1996 Lincoln Continental

By Steven D. Gatt, Automotive Editor

The 1996 Lincoln Continental is a fine luxury car. It has a world of amenities for the discerning driver at a reasonable luxury car price.

Most of the Continental's amenities are on the interior; the foremost being the memory profile system. The system is integrated with key fobs which are numbered one or two. Pushing 'unlock' on the key fob automatically lets the computer know your personal preferences such as: radio stations, mirror positions, seat position and even suspension settings.

The suspension on the Continental has a variety of settings including: firm, normal and plush. The steering is also adjustable from light to heavy input. The Continental's ride is elegant no matter which setting you choose, although on the light setting the steering is so responsive it requires constant attention.

Continuing on the interior, the seats have dual lumbar zones for the lower and upper back. The only feature missing from these seats is heat. Gauges on the dashboard are also unique with a special hologram look similar to Lexus. The Continental I tested had a fold down armrest with cupholders, which when folded up provides a front bench seat for three people. The cupholders were large enough to support a 20 ounce bottle or a medium size fast-food drink.

The radio buttons are large and easy to use. The Continental also features a 6 disc changer up front in the passenger footwell; making it more convenient than the normal trunk placement. Like the suspension, the radio has many options. You can change the sound in the car with settings such as: jazz, news, concert hall, or stadium. Personally, I did not care for any of these as they seemed to create an echoing effect within the car. My preference was the standard setting.

The glovebox is generous in size and has a specific place for the manual so it does not slide around. The interior rear view mirror has an integrated compass and automatic dimming. The exterior mirrors have blue shading for night driving and they are heated. Further, when the car is in reverse, the driver's side exterior mirror automatically tilts down allowing the driver to see anything below or in back of the rear tire.

The trunk is wide, long and generally, just huge. The only place this car could use more room is the backseat. While comfortable, it did not allow enough room to stretch out as one would expect in a full size luxury sedan. The rear seat also features three point over the shoulder seat belts for all three passengers.

The 4.6 L. V-8 uses the Intec system that provides for better fuel economy and increased performance. This is the first front-wheel-drive application of Ford's modular V-8. The hardy V-8 is companion to a four speed automatic transmission and traction control for wet or winter driving.

The exterior styling is conservative to some degree. It features a large Lincoln grill up front and a full length lighted tail bar in back.

Lincoln offers reasonable lease deals, accounting for the large number I saw on the road during my week of testing, or one can purchase a 1996 Continental for $44,430 as equipped during my test.