I went to the US, and I rented...
Discussion
A Lincoln Town Car. One of the last remaining old-fashioned American RWD cars. V8 engine with a low specific output, automatic gear shift on the steering column and, naturally, designed for comfort not handling. What did I think of it? I loved it. Some areas were disappointing, some were surprising, but it had a fair chunk of appeal. Not cheap though, about £30000, or on a par with a V6 petrol C-class Mercedes.
I rented from the airport and after the tedious paperwork I grinned when I found the numbered space where my black Town Car "Signature Limited" with 4,000 miles on it was found. M first impression was of size - actually it wasn't my impression at all but my girlfriend's, I think she swore when we approached our numbered parking bay to see the rear end sticking 2 feet clear of every other car nearby. Inside had a pleasing leather smell that reminded me of any premium European car with interior quality that was much better than expected. So that was a good start and a surprise.
Although here I had my first disappointment, as it struck me the equipment levels were low. I expected many toys and gadgets on this car but it just had electric seats, automatic lights and a good CD player. Apparently it was a basic rental spec. Shortly though the boot (trunk) would impress me again with its space and a powered bootlid. And my girlfriend would casually mention that you could fit a body in the boot. I didn't point out that it probably had been done.
The TC's size was serious concern when I left the parking area and I wondered if I'd bitten off more than I can chew (my current daily driver is a 206). 15 seconds in, though, it actually felt compact and very easy to drive. Just as I imagined but one thing wasn't as I had hoped. The V8 engine. A pretty exotic item if you're from the Uk, for it's sound, sophistication and performance. Unfortunately it idled with a clatter reminding me of a diesel, I guessed at a noise in the valvetrain. And I couldn't help noticing a vibration too. The performance? When accelerating, it couldn't pull as hard as I hoped. It had a good sound and some pull but never shifted as vibrantly as I expected. Mostly the problem was the transmission which took forever to reach a higher RPM where the movement was. I thought it must be a 3-speed, but it was just a very long geared 4 speed. The long gearing must have helped the economy though - 19 US MPG (22 UK MPG) average, on the computer and from the fuel stops, was a massive surprise.
Is the handling as bad as you might imagine? Well it has a 'body on frame' design. Like a TVR. Or a Land Rover defender. Traditionally not the best for handling. And it's American so it wasn't likely to be trying. My current weekend car is a saloon that tries very hard in the handling department so it's an interesting change. Firstly the ride - on very bad roads it has a nice detached quality. It's soft and coupled with surprisingly low noise make the car an easy cruiser if a little dull. However on the highway, large bumps made the car shudder in an unusual way. I really think this is a lack of stiffness, a result of the chassis design. The cornering was better than I imagined feeling comfortable, stable and safe, and changing lanes quickly was absolutely fine. It did wallow and if you can't handle that feeling then you wouldn't like it, but I've driven a lot of big cars and this was not bad. I imagined being a cop in his Crown Victoria (built on the same chassis) chasing someone, and it wasn't worrying. However I suspect after 100,000 miles and a few years of wear, the handling would cross the line into poor, or even scary. I don't think I'd enjoy cornering in an older model Town Car with high miles and cheap tyres on it.
Overall I was damn excited to try this US classic and really loved it. I would recommend trying something similar, if you like Hollywood movies and have seen plenty of these sorts of cars. Ford will actually stop making this chassis this year and then most US cars, except full size SUVs, will just be like European cars. The police and taxi drivers won't have their favourite chassis choice and shall probably end up in v6 front wheel drives of some sort. The rental company tried to put me in a Chrysler 300 and claimed it was similar, but it's not. Nothing is, really. Apparently this Town Car's basic chassis dates from the 70s. And now I want a Cadillac from 1972 with a 7.0. Don't expect anything of this ilk to be fast, as they aren't. But they are fun.
I rented from the airport and after the tedious paperwork I grinned when I found the numbered space where my black Town Car "Signature Limited" with 4,000 miles on it was found. M first impression was of size - actually it wasn't my impression at all but my girlfriend's, I think she swore when we approached our numbered parking bay to see the rear end sticking 2 feet clear of every other car nearby. Inside had a pleasing leather smell that reminded me of any premium European car with interior quality that was much better than expected. So that was a good start and a surprise.
Although here I had my first disappointment, as it struck me the equipment levels were low. I expected many toys and gadgets on this car but it just had electric seats, automatic lights and a good CD player. Apparently it was a basic rental spec. Shortly though the boot (trunk) would impress me again with its space and a powered bootlid. And my girlfriend would casually mention that you could fit a body in the boot. I didn't point out that it probably had been done.
