2006 Lincoln Mark LT
All Dressed Up, and Now, Some Place To Go
Lincoln's second foray into the pickup market is a much better execution than its first. Remember the Blackwood? The Mark LT is a more down-to-earth design, with practical capabilities that allow it to work like a truck if needed, something the Blackwood wasn't able to offer. Based on a fully equipped Ford F-150 SuperCrew platform, the Mark LT is identical in structure. Included are the obligatory unique grille, badging, chrome accents, and wheel options--nice, but perhaps not differentiated enough to merit the Lincoln nameplate. There is enough interior opulence here to attract buyers wanting something other than a Cadillac Escalade EXT. Available in 2WD and 4WD, the Mark LT's most significant changes involve Ebony wood accents and a cream-color Nudo leather (black is available as well).
The interior layout is similar to the F-150's: split captain's chairs, flat-faced dash, center-console transmission shifter. Several testers, who hadn't driven the Mark LT before, expected a Navigator SUV-type interior, with its unique dash and satin-nickel finishes. Among this field of five-, six-, and eight-cylinder competitors, the Mark LT had the slowest 0-to-60 time of the bunch, although midrange power and passing abilities are fine. It's tuned for smooth highway driving.
Unfortunately, the Mark LT had trouble keeping composed, evidencing axle-hop and front-end wander on rougher pavement and rutted dirt-road stretches. And the Lincoln's not cheap, starting at around $40,000 and climbing quickly. Ford aims to sell around 15,000 units. Big question: If Ford is sure there's a market here--and Cadillac seems to be doing well with it--why not inject some distinction (and more power) into a luxury-branded product that's supposed to make its buyers feel special? The LT serves as an uplevel trim package for the F-150, but does little else to justify the badge and the price.
| 2006 Lincoln Mark LT |
| Base price range | $39,555-$43,110 |
| As-tested price | $47,605 |
| Vehicle layout | Front engine, 4WD, 5-passenger, 4-door pickup |
| Engine | 5.4L/300-hp/365 lb-ft SOHC 24-valve V-8 |
| Transmission | 4-speed automatic |
| Curb weight, lb, f/r dist % | 5920 (55/45) |
| Wheelbase, in | 138.5 |
| Length x width x height, in | 223.8 x 78.9 x 76.0 |
| Max payload capacity, lb | 1280 |
| 0-60 mph, sec | 9.9/11.2* |
| Quarter mile, sec @ mph | 17.3 @ 79.9/18.0 @ 78.0* |
| Braking, 60-0 mph, ft | 139/145* |
| Lateral acceleration, g | 0.72 |
| 600-foot slalom, mph | 56.2 |
| MT figure eight, sec @ g | 30.2 @ 0.52 |
| EPA fuel economy, city/hwy | 14/18 |
| *tested at curb weight/fully loaded |
| Ratings |
| Engineering | • • |
| Design | • • |
| Interior | • • • • |
| Performance | • • • |
| Towing | • • • • |
| Safety | • • • |
| Value | • • • |
| To Sum Up |
| Add tax, and you have a really nice $50K F-150. |