2006 Lincoln Mark LT Florida

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What's going on down at Lincoln? The products themselves are great, but there doesn't seem to be much cohesive direction at Ford's classic luxury brand. We get the feeling that Lincoln's top brass aren't really sure what a Lincoln should be, and as a result we're having mixed feelings about the current lineup. Alphanumerics have replaced proper names, as the Zephyr becomes the MKZ for 200

The awesome, underrated LS sedan is going away, and the Aviator will be replaced shortly by the MKX crossover, making it an intriguing vehicle with a forgettable name. The Town Car is likely to bite the dust soon too. This leaves the Mark LT luxury pickup and Navigator to soldier on as the crown jewels in Lincoln's lineup.

Let's consider the Mark LT without dwelling on the brand's identity crisis, though.
This truck's purpose in life is to compete with Cadillac's acclaimed Escalade EXT, of course. The Escalade is based on Chevrolet's Avalanche and combines the skills of a full-size SUV and a pickup truck in a stylish package. The Mark LT, on the other hand, is less distinctive, but it'll tow and haul a great deal more than the Escalade EXT. Tow/haul The Mark LT is a good truck and a hard worker that looks the part in the country-club parking lot.

The Cadillac's 6.0 liter, 345-horsepower engine would seem to have the edge over the Mark LT's 5.4 liter V8, but size isn't everything in the truck game. Ford's three-valve V8 may not be the most efficient engine on the block, but it's a smooth and strong powerplant, and it's putting out 300 horsepower and 365 foot-pounds of torque. Put the pedal to the metal and the Mark LT responds without hesitation thanks to electronic throttle control. A properly equipped Mark LT will tow up to 8900 pounds versus the 'Sclade's 7300. The four-speed automatic transmission is a smooth shifter. Four-wheel drive Mark LTs get a smooth, shift-on-the-fly transfer case.

There's not much difference in ride and handling between the Mark LT and an F-150. That's not a bad thing; the F-150 offers near-luxury car levels of refinement and ride comfort thanks to a coil-sprung double wishbone front suspension, and Lincoln's version benefits as well. Head toss is kept to a minimum, and suspension impacts are trucky, but not harsh. The Mark LT is easy to pilot around town, and the ultrasonic parking assist keeps backing into a parking space from becoming too cumbersome. Anti-lock brakes are standard as well. Our only concern was the lack of significant ride differentiation from the F-150. For a truck that's pushing $50,000 on the sticker, the Mark LT shooting par when it needs an eagle or two.

The Mark LT could use a stronger face, as well. There's plenty of chrome, in the form of a tall, vertical-element grille and big bumpers front and rear, 18" chrome wheels and a big chrome waistband that wraps all the way around the truck. It's hard to disguise the fact that the Mark LT is a Ford pickup in a tuxedo. Out back, Navigator-esque taillights are pleasantly distinctive. All Mark LTs are offered in a short-bed, crew cab body style. A bed extender allows large cargo to be carried without drama, and the available chrome bed rails protect the sides of the bed. The running boards reduce off-road ground clearance but are necessary; our 4x4 test truck was a long step off the ground to get in. Entering and exiting gracefully is not an easy task.

The interior looks great, thanks to ebony wood trim and creamy pale Nudo leather with black piping and French pleats. Lincoln takes the detail to the limit, with matching stitching on the dash itself. Plush carpet lines the floor. Underneath the fancy trim the Mark LT is still an F-Series, with its businesslike cubby holes and switchgear. The rear seats fold up, in case anything needs hauling in the back of the cab. On the road, it's silent and serene thanks to extensive use of sound deadening, Quiet Steel and liquid-filled engine mounts. Optionals like adjustable pedals, a rear-seat DVD entertainment center and a moonroof ensure a Lincoln-like atmosphere when it comes to amenities. The devil is in the details, however. Details like a power seat with a fussy manual backrest -- inexcusable in a luxury vehicle. Surely if the sliding rear window can be power operated, Lincoln has the technology to remove the ungainly lever from the side of the seat. Our tester also lacked dual-zone climate control.

In this case it's the little nitpicks that make the difference. The Mark LT is a nice truck, but unfortunately we aren't sure that it offers enough to make it worth the premium over a fully-loaded Ford F-150 SuperCrew, with which it shares the majority of its chassis and mechanical components. The Mark LT appears to be little more than a grille-and-trim job. A very nice grille-and-trim job, to be sure, but something about it rings false. The upside to being an F-150 under the skin is capability, of course. Lincoln drivers will be hard-pressed to break a Mark LT.

Ultimately we think the Cadillac Escalade EXT and even the Honda Ridgeline may have a better handle on what the average luxury buyer who's in the market for a pickup is going to prefer. Both of those trucks give up a measure of traditional "truckiness" and some capability to provide additional passenger comfort. The Mark LT takes the opposite tack and sacrifices none of its capacity, resulting in a ride that's a bit rougher around the edges by comparison. It's a great truck, but we're not sure it's a particularly good Lincoln. If you really must have the Lincoln grille, nice wood and cool tailgate, Mark LT pricing starts at $42,235 for a four-wheel drive. Our test truck was equipped with adjustable pedals, the trailer towing package, Sirius satellite radio and more, and stickered for $47,085.


Specifications:

All specs are for the 2006 Lincoln Mark LT.
Length: 223.8 in.
Width: 78.9 in.
Height: 73.5 in.
Wheelbase: 138.5 in.
Curb weight: 5599 lb.
Towing capacity: 8900 lb.
Payload: 1620 lb.
Base price: $42,235
Price as tested: $47,085
Engine: 5.4 liter 24-valve SOHC V8
Drivetrain: four-speed automatic transmission, four-wheel drive
Horsepower: 300 @ 5000
Torque: 365 @ 3750
Est. mileage: 14/18



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