Introduction

With the recent demise of the Cadillac'sBrougham, the Lincoln Town Car remains as the only rear-drive traditional luxury car made by an American manufacturer. It's also the biggest production car sold in America. This big cruiser was part of a price realigment strategy at the beginning of the 1997 model year that put the Town Car, Continental and Mark VIII all at the same starting price--$37,950, including $670 destination--a substantial reduction for the other two, a $370 increase for the Town Car. But even with the increase, the Town Car is selling 25% better than last year. The Town Car competes primarily against the Cadillac DeVille and Concours. It comes in three trim levels--the base Executive Series, the volume Signature Series and the fully loaded, top-of-the-line Cartier ($43,870), for those who don't care to waste time checking option boxes on order forms.

Walkaround

For 1997, some of the standard luxury content that has crept into the Town Car over the past few years has been thrifted out of the car, small items that most of us won't miss because we didn't notice them when we had them (illuminated rear ashtrays, robe cords on the seatbacks, the trunk key cover, an extra power point underneath the dashboard, cellular phone wiring, etc.). What's new and improved for this year is an entirely new recirculating-ball steering system that is more precise, smother and more durable than the previous system. There's also a more durable cloth used on interior trim. Other than the major system change, the Town Car is as it was last year, which is to say, loaded. The changes were minimal because a substantial redesign is due next fall. We tested the mid-grade Signature Series version, which starts at $40,310. It comes with power disc brakes with antilock, tilt steering, automatic air conditioning, cruise control, a new AM/FM/ cassette sound system with digital signal processing, a keyless entry/alarm system, six-way power seats with three-position memory and lumbar support, and auxiliary controls on the new steering wheel for audio and climate controls, as well as cruise control. In addition, our test car had traction assist, the auto-dim mirror, the power JBL sound system, heated seats, leather seating surfaces, and a six-disc CD changer. The bottom line on the window sticker totalled $42,790. The essence of what you get in a Lincoln Town Car is effortless cruising, easy fingertip operation of every system, hushed mechanical operations, high-end materials, and plenty of that traditional American road-hugging size and weight.

Interior Features

The Signature Series has almost everything you can get on a Town Car, with room left on the option list for just a few more items. The Cartier gets special wheels, larger tires, rear vanity mirrors, a JBL sound system, leather seating, traction assist and heated seats, most of which our test car had as options anyway. If there is a single attribute that places the Town Car above the rest of the cars in this class, it is sheer interior spaciousness. The Town Car's interior is simply huge. The instrument panel uses blue-green electronic digital readouts for all of the instrumentation, which are somewhat incongruous in a car like this, but they are large, easy to read and not cramped together. The main display is recessed and hooded so that sunlight never obscures the information, and some of the lenses have been changed to reduce reflection and glare on 1997 models. We should all be more concerned about automotive seats than we are, and the Lincoln designers have addressed some of our concerns by giving us orthopedic equipment masquerading as lounge chairs. While they don't look even remotely sporty, and they won't hold you in place in a hard corner, the Town Car seats have more adjustment techniques than a chiropractor, with long tracks, front and rear tilt, and power recline, not to mention a five-zone heating system. We found the seats enormously comfortable and supportive, and we thank the designers for finally removing the embossed Lincoln star from the seatback, where it was neither luxurious nor necessary. Five-star seats coupled with generous head, hip, leg and shoulder room make the Town Car interior ideal for two couples living together, and the 22.3 cubic-foot trunk leads the industry in width, depth, breadth and utility. The electrically-operated trunk lid goes all the way down to bumper level, and is easy to load and unload. Our only criticism here is the trunklid itself, which should open a little more toward the vertical.