New Zephyr's On The Road!

[ctrcbob]

I have been seeing a lot of new Zephyrs here in Lake County FL. In the past week alone, I've seen a Tan, a Dark Blue and a DTR. What seems strange to me is that I have yet to see a Focus (correction - should be Fusion) or a Milan, but at least around here, the Zephyr is selling very good. The DTR I saw today had a moonroof.

IMHO, the Zephyr is the car Lincoln should have brought out years ago vice that "Cheesebox on a Raft" LS.

I have no intention of trading anything yet, as I normally buy "off lease" but if I were going to get a new car today, it would be the Zephyr.

[bigslim]

They are selling well. However, they will be going through their first change this fall. They will be called the MKZ. This is keeping in line with the new naming process that Ford is putting Lincoln through. Also at that time the new MKZ will be have the new upgraded 3.5 liter engine rated at 250hp. AWD will be introduced at the same time.

[03MERCMARAUDER]

Yeah they are very nice. I honestly wouldnt mind having one. Its going to be a completely better car after it goes throught the change this fall

Joe

[Warpath]

I have been seeing a lot of new Zephyrs here in Lake County FL. In the past week alone, I've seen a Tan, a Dark Blue and a DTR. What seems strange to me is that I have yet to see a Focus or a Milan, ...

I believe you mean Fusion. Focus is the small car.

[ctrcbob]

Yep. Fusion. My wife pointed out the error to me. :bigcry: (She likes them also, but not enough to trade her Continental). Put a small V8 in that Zephyr and I just may be tempted.

[n-cherok]

they are selling well for us at my dealer about every 8th deal that comes through my office is a zephyr or a milan. I also put my brother in a Milan and he loves it.

[jerrym3]

ctrcbob

Pretty rough on the LS there, Bob. Some mags call it the best American made sedan ever made until the Chrysler 300.

Yes, they could have taken a little bit more daring moves on the rear end styling and the interior, but, IMHO, the rest of the car is just fine.

My 04 LS8 is a joy to drive. Sneaky fast, and handles great. Just pulled about 23+ on a highway business trip. Not bad for a 0-60 car < 6.5 seconds.

But, typical Ford, they stopped improving the car after 2003 and it's now history.

Hats off to GM. They did a great job changing around the perception of the Caddy nameplate.

[spub]

[quote=jerrym3]ctrcbob

Pretty rough on the LS there, Bob. Some mags call it the best American made sedan ever made until the Chrysler 300.

Uh-

I think they meant to say the Mercury Marauder :rolleyes:

[MarauderTJA]

They are selling well. However, they will be going through their first change this fall. They will be called the MKZ. This is keeping in line with the new naming process that Ford is putting Lincoln through. Also at that time the new MKZ will be have the new upgraded 3.5 liter engine rated at 250hp. AWD will be introduced at the same time.

Thanks for the info BigSlim. My wife loves that car and wants to trade in her Lincoln LS for one. I guess it will be worth waiting for the bigger engine.

[gpfarrell]

Ditto on the LS dig... I think it was almost exactly what Lincoln needed to attract younger buyers... but while I could get a BMW 5-series with a V8 and a stick, Lincoln only offered the little motor/stick combo. Close, but no sale.

That why (fortunately) I got a Marauder.

[bigslim]

Ditto on the LS dig... I think it was almost exactly what Lincoln needed to attract younger buyers... but while I could get a BMW 5-series with a V8 and a stick, Lincoln only offered the little motor/stick combo. Close, but no sale.

That why (fortunately) I got a Marauder.
Because your Marauder has a stick??????:confused:

[mtnh]

I don't know what a cheesebox on a raft means (6 years in the navy and never heard of that) but are you referring to how small the seating is, because the larger folks don't really care for the fit of an LS to their butts? On a side note, isn't the Navy "CT" rate one that bans the disclosure of such information since it deals with intelligence-gathering equipment? Just wondering. Please do explain the cheesebox on a raft term for me.

Mike

[ctrcbob]

Cheesebox on a raft. First used to describe the USS Monitor in the War Between the States.

I use it to describe a small box sitting on a larger box.

[ADE 1000]

The LS is the best luxury sedan Ford has made in recent history. And based on what I see of their future offerings, there is not going to be much on the horizon to top it. An LS with the sport package was dynamically superior to any American car at the time, and a lot of the foreign ones. Aside from the somewhat cramped interior, it was a good package.

The LS sold well initially and could have continued to do well if Ford had invested in it. I know several happy owners who traded imports for it in 2000-2001. When it came time for replacement, there was no new model to move in to and Lincoln simply lost most of its newly aquired customer base.

