for the 2011 model year. There were even redundant controls on the steering wheel. Dual Zone climate was there and worked great and fast, and rear HVAC vents were present however no separate controls for them except to turn them on and off.

Exterior:
The styling of the Town Car has not change in YEARS. However it somehow oddly keeps this strange presence about it. Not nearly as much as the 88 that my father had but it still has a look to it that it is an expensive car and important. One thing that I miss was the Lincoln star on the rear tail lights which they removed from 2003-2011. However this style is pretty much the same since 1998 which means it it’s kept the same roofline and such for 13 years, and yes I know the platform dates back to the 70s so who cares right?

Overall:
The Town Car, like so many have said BESIDES me, is truly a blast from the past. But this is where we have to draw the line. The Panther fans would say it was Ford’s biggest mistake for killing this trio and other Ford fans would say they are happy its gone because it is ancient and outsiders would blast Ford for killing a RWD platform for a FWD/AWD one. All of this doesn’t really matter anymore because the deed is done right? Well here is what I have to say about it. From the beginning when they were talking about possibilities of killing the Panther for something newer I was rejoicing because let’s face it, this platform dates back to the 70s it really NEEDED to go! If you haven’t seen my thread on my 2013 Taurus review I suggest you check it out HERE, reason is because even with all of its faults the Taurus is a far… FAR better car OVERALL than the Town Car. Yes I said that, want to know why? The Town Car is just a sloppy handling car all together and has weak performance and just downright bad fuel economy. I know you will say, oh Andrew you are missing the point, well you can think that but honestly I would rather have the current Taurus and MKS as a stopgap till a new RWD car is available than a refreshed Panther. Don’t get me wrong the Panther trio were great… **** AWESOME for their time but that time was 20 years ago. The competition does not sleep. Case and point? Compare a Chrysler 300 to a Crown Victoria LX then a Chrysler 300 to a Taurus SEL. As for Lincoln’s future should they reach back to this formula of the Town Car? I say partially. First of there is nothing wrong with wanting a smooth highway cruiser, HOWEVER, this new car needs to have far better steering response, far better handling (no it does not NEED to be a BWM but I am talking about no waterbed mechanics), and seats that are not flat. It needs to have technology that is competitive, if that includes fixing MyLincoln Touch to have buttons or a beefed up processor then so be it. But not offering a in dash navigation or cooled seats when the rest of the Lincoln lineup has it (even the DTS had it before it died) is just ridiculous. I think offering adaptive suspension is the right thing to do; I think jumping on the technology bandwagon is the right thing to do, and I sure as **** think ditching this platform for a better stopgap was the right thing to do. Call me out, say I am wrong but I will still stand by this.

Highs:
Quiet interior, very smooth ride, very comfortable seats, V8 sound, long hood with Lincoln Star at the end gives a nostalgic feeling

Lows:
Poor performance, waterbed driving dynamics, where is the technology?, Poor fuel economy, poor interior materials, no lateral support on seats

Pictures:













 
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#3 ·
Great review, Andrew!

I'm sorry that your LS got scuffed. Is it back to normal yet?

Your review just shows that the Town Car needed to be killed ages ago. BUT Ford loved the cash it brought in from the livery market.

All I can say is GOOD RIDDANCE!
Yep, it is all back to normal now. Brought it to Autoway Lincoln in Clearwater, FL and they did an amazing job matching the Tri Coat paint and pin stripe, you can't even tell it's been touched!
 
#4 ·
That was an excellent review. Hate to hear that about your LS. I can and do understand your point on a lot of things especially the interior and to a lighter extent the handling. Although it's never to me seemed scary driving my Dad's '06 Grand Marquis Ultimate at high speeds on the highway it does however have a lot of float which I happen to love. Again excellent review I enjoyed reading it.
 
#5 ·
That was an excellent review. Hate to hear that about your LS. I can and do understand your point on a lot of things especially the interior and to a lighter extent the handling. Although it's never to me seemed scary driving my Dad's '06 Grand Marquis Ultimate at high speeds on the highway it does however have a lot of float which I happen to love. Again excellent review I enjoyed reading it.
The scary part for me was this stretch of road called ulmerton road in St. Petersburg, you can get up to 50 mph but there are a lot of lights when you get that floaty sensation and there are a few cars around you, you sometimes forget how big the car is and how bad the brakes are so if a light changes the front end will go down. I like the quickness of my LS a lot more it feels more predictable and safer.
 
#7 ·
excellent Article, Andrew

I really like how you combined editorial + review!


..The Panther Mafia that hangs around Ford sites still hate Ford for killing the Crown Vic, Grand Marquis, and Town Car. Others who look into the future say it was about time. And a small few think they should have updated the Panthers just a bit till a proper replacement was ready...
I'm in all three categories tho mainly the last; wishing the 2006 & 2009 updates had happened...along with a major overhang-ectomy
(plus perhaps my rant about making the Panther platform exclusive to Mercury at that time,
might have driven home the need for a true replacement
tho
'some' at FoMoCo knew this since the MKS originally had a big brother planned)

...Fuel economy was not something to brag about since I averaged 16.9 MPG. Now most of it was city and I did see it dip down to 14 but I did take it out on the highway and saw it get up to 24.3. But still I can’t see someone living with this unless they have deep pockets to pay for the gas and at that point why are you driving a Town Car?
I don't consider that MPG to be that bad - was just reading about "modern" supercars getting less...WHICH you have to drive at least 2 of those supercars to transport the same number in comfort.
If one lives in the wide-open-spaces or has a mainly highway 'commute' . . .

