Pics of the LS

[Mr1der]

heh...I wouldn't say ONLY Europe...

well, not even 6 figures tags either.

I wants me a nice South African Superformance GT40 with a warm 351 Cleveland in it.

the MKZ is nice and all, but it's just not inspiring.

[krimsonviper]

This purchase has been approved by KV and Associates.

[skydragoness]

I would argue that rear-drive platforms give more people what they want compared to front-drive. With FWD you can offer FWD and AWD. Leaves the RWD shoppers out. People looking for rear-drive cars (people like me who want a big sporty sedan) don't even look at Acura or Lincoln, because they make nothing with rear-wheel power. BUT the CTS, G, and 3 all come with AWD. Which means the guys like you who want something "safe" for their wives to drive get the AWD model and the rest of us still get RWD. So you're giving more people what they want. No one is left out.

My issue, again, is not with FWD. It's with market positioning. Lincoln can go right on selling the MKS. But they ALSO need equals to the 3 and 5 series. It's simple automotive marketing. Look at what the G and CTS did for Infiniti and Cadillac! They SAVED the brands. Completely revolutionized them, put them back on the map. I'm not just making crap up here based on personal taste in cars. The fact of the matter is a rear-drive 3 series competitor is a CRITICAL, NECESSARY component for any luxury brand. It's how things work. Look at luxury brand sales. That 3/G segment is the biggest seller by far. CRITICAL to brand profit and also critical to building brand identity to the public. Lincoln is missing out on that. THAT's the mistake. Not selling FWD, but NOT selling something to cache on on the MASSIVE 3 series market segment.And, likewise, having a super-top tier big beastie is important for image even if it doesn't sell well. Some brands, like VW, understand that that car may not sell well, but it does things for the brand that are necessary. Cars like the 7, Q, A8, Phaeton don't exist to rake in the dollars from their own sales. They exist to reinforce the rest of the lineup and draw more buyers in to those entry level cars where the REAL money is made.

Lincoln is missing out, that's all I'm saying. The MKS and MKZ are not bad cars. They just aren't enough.

Ahem. ..and RWD-biased AWD is effin awesomer than FWD-biased AWD. Just saying...

[Mr1der]

truth.

damn Audis...I need to stop reading about the R8..it sounds like a very livable supercar.

[MinisterofDOOM]

The manumatic mode on this car's automatic ROCKS.Most manumatics still upshift at or near redline and still drop down to first when you come to a stop. Not so with the LS. It never upshifts automatically. You can hit the rev limiter and it'll go right on holding gears. It also only downshifts automatically if you come to a stop in 4th or 5th gear. But it allows for starts in any of the first 3 gears (very nice in the snow).

The torque and gearing are so well matched that it's entirely possible to just leave the car in 3rd gear and go--at least around town. In fact starting off in 3rd gear will still allow you to outrun most average drivers from a stoplight. And the low-rpm rumble unleashed off the line in 3rd is one of the best noises I've ever heard coming out of a factory exhaust--sedan or otherwise.

The car actually starts in 2nd in automatic mode unless you nail the gas or manually start in 1st. You probably would never even notice in everyday driving if not for the disappointingly nonlinear drive-by-wire throttle. The first ~1/4 of pedal draw is pretty anemic, then after that response sharpens up. It tends to encourage foot-stabbing starts to get over the weak initial tip-in and just GO. First gear is so short that it mostly makes up for the nonlinear throttle, which is probably the whole reason for the weak tip-in in the first place: it allows you to get going WITHOUT inducing whiplash.

It's still no replacement for a true manual, but it's a hell of a lot better than many other automatics I could have gotten stuck with.

[PapaSmurf2k3]

Thats good to hear man. I've never driven (or been in a car) that will absolutely NOT shift when you are bouncing off the rev limiter.

...it was one of my biggest complaints. A co-worker of mine took me out in his car, equipped with one of our BorgWarner dualtronic transmissions. He popped it into sport/manual mode, and it actually shifted well before redline. I wasn't impressed at all (supposedly its retartedly efficient though).

[MinisterofDOOM]

One thing I don't understand that's common to every manumatic I've encountered:

Why is the lever direction reversed? Manumatics all have you push forward for upshift and back for downshift. That's backward. What gives?