The TC's size was serious concern when I left the parking area and I wondered if I'd bitten off more than I can chew (my current daily driver is a 206). 15 seconds in, though, it actually felt compact and very easy to drive. Just as I imagined but one thing wasn't as I had hoped. The V8 engine. A pretty exotic item if you're from the Uk, for it's sound, sophistication and performance. Unfortunately it idled with a clatter reminding me of a diesel, I guessed at a noise in the valvetrain. And I couldn't help noticing a vibration too. The performance? When accelerating, it couldn't pull as hard as I hoped. It had a good sound and some pull but never shifted as vibrantly as I expected. Mostly the problem was the transmission which took forever to reach a higher RPM where the movement was. I thought it must be a 3-speed, but it was just a very long geared 4 speed. The long gearing must have helped the economy though - 19 US MPG (22 UK MPG) average, on the computer and from the fuel stops, was a massive surprise.
Is the handling as bad as you might imagine? Well it has a 'body on frame' design. Like a TVR. Or a Land Rover defender. Traditionally not the best for handling. And it's American so it wasn't likely to be trying. My current weekend car is a saloon that tries very hard in the handling department so it's an interesting change. Firstly the ride - on very bad roads it has a nice detached quality. It's soft and coupled with surprisingly low noise make the car an easy cruiser if a little dull. However on the highway, large bumps made the car shudder in an unusual way. I really think this is a lack of stiffness, a result of the chassis design. The cornering was better than I imagined feeling comfortable, stable and safe, and changing lanes quickly was absolutely fine. It did wallow and if you can't handle that feeling then you wouldn't like it, but I've driven a lot of big cars and this was not bad. I imagined being a cop in his Crown Victoria (built on the same chassis) chasing someone, and it wasn't worrying. However I suspect after 100,000 miles and a few years of wear, the handling would cross the line into poor, or even scary. I don't think I'd enjoy cornering in an older model Town Car with high miles and cheap tyres on it.
Overall I was damn excited to try this US classic and really loved it. I would recommend trying something similar, if you like Hollywood movies and have seen plenty of these sorts of cars. Ford will actually stop making this chassis this year and then most US cars, except full size SUVs, will just be like European cars. The police and taxi drivers won't have their favourite chassis choice and shall probably end up in v6 front wheel drives of some sort. The rental company tried to put me in a Chrysler 300 and claimed it was similar, but it's not. Nothing is, really. Apparently this Town Car's basic chassis dates from the 70s. And now I want a Cadillac from 1972 with a 7.0. Don't expect anything of this ilk to be fast, as they aren't. But they are fun.
Is your missus texting "oh God he's all excited by the bloody rental car again" in that pic?
It is enjoyable getting a totally different car to what you are used to though. I rented what I would describe as a people carrier (they called it something strange) but it had the engine from a 350z I recall.
It is enjoyable getting a totally different car to what you are used to though. I rented what I would describe as a people carrier (they called it something strange) but it had the engine from a 350z I recall.
pentoman said:
Well it has a 'body on frame' design. Like a TVR. Or a Land Rover defender. Traditionally not the best for handling.
A totally bizarre comparison there.
Lightweight tubular space frame (like a racing car) v's heavy duty ladder chassis (like a truck). 
Anyway, have fun sailing around in that big ol' boat. They are perfect for US roads.
Where abouts are you visiting?
extremely durable, tough as nails, supremely comfortable and incredibly predictable handling.
It's a dinosaur and no amount of make-up can hide the fact this is a fundamentally 30 year old design.
But I think the world will be a duller and less interesting place without it.
Body on frame, V8, RWD saloon cars we will miss you.
It's a dinosaur and no amount of make-up can hide the fact this is a fundamentally 30 year old design.
But I think the world will be a duller and less interesting place without it.
Body on frame, V8, RWD saloon cars we will miss you.
Thanks for a really interesting mini review! As much as i like the idea of wafting around in a big ol' barge I think going from a stiffened up 205 to something like that would be a bridge too far - I find my dad's newish audi fairly wallowy as it is!
Would love to have a go nevertheless!
Would love to have a go nevertheless!
It's a taxi. It's not meant to have lots of toys or go round race tracks. It's meant to take people to the air port. It does that well as it has loads of space in the back seats and a huge boot. I was offered one for a day in Hawaii and took a Sebring instead. If I had the choice of Sebring or 300 I would take the 300.
The underpinnings of Town Car are very, very old at this point but it's a car which does what it says on the tin. Great value to rent for a family holiday if you want a big cruiser with a smooth V8 and plenty of grunt! Economical on the freeway for such a big car.
Handling? Errm, no. See "cruiser" above.
Handling? Errm, no. See "cruiser" above.
I always try to rent one of those when in America because, well, I'm in America! I also used to rent Crown Victorias when you could still get those complete with wheezy old 4.6 V8. By any sane measure they are terrible cars but they are appropriate for the environment and as long as you're there for less than a week or two the novelty doesn't have time to wear off. 
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