For a long, long time the Lincoln Continental has been lost in the woods. That ended today with the reveal of the all new Continental at the 2016 Detroit Auto Show. The new luxury sedan stays more or less true to the concept's design and comes hot on the heels of the all-new MKZ, which debuted at the 2015 Los Angeles Auto Show. The Continental will replace the outgoing and forgettable MKS and will be powered by a 3.0-liter twin-turbo V6 good for 400 horsepower and 400 lb-ft of torque.
Does that engine sound familiar at all? It should as it also sits in the new MKZ. There's all-wheel drive on tap but it's optional, which makes us fear that the new Continental will be front-wheel drive. Lincoln didn't say anything about that in its announcement, though. While the big engine is nice the real draw here is the interior, which Lincoln says "offers first-class travel for clients in America and China, bringing warm, human touches and a contemporary design." Up front are "Perfect Position Seats" which are said to be inspired by those found in private jets; they adjust in 30 ways and include massage, heat and cooling features. Thigh extensions are also offered because legs get tired.
Rear passengers are treated to tons of legroom and seats that recline, massage, heat and cool as well. There are also sunshades and controls for climate and audio functions. One of the coolest sounding interior features is the Revel sound system with three listening modes: stereo, audience and on stage. Holding all that sound in is acoustic laminated glass and Active Noise Control. When it comes to tech, the new Continental is packed with cameras designed to improve parking and safety. A collection of cameras and sensors work to detect potential collisions, with the brakes automatically applied in the event of an almost-accident. Parking is made easier thanks to cameras in the grille, decklid and side mirrors.
All the cameras work together to create a 360-degree image displayed on the infotainment screen. This feature helps with parallel parking and perpendicular parking. The new Lincoln Continental certainly looks capable of leading the brand's charge into the future. Sure, the interior is a bit behind the times in terms of tech but buttons just work better than touch controls sometimes! The seats sound damn cool and we really like the optional panoramic roof. When it comes to the exterior, are we the only ones that think the Continental looks more like a luxury European sedan than an American one? No, we are not alone in thinking that. Copycats aside, we're happy the "E-Latch" doors made it to the production model.
Lincoln is still fighting an uphill battle when it comes to regaining its mojo, but a potent engine and refreshed designs show that the future is bright rather than bleak. Pricing has not yet been announced but the Continental will be available fall 2016.