The car experts at TheCarConnection.com studied a wide range of road tests of the 2008 Lincoln Mark LT to compile this conclusive review. TheCarConnection.com's resident off-roaders also drove the new Lincoln Mark LT to help you decide which reviews to trust where opinions differ, to add more impressions and details, and to provide you with the best information.
Likes:
- Higher-quality interior
- Four-door, five-seat capacity
- Strong towing capacity
- Softer ride than F-Series
Dislikes:
- Short 6.5-foot bed
- Price premium over F-Series
- Four-speed automatic
- Fuel economy
- No side or curtain airbags
The 2008 Lincoln Mark LT is a full-size, four-door luxury pickup based on the Ford F-Series. It offers a roomy four-door cabin, plenty of features, and a useful 5.5-foot (and optional 6.5-foot) cargo bed.
Under the hood, a 5.4-liter V-8 engine churns out 300 horsepower and makes possible a maximum rated towing capacity of 8,900 pounds. A four-speed automatic transmission is the standard. Fuel economy runs as low as 12/16 mpg, and performance isn't brisk, merely acceptable.
The Mark LT's suspension has been softened up relative to the F-Series to provide a smoother ride in both rear- and four-wheel-drive versions. Atop its double-wishbone front suspension and a Hotchkiss rear end, on loan from the Ford version, the Mark ambles amiably down most roads, with steering that doesn't require the torture of a thousand tiny inputs to maintain a true heading.
The LT sports four full doors, front captain's chairs, and a three-passenger rear bench, with good room and support for five adults. You wouldn't want to be the middle passenger on the rear bench for an eight-hour trek, but an hour or two is no problem. The bed is either 5.5 or 6.5 feet long. With a towing capacity of 8,600 pounds and payload of 1,460 pounds, you can pull plenty with the Lincoln Mark LT--it's just hard to carry some longer objects in its short bed.
Inside, the Lincoln Mark LT is markedly different from the stock F-Series, with ebony-wood accents, leather seats, unique instruments, and pleasant textures all around. Add in a great audio system and the optional rear-seat entertainment system, and the LT could double for a private screening room. This year, all Mark LTs get standard Sirius Satellite Radio, and options include a rearview camera, a remote start system, and a Monochrome Appearance Package with a body-color grille surround, body-color bumpers, and 20-inch, seven-spoke chromed wheels.
Four-wheel anti-lock disc brakes with electronic brake-force distribution are standard, but the 2008 Lincoln Mark LT lacks stability control, as well as side and curtain airbags. Still, it rates five stars for front crash performance and four stars for rollover from the NHTSA.
The Bottom Line:
The 2008 Lincoln Mark LT is a plush truck with a style all its own, but outdated safety equipment and low fuel economy are problems.
Other Choices:
If you like the
2008 Lincoln
Mark LT, also consider:
-
-
Ram Laramie
-
Cadillac Escalade EXT
Reason why
Luxury trucks are available from all the domestic automakers. The GMC Sierra Denali is the most like Lincoln's truck, with a range of bed sizes and engine options at hand, plus high-dollar features such as an optional navigation system. The Dodge Ram is offered in nicer Laramie editions for the 2009 model year. The Cadillac Escalade EXT has a short pickup bed where its SUV cargo bay normally would be, plus a midgate that allows the rear seats to fold flat, giving up their space for a bigger cargo bed.
Buying Tip:
This is the last year for the 2008 Lincoln Mark LT due to slow sales. The 2009 Ford F-Series will get a Platinum Edition that will replace the Mark LT in deed, but not in name. Big bargains are already available on the Mark LT as Ford tries to clear its dealer lots of big pickup trucks. Sales of big trucks are plummeting, too, so resale value is nowhere as strong as it was just a few years ago.
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