The Zephyr is a good value, but considering its wimpy V-6 engine and low buck FWD underpinnings it is not nearly in the same league.

[Ryans PI]

I've only seen one Fusion on the road since its introduction. I haven't seen any Zephyrs yet. The one at the autoshow looked nice.

It's a shame this will be that last production year for the LS. I've always thought they were nice cars, especialy with the V8 and Sport Package.

[ctrcbob]

Please don't get me wrong. Sure, the LS is a great car, but I'm talking about beauty, not how great the car drives. Also remember that "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder", so some of you may think it looks great. I would rather have a car that is not so boxy.

I almost purchased one back when they were first introduced. I drove a V8 with the automatic transmission that could be shifted manually. The car drove great except I found that when using the manual mode, the car would start off in 2nd, not 1st. They all did that back then. (I've heard that Lincoln and Jaguar have now corrected this and you can now start them out in 1st).
another thing I did not like but could have learned to live with, was having the battery in the trunk. Well, I guess thats better than having the battery under the back seat like a lot of General Motors cars. Also a couple years ago, while we had a Continental (not the 02) in the shop for a week, the dealer got us a V6 LS from Enterprise. Was not impressed with the car, and it had nothing to do with the engine. Have not driven a Zephyr yet, so although I think it's good looking, I may find I don't like it on the inside. I've had that happen before.

[jerrym3]

No problems, Bob. We all have different tastes.

My 03 Bird and 04 LS both start out in 1st in the manual mode. For snowy driving (like I'd ever take the TBird out in the snow!), I can start out in 2nd with the Bird and (I think) even 3rd in the LS.

Before I decided on the LS (for my wife), I thought about the Continental (for a while, the combination of the Ford Z plan and the rebates made left over Continentals one hell of a deal for a luxury car. But, I waited too long and the color combo I wanted was gone).

I test drove one, and was impressed with it's acceleration and features. And, I actually did feel a difference when I deployed the "firm" suspension mode. The car also had a humongous trunk.

We considered the Marauder, but the dealers weren't dealing at that time. And, truth be told, the road tests I read and watched turned me off. (I'm way past my modding days.) Also, she didn't want a car that reminded her of her father's CrownVic. Women!

So, I tried to talk her into a Jag S, but she hated the styling. Then, the bargain basement pricing was offered on the left over 04 LS's, and I went for it. We test drove one and actually liked the stiffer ride as opposed to the 89 TownCar that we were replacing.

I bought the TBird to replace my 94 TBird 4.6 LX, but I decided to keep the 94 as a "bumper car". Quite frankly, since I didn't really beat on the car during the test drive, I was pleasantly surprised how it (and the LS) ran when nailed.

I still bend my neck to look at an MM whenever I see one. (Saw one last Wednesday in North Jersey going along rt 46W, NJTP north, and RT 80 west/Lodi area. Looked like it had larger chrome wheels. If the driver is reading this, I was driving the black TBird behind you on 46/NJTP and in the rt 80 local lanes.)

I also see one parked in a driveway in Cliffside Park, NJ, right off Anderson Ave.

Had they built the MM convertible, I would not have purchased my TBird. That would be the car in my driveway.

[ctrcbob]

Just saw another one in my area today, but that is not the reason for this post. (Little old lady who could hardly see over the steering wheel).

Was talking with a friend today who is normally very knowledgeable about FoMoCo. Told him about how Ford will change the name of the Zephyr to MKZ and how they will drop the FreeStyle after the 06 model year.
He answered with, "Ford has changed their mind about dropping the FreeStyle as sales are now taking off". (Could it be because it is one of the safest cars on the road?) "Lincoln will keep the Zephyr name, however some special models of the Zephyr will have the MKZ added". I.E., it would be the "Zephyr MKZ".

Don't know how true this will be, but he has told me things in the past that came true.

[Warpath]

I doubt Ford would announce a change of name and then change it back. The MK nomenclature is supposed to be the naming convention of Lincoln. Although, some people were getting confused already. So, perhaps their going to keep the Zephyr name around for a little longer.

[ADE 1000]

I doubt Ford would announce a change of name and then change it back. The MK nomenclature is supposed to be the naming convention of Lincoln. Although, some people were getting confused already. So, perhaps their going to keep the Zephyr name around for a little longer.

Ford has already announced that the Zephyr will be renamed the MKZ.

http://www.thecarconnection.com/Auto_News/Auto_News/Lincoln_Abandons_Names_Mostly. S175.A10021.html

Not smart, IMHO.