When Lincoln resurrected the Continental for the 2017 model year, the luxury sedan segment was crumbling. Having largely turned their backs on sedans, shoppers were driving major leaps in SUV sales, dictating a new motoring form factor for the masses. The tenth-generation Continental arrived with genuine strengths and pedigree, but it was born into a segment that was rapidly losing steam.
The timing was too bad because the last Continental was a spectacular machine that earned a place in the history books as a highly-achieving flagship that arrived too late and died too early. This wasn’t a product problem; it was a timing problem. The result was a truly excellent touring machine that never had the lifespan to reach its full potential.
The American Luxury Sedan In The 2010s – Setting The Competitive Landscape
2018 to 2020 Lincoln Continental Coach Door Edition front quarterLincoln
In the early 2000s, flagship luxury sedans largely boasted the latest in cutting-edge style, engineering, and technology. Many of them were also available in high-performance configurations. Shoppers keen to drive the latest from their automaker of choice often chose machinery such as the Mercedes S-Class, Lexus LS, or Audi A8. Vehicles like these commonly served as a rolling showcase of next-generation content that had just been added to the automaker’s technological suite before trickling down to the rest of the model line.
But shopper preferences were changing fast. When Lincoln launched the latest Continental, machinery such as the Cadillac Escalade, Lexus RX, and Volvo XC90 were actively pulling luxury shoppers out of sedans and into their first luxury SUV experience. The SUV offered easier entry, a more commanding driving position, and more capability as the minivan era wound down rapidly. These SUVs were also all virtually standard with AWD, a must-have feature that was gaining popularity for all-weather drivability.
When Lincoln launched the 10th-gen Continental, machinery like the premium SUVs were gaining popularity while sedans were declining. For context, it would be only three years (2020) before parent company Ford ended sedan production entirely, when the final Ford Fusion rolled off the assembly line. The Taurus had met the same fate a year earlier, ending a line of Ford sedans alongside the Continental.
Further, the Lincoln MKS (2009–2016) was aging, and the Town Car was long dead. Lincoln figured that leaning into their brand heritage, loyal shoppers, and design language could support the revival of a sedan flagship. The Continental nameplate carried weight, with its history dating back to Edsel Ford commissioning a custom personal car in 1939.
10th-Gen Lincoln Continental Milestone Model Years
- 2015: Continental Concept revealed in New York
- 2016: Cadillac CT6 debuts
- 2017: Production Lincoln Continental arrives with EcoBoost power and 30-Way Perfect Position seats
- 2017: Fifth-generation Lexus LS introduced before its 2018 model year launch
- 2018: Tech and ADAS refinements for Lincoln Continental with trim simplification and 3.0L EcoBoost emphasized
- 2018: GM announces Detroit-Hamtramck closure and impending CT6 discontinuation for North America
- 2019: 80th Anniversary Coach Door Edition arrives with stretched wheelbase and suicide doors, sells out rapidly
- 2020: Major Genesis G90 refresh arrives in the US for the 2020 model year
- 2020: Final Lincoln Continental model year with minimal updates as Lincoln shifts fully toward SUVs
Would the pedigree behind the Continental nameplate be sufficient to fend off the threat of an incoming Cadillac CT6, the fifth-generation Lexus LS, or a rapidly advancing Genesis brand that was on a bit of a streak? Maybe, but an excellent engine couldn’t hurt, either.
The Continental Returns With A Genuine Ace
2020 Lincoln Continental Coach DoorBring A Trailer
The Lincoln Continental offered three V6 engine options; each was paired with an automatic six‑speed. The naturally aspirated 3.7‑liter V6 delivered 305 horsepower and 280 pound-feet of torque as the base engine. Above it was the 2.7-liter twin-turbocharged V6, raising output to 335 hp and 380 lb-ft of torque. Compared to the naturally aspirated V6, this option provides a significant advantage in smooth, quiet, low‑rev pulling power.
At the top of the performance ladder was a 3.0‑liter twin‑turbocharged V6 producing 400 hp. Depending on whether the vehicle was equipped with front‑wheel drive (380 lb‑ft) or all‑wheel drive (400 lb‑ft).
The top‑performing EcoBoost unit was the ace up the Continental’s sleeve, and really, the engine to have. It made a liquid‑smooth, whisper‑quiet power and a mountain of torque. A six-speed automatic swapped cogs carefully, cautiously, and smoothly in all situations. This 3.0‑liter engine was exclusive to the Reserve and Black Label trims, giving Lincoln’s top-spec models a genuine mechanical advantage over many rivals.
With all-wheel drive, drivers had extra traction to match that heap of low-RPM torque, much of which was available at revs so low the engine was hardly audible. Effortless was the name of the Lincoln Continental’s game: even a light press on the throttle could summon a generous slab of torque from under the hood, with little more than a muted growl seeping into the cabin as the machine surged ahead.
