New Car Review of the 2005 Lincoln LS Mid-Size Sports Sedan

Description: Mid-Size Sports Sedan
Base MSRP Range: $32,330 - $43,280
Invoice Price Range: $29,707 - $39,562
Where built: USA

Lincoln's sporty touring sedan takes the label of LS, as in Luxury Sport. With mid-size dimensions and four doors fixed on a cabin for five riders, the tight machine rides on a rigid unibody structure and features liberal applications of lightweight aluminum for body panels and suspension elements.

Editions of 2005 earn face-lift features with fresh fascia and the grille ringed in chrome plus revised headlamp clusters. Inside, a tailored passenger compartment exhibits an international flair in leather-lined layout with two bucket seats up front and a rear bench with twin sculptured spaces and seatback foldable