...One thing I LOVED was the fact that because this Town Car is pretty much stuck in the past it still has courtesy lights on ALL the doors which really is a nice touch and something I would like to see return...
DITTO!!
"...it is better to light one beancounter than to curse the darkness..."
(updated Roman 'proverb' ...wink)
imho this will soon&finally be fixed...
...Lincoln ought to LEAD not follow!!

...outsiders would blast Ford for killing a RWD platform for a FWD/AWD one...
here, I don't agree: a new TownCar or direct replacement has NO Need of Rwd
in fact imho STD-AWD would be better (especially Virtual-Awd!)

...I sure as **** think ditching this platform for a better stopgap was the right thing to do...
my problem is there has been NO Stopgap
MKS? MKT?? not EVEN

...From the beginning when they were talking about possibilities of killing the Panther for something newer I was rejoicing because let’s face it, this platform dates back to the 70s it really NEEDED to go! If you haven’t seen my thread on my 2013 Taurus review I suggest you check it out HERE, reason is because even with all of its faults the Taurus is a far… FAR better car OVERALL than the Town Car. Yes I said that...
Question for you
IF/assuming Lincoln could be working on a "Larger" (than MKS) sedan,
Could it still be based on the D3/4 platform?
Would it be better on the stretched CD4+3?

I'll be very interested to hear your opinion, when you've test driven a new Fusion/MKZ,
as to whether the CD4 (no +3) seems to have the right-stuff to support a bigger, comfort-first car;
so please keep this question in mind during your testdrive.
 
#8 ·
The scary part for me was this stretch of road called ulmerton road in St. Petersburg, you can get up to 50 mph but there are a lot of lights when you get that floaty sensation and there are a few cars around you, you sometimes forget how big the car is and how bad the brakes are so if a light changes the front end will go down. I like the quickness of my LS a lot more it feels more predictable and safer.
I can understand that. My Dads Grand Marquis is terrible for taking a nose dive when you have a situation where you have to brake very hard of course my Sable does pretty much the same thing though not quite as bad but my Milan is nothing like that when braking hard.
 
#9 ·
excellent Article, Andrew

I really like how you combined editorial + review!



I'm in all three categories tho mainly the last; wishing the 2006 & 2009 updates had happened...along with a major overhang-ectomy
(plus perhaps my rant about making the Panther platform exclusive to Mercury at that time,
might have driven home the need for a true replacement
tho
'some' at FoMoCo knew this since the MKS originally had a big brother planned)


I don't consider that MPG to be that bad - was just reading about "modern" supercars getting less...WHICH you have to drive at least 2 of those supercars to transport the same number in comfort.
If one lives in the wide-open-spaces or has a mainly highway 'commute' . . .
Yes supercars, but 2b2 look how much power its putting out only 239 hp? That is not good


DITTO!!
"...it is better to light one beancounter than to curse the darkness..."
(updated Roman 'proverb' ...wink)
imho this will soon&finally be fixed...
...Lincoln ought to LEAD not follow!!
Agree!

here, I don't agree: a new TownCar or direct replacement has NO Need of Rwd
in fact imho STD-AWD would be better (especially Virtual-Awd!)


my problem is there has been NO Stopgap
MKS? MKT?? not EVEN
I would consider the MKS a replacement for the public and the MKT for livery

Question for you
IF/assuming Lincoln could be working on a "Larger" (than MKS) sedan,
Could it still be based on the D3/4 platform?
Would it be better on the stretched CD4+3?

I'll be very interested to hear your opinion, when you've test driven a new Fusion/MKZ,
as to whether the CD4 (no +3) seems to have the right-stuff to support a bigger, comfort-first car;
so please keep this question in mind during your testdrive.
Personally I don't think it should be on D3/4 anymore. Even though its a better platform than the Panther it is still too high up. That being said though I have not driven the new Fusion or MKZ so I honestly cannot say how well that would translate to a longer wheelbase. I will say this though I hope that it has a small turning radius because FWD cars tend not to have one. I love the extremely small one I have on my LS, my friend even said it turns on a dime!

I will be sure to fill all of you in once I drive one :)
 
#10 ·
...I would consider the MKS a replacement for the public and the MKT for livery
tho neither doing all that well imho
& in the TC-replacenment case
trying to be what they are Not

...Personally I don't think it should be on D3/4 anymore. Even though its a better platform than the Panther it is still too high up...
imho, though it may 'sound' nice, a long-low-limo doesn't really benefit the passengers by being low
&
I don't see a TC-type car surviving into the 2020s
so it'd just be for one gen

...I will be sure to fill all of you in once I drive one :)
TY!
 
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