Sure, the Continental felt heavy off the line. That’s fine; it was built for comfort, not speed. You wouldn’t challenge any AMGs to a light‑to‑light race, but the powertrain matched the Continental’s personality beautifully, with smooth, relaxing confidence.
Lincoln Continental Reserve Key Features
- 24-way power-adjust heated-and-cooled front seats
- Rain-sensing wipers
- Premium Revel audio system
- Power-operated trunk lid
- Acoustic laminated glass and Active Noise Control
- 12.3-inch configurable digital instrument cluster
- Lincoln Embrace approach lighting and illuminated star puddle lamps
- Head-up display
- Surround-view camera system
- Panoramic sunroof
- Tri-zone automatic climate control
- Continuously Controlled Damping (CCD) adaptive suspension
- E-Latch door system with soft-close power cinching
- Interior wood trim
- Leather-wrapped steering wheel
- Rear power sunshade & side shades
The car’s technology was all intended to blend into the background as drivers enjoyed thoughtful touches galore. On previous test drives of this model, your writer noted a motorized trunk lid that closed with little more noise than a laptop fan, and doors that released from their latches with little more than a mouse‑click worth of effort on the electronic touchpads concealed within the fixed handles. Users with pain, nerve problems, or other hand‑related challenges should find these particularly welcoming.
2019 Lincoln Continental Coach Door EditionLincoln
The 30‑way seating offers per‑leg thigh support. That sounds fancy, and it is. Also, it’s worth its weight in gold for mobility‑challenged occupants who might be recovering from knee or hip replacement surgery.
What Almost Worked
2017 Lincoln Continental front 3/4 angle in black while parkedLincoln
With the latest Continental, Lincoln aimed to elevate the nameplate to new levels. The Black Label program offered curated themes, concierge ownership, and a premium experience that rivaled European luxury brands. The Continental’s Black Label trims paired the 400‑hp V6 with the best materials Lincoln could source, including Venetian leather, Alcantara accents, real open‑pore wood, and unique theme‑specific color palettes. This let shoppers turn up the dial on exclusivity and posh factor for the extra money.
There was even the Coach Door Edition. This limited-run halo project would spawn just 230 total copies – 80 of them for the 2019 model year. Each of them came with rear‑hinged doors and an extended wheelbase. Lincoln built the remaining 150 examples for the 2020 model.
Early reviews praised the cabin, the quietness, and the ride quality. Think “luxury sedan,” not “sport sedan,” and you’re in the right ballpark. After a roughly 1,000-mile experience with the Continental, your writer originally described it as “a few cucumber slices away from a day at the spa.” In this way, the Continental had the ingredients for success in terms of brand clout, familiarity, engineering, powertrain, and an excellent reputation for comfort from the get-go. It didn’t lack for substance; it just came too late to change the market’s mind.
Ford’s SUV Pivot Ends the Game
2020 Lincoln Continental Coach DoorsBring A Trailer
After launching in 2017, gaining traction in 2018, and flaunting its halo edition in 2019, the Continental was dead and gone by 2020. Market currents that had been pulling luxury sedan buyers into luxury SUVs hadn’t just swallowed up the Lincoln Continental. Lincoln and its parent automaker Ford no longer offered sedans beyond the 2020 model year.
Ford’s earnings calls from 2018-2020 repeatedly emphasized a shift toward trucks, SUVs, and EVs, confirming that sedans no longer fit the company’s long-term strategy. The competitor Cadillac CT6 also lived just four short years before it, too, was axed, and other long‑running sedans of the era were meeting their demise, including the Chevrolet Impala, Buick LaCrosse, Ford Taurus, and Volkswagen Passat.
The Forgotten Bargain
2019 Lincoln Continental Coach Door EditionLincoln
Today, a used Continental is rare enough to feel special and generate a sense of occasion when rolling by, though not yet rare enough to command collector premiums. Plus, there’s a large dealer network, and the car uses a non-exotic driveline made of parts and hardware that are widely familiar to the service industry.
If that all sounds pretty good, and you’re after a luxury sedan with ‘comfort’ at the top of your wish list, a used one could be a sleeper of a deal. Compared with used Cadillac CT6 and Lexus LS listings, Continentals typically transact for thousands less, giving shoppers a high-comfort flagship experience at a notably lower entry price.
On the low side, high-mileage units that have bottomed out on pricing tend to land just shy of $10,000, with some 200,000-plus-mile copies coming in for under $9,000. Between there and the $15,000 mark, shoppers will find Continentals with more reasonable mileage figures, with some under 30,000 miles, most under 100,000 miles, and some top-line units pushing 120,000 or 130,000 miles.
At the high end, the priciest used Continentals today tend to be sub-50,000-mile units with asking prices in the low-to-mid-thirties. Mind you, we did find a 13,134-mile Continental Black Label Coach Door Edition in California with an asking price north of $200,000, just in case you’re looking for the most exclusive piece of the Lincoln Continental’s third act to complete your collection.
Sources: Lincoln, AutoTrader.ca, FuelEconomy.gov
