There are reportedly 40,000 interested individuals who might be willing to take part in Lincoln’s return to relevance. As the automaker adds new models and gives thorough redesigns to others, competitive pricing will be an increasingly important tactic to lure buyers from other luxury brands.
In the 2017 Continental, $45,485 gets you the Premiere trim, with a 3.7-liter V6 standard. The same engine is paired with the $48,440 Select trim, but the brand’s 2.7-liter EcoBoost V6 can be optioned on the latter trim for an extra $2,250. The $54,840 Reserve trim and $63,840 Black Label edition each come standard with the 2.7-liter motor, but both can also be upgraded with Lincoln’s 3.0-liter, 400 horsepower V6 for an additional $3,265. On all trims, all-wheel drive is available for $2,000.
That’s not where the pricing distinctions end, though. Lincoln has a number of available packages to bring that sticker figure to new heights. First, there’s the Select Plus package ($1,255) for the base model that includes the SYNC3 infotainment system and blind-spot monitoring. All other trims can be fit with the Climate Pack ($695) that features rain-sensing wipers, auto high beams, a heated steering wheel, and heated rear seats.
Lincoln’s Tech package ($3,105) comes with adaptive cruise control, a 360-degree camera, forward collision warning, lane keeping assist, and active park assist. The last two packages are even more expensive. At $4,300, the Rear-Seat Pack is available on the Reserve and Black Label models and comes with heated, cooled, multi-contour rear seats, a panoramic sunroof, and inflatable rear seat belts. Finally, the Luxury Package ($5,000) adds a 19-speaker Revel sound system and LED headlights (though it’s kind of hard to believe LED headlights don’t enter the equation sooner).
If you’d rather make your own packages, Lincoln will sell you individual options like the 30-way “Perfect Position” seats for $1,500, the panoramic sunroof for $1,750, 20-inch wheels for $750, and the Revel stereo for $1,130.
It’s a dizzying number of options, but that doesn’t compare with the $82,400 price tag should you want it all. To be fair, though, a fully-optioned Continental is still cheaper than comparably-equipped German rivals, but the question then becomes — is it as good a car?
