The Lincoln Mojo
If nothing else, the Lincoln Mark LT has the most chrome of any pickup truck on
the market. Does it work for you? It works for me. Children run to their mothers skirts, women driving Priuses wearing disastrous Bohemian-inspired fashions look over in disgust and grown men ask, "Hey, is that a Lincoln pickup truck?" "Well, yes it is, sonny boy" (because driving a big ole' pickup truck automatically gives you the right to call grown men, even your elders, sonny boy).
Ford is assuming the 'Lincoln Effect' will work for at least 10,000 others (10K is their sales target), most of them likely deep in the States, although I'm sure there will be a few executive farmers and oilfield foremen out in the prairies that will want to make their station known to anyone with sunglasses dark enough to cut through the flash of that grille. Heck, it's even popping up as the truck of choice for successful big city contractors - I've already seen a couple sporting decals for Joe's Construction and Bob's Landscaping.
And boy
, is that some grille, or what? Personally, I think it's the best grille I've ever seen on a Lincoln, and one of the best I've ever seen on a pickup truck (Super Chief concept excluded). And though there is much more to this truck than its shiny chrome grille, for many that's about what it comes down to. For the few, the proud, the bold and status-driven purchasers out there who make the leap from a Ford F-150 Crew Cab, their trucks will come with a list of options mirroring the upper echelons of F-150 trim, but there is very little exclusive to the Mark LT that can't be had on the world's best selling pickup truck, aside from that knockout grille. I could go on and on about the grille, which I suppose I already have, but I will spare you since you can check out the gallery for some choice shots of it if needs be.
Many have asked whether it is appropriate to brand Ford's pickups as Lincolns, particularly after the ill-fated Lincoln Blackwood, which sold only a few thousand and was canned after two years of production. To me it just seems like a natural way to cash in on Lincoln's prestigious [insert derisive comment here] status and offer the very top levels of F-150 buyers a clear and distinctive model to parade its comfort, sophistication and plushness to all who stare from the sidelines.
Chances are this isn't going to be anyone's first pickup truck purchase,
so most will know what to expect from the genre; such as typical handling, uh, prowess. I, for one, hadn't driven a pickup for almost ten years, back when I worked landscaping in university [and if I can be so brazen, I'd like to give a shout out to my boys and girls at Union College grounds crew, who taught me everything I ever needed to know about digging holes and trying not to chop my own fingers off - a course I nearly failed!], so I was suitably amazed at how nimble and capable this new generation of hauler is. Yeah, it's still a pickup truck and it still bounces around a bit like a wheelbarrow if you're off paved roads, or even on Toronto's Bathurst Street (it has to be one of the most beat-up and frost-heaved routes filled with suspension proving-ground-like bumpy stretches), but the LT absolutely feels planted and stable at highway speeds and is shockingly sprightly around tight turns and even long curling onramps.
Obviously when you start swinging it side to side, it leans and sways, but considering its height, Ford's famously advertised springs outside the frame rails work wonders and give you a great measure of confidence in the truck's ability to handle emergency maneuvers. I can also report, from personal experience, that the RSC (stability control) also works flawlessly at getting the truck settled if anything gets out of line. Further assistance is provided by large vented discs putting the brakes to all four corners with the help of ABS to ensure a smooth halt back from trucker speeds.
If nothing else, the Lincoln Mark LT has the most chrome of any pickup truck on
 |
| Props to Lincoln for making the world's most reflective pickup. Thumbs down because it's hard to photograph. (Photo: Justin Couture, Canadian Auto Press) |
Ford is assuming the 'Lincoln Effect' will work for at least 10,000 others (10K is their sales target), most of them likely deep in the States, although I'm sure there will be a few executive farmers and oilfield foremen out in the prairies that will want to make their station known to anyone with sunglasses dark enough to cut through the flash of that grille. Heck, it's even popping up as the truck of choice for successful big city contractors - I've already seen a couple sporting decals for Joe's Construction and Bob's Landscaping.
And boy
 |
| "My, what big, chrome-plated teeth you have..." (Photo: Justin Couture, Canadian Auto Press) |
Many have asked whether it is appropriate to brand Ford's pickups as Lincolns, particularly after the ill-fated Lincoln Blackwood, which sold only a few thousand and was canned after two years of production. To me it just seems like a natural way to cash in on Lincoln's prestigious [insert derisive comment here] status and offer the very top levels of F-150 buyers a clear and distinctive model to parade its comfort, sophistication and plushness to all who stare from the sidelines.
Chances are this isn't going to be anyone's first pickup truck purchase,
 |
| Reverse sensors are a heavensent. Backing up would be otherwise be a guess. (Photo: Justin Couture, Canadian Auto Press) |
Obviously when you start swinging it side to side, it leans and sways, but considering its height, Ford's famously advertised springs outside the frame rails work wonders and give you a great measure of confidence in the truck's ability to handle emergency maneuvers. I can also report, from personal experience, that the RSC (stability control) also works flawlessly at getting the truck settled if anything gets out of line. Further assistance is provided by large vented discs putting the brakes to all four corners with the help of ABS to ensure a smooth halt back from trucker speeds.