2003 Lincoln Town Car

By Tom O’Connor
West Coast Automotive Editor

MISSION VIEJO, California –– The outside and interior may subtly change from year to year but the Lincoln Town Car always retains its classic elegance and sophistication. Enter the Town Car and before you close the doors you begin to appreciate the refined elegance, spaciousness and comfort that is so classically Lincoln. Settle into the soft supple leather interior and you soon experience a sense of pure automotive luxury that has become the benchmark by which most other cars are measured. As the solid doors close, you sense that you will be safe and secure in the ride to follow.

Since it's introduction in the early eighties, the Town Car has been Lincolns' most successful consumer model and has dominated the limousine and livery market. Why, because in addition to its well deserved status as one of America's finest luxury cars it consistently delivers what its customers want: room, comfort, ride and safety.

This year, as before, Lincoln presents the Town Car in four models: Executive, Signature, Cartier, and Cartier L. Here's what is new for 2003:

EXTERIOR: With the return of the Lincoln star hood ornament the redesigned 2003 Town Car presents a cleaner, more sophisticated line. The most noticeable design change is to the chromed signature grille, which in addition to being somewhat smaller and more upright, sits lower on the hood and blends more evenly with the front headlamps. The rear fascia, taillamps and the chrome license plate surround have also undergone some minor lifts and tucks resulting in a more refined look.

On all models, the front quad-beam halogen headlamps are 60 percent brighter than last year's dual-beam design. High intensity discharge (HID) headlamps are optional on Cartier models and standard on the Cartier L. The Cartier models also feature halogen fog lights integrated into the front fascia below the bumper.

Last year's standard 16 inch aluminum wheels have been replaced with larger, more elegant 17- by 7-inch "Euroflange" aluminum wheels. Executive and Signature series cars are fitted with fourteen-spoke machined aluminum wheels. Cartier models come standard with nine-spoke chrome-finished wheel.

INTERIOR: When it comes to sheer spaciousness, at 132.9 cubic feet the Town Car goes to the top of the class. Town Car's front seat hip room and leg room are superior to the Cadillac DeVille and Lexus LS430. And there's no shortage of storage space. A significantly larger glovebox, padded dual hinged center console and front door arm rests, and map pockets and pouches that are discretely sewn into the seat fronts and backs, provide a 44 percent increase in total interior stowage.

Inside the passenger cabin, high polished walnut burl wood panels and satin nickel finish accents and fixtures richly compliment the glove soft premium leather seats, armrests and interior panels. The interior is available in three traditional palettes: a two-tone light parchment and espresso finish; a light stone and gray combination; or a monochromatic black.

My favorite interior details are the large grip, leather and wood steering wheel, which is standard on the signature and Cartier models, and the art deco style, nickle satin Lincoln star logo clock which is prominently located in the center dash above the stereo. The clock is a simple, yet very elegant appointment that is so very Lincoln.

Virtually everything that can be adjusted, opened or closed is fitted with power controls. The driver and outboard front passenger seats (the three-passenger front seats are split 40/20/40) have memory controlled, eight-way power-adjustment and power lumbar supports. There's also power-adjustable brake and accelerator pedals with memory, heated power outside rearview mirrors with memory, power windows, power doorlocks, power moonroof. Even the trunk can be closed with the push of a button.

RIDE: Few cars can match the Town Car's exceptionally smooth and solid ride and silky smooth steering. With this years introduction of rack-and-pinion steering; a completely redesigned front suspension with monotube dampers; a new lighter, stronger, more rigid hydroformed steel frame; and substantial refinements to the rear suspension and brake system - the comfort bar has just been set higher.

One thing that I noticed, or should I say didn't notice, was road noise. This car is incredibly quiet both in the city and on the freeway. The Town Car's solid construction and sound dampening features virtually isolate outside noise, allowing even the softest conversations to be easily heard. Load six of your favorite CDs into the Alpine audio system, set the cruise control and you and your passengers can drive for hours and arrive at your destination feeling refreshed and relaxed.

SAFETY: Lastly, and perhaps most importantly, building on the safety features of the 2002 Town Car, which earned the government's highest rating for driver and passenger protection in front-impact collisions, the 2003 Town Car has been designed inside and out with state of the art safety features including: a stronger frame; side-impact beams in all four doors; standard driver and front passenger front and side, next generation, dual-stage air bags; safety belts with retractor pretensioners and energy management retractors; four wheel disc brakes with ABS; automatic headlamps, approach lamps, fog lights; speed sensitive front wipers and rear wiper/washer/defroster; automatic keyless entry and securilock anti-theft feature; and the new rear park-assist warning system to alert the driver to danger when backing up.

CONCLUSION: The Town Car offers a lot of luxury for the money. It's ride and comfort are exceptional. An excellent car for those wanting luxury at a reasonable price or those requiring extra room who don't want an SUV.

COMPARISON VEHICLES: Cadillac DeVille, Volvo S80, Lexus LS430

HIGHS: Excellent price to value; refined interior and convenience features; quiet comfortable ride and performance;

LOWS: Low resale value.

VEHICLE PRICING: On the standard equipped vehicle the manufacturer's suggested retail price (MSRP): $40,615.00 - 51,145.00. As tested, Cartier edition with optional tires and lamps $47,370.00

FUEL ECONOMY: As equipped with the standard 4.6-liter, 239 horsepower, V-8 engine: Estimated 17 mpg in the city and 25 mpg on the highway. These results reported vary with options, driving conditions, and condition of the vehicle. As tested, our vehicle averaged 18.1 MPG in the city and 23.7 on the freeway.

WARRANTY: Four-year/50,000-mile bumper-to-bumper limited warranty including: Complimentary maintenance for three years or 36,000 miles (including wear and tear items); Transportation assistance and 24-hour roadside assistance; Emergency travel expense reimbursement; Destination assistance and trip planning services; and a customer assistance center dedicated to Lincoln owners

LIFE’S A TRIP - Enjoy the drive. Be a safe and courteous driver, obey all highway laws, never drive impaired, and buckle everyone up. Copyright © 2003 The Weekend Drive, All Rights Reserved.