I'll probably pull the console off and swap the trigger switches at some point. It just makes so much more sense to just tap the lever back for upshifts.

[Red coupe]

One thing I don't understand that's common to every manumatic I've encountered:

Why is the lever direction reversed? Manumatics all have you push forward for upshift and back for downshift. That's backward. What gives?

I'll probably pull the console off and swap the trigger switches at some point. It just makes so much more sense to just tap the lever back for upshifts.

If you look at it straight on (like stand the car on its tail) forward is the same as up, back the same as down. That is probably where they got it.

I think its one of these:

Both sides make more sense depending on what you had for breakfast, or what your thinking about.

[MinisterofDOOM]

Yeah, I'm just not sure why they felt the need to redesign the sequential shifter. Sequential shifters on real manuals have existed for a long time, and back is always upshift. Why not go with the standard?

[PapaSmurf2k3]

I think some companies do. My friend's CTS4 was the same way as you are describing... maybe its an american thing?

[Mr1der]

the first gen Mazda 6 would let you bounce it off the rev limiter too...I blame Ford for these shenanigans.

That too was a fun automatic to drive....it didn't shift all that slow either.

[superblackz]

Ugg, Ford put their stupid headlight switch in that, too?

Stupid? It works fine, and is dirt cheap to replace, unlike stalk-mounted switches that if the signal or headlight or whatever else is crammed into one piece breaks, you pay for an entire new unit.

Sometimes simplicity has its own merits...

[Jesda]

Headlight switches are for homeless people. Automatic FTW.

[MinisterofDOOM]

Eh, having owned multiple American and Japanese cars, I definitely prefer the Japanese stalk method. Even if it is costlier to replace, I prefer having my wipers on their own stalk and the headlights on the signal stalk. It just seems like a more logical arrangement.

However, with automatic headlights it doesn't really make sense to have a switch on a column stalk. Aside from pulling the knob to activate the fog lights, I have not touched it since I drove the car home.

I generally prefer complexity and increased control over simplicity. For instance, having the wipers on their own stalk means you can find your ideal intermittent speed and leave it there. Every time you click to intermittent it goes right to that speed. Switch to high speed and your intermittent speed setting is still preserved for next time you use intermittent. Less fiddling, more control.

[SILVIAJayS]

Has you window fallen down and shattered in the door while you're driving yet? Or has your control arm separated on the highway?

I've known several owners with these problems (and others). Main reason I would never own one, even though they look nice, ride comfortably, and have decent power.

My favorite thing about these is the battery in the trunk. Great if your car dies in a crowded parking lot.

[pflicht]

yup good ol Jag motor...hehe

Here's Mine! V8 as well, though mine is a 2000 model



And the LED project i just finished for the turn, tail, and brake

[Jesda]

Nice tail lights!

[King Ranzo]

I know a guy who ruined his LS with this horrid sounding custom exhaust. I think it's 3 inch piping with 5 inch fartcans on the ends on each side. It so terrible. He lowered it a bit too much and put these not so great looking wheels on it. They fit okish, but they aren't that nice. I'll try and snap a pic tomorrow if I see his car.

[MinisterofDOOM]

yup good ol Jag motor...hehe

Here's Mine! V8 as well, though mine is a 2000 model



And the LED project i just finished for the turn, tail, and brake

Nice! I need to find some LSE tail lights (all red, no clear).Best pic I could find of them, and it's obscured by effing text...

Right now I'm actually trying to chase down a misfire problem. I replaced coil #3 for a P0353 code but nothing has changed. I need to get both coils for that cylinder (new and old) tested to make sure that really is the issue.

[SILVIAJayS]

My buddy's been chasing a misfire in his for a long time, let us know when you figure it out.

[MinisterofDOOM]

Is he aware of the moisture recall? There's an issue with moisture getting into the coil covers and causing problems. When I removed my coil over, I found that all the coil anchor and cam cover bolts were visibly rusted, so obviously moisture is getting in. The main water source is drainage through the driver side wiper pivot in the cowl cover. Water drains directly onto engine cover and valve covers. There's a $5 foam ring seal to solve the drainage problem. But despite my car having visible signs of water intrusion replacing the code-throwing coil did not solve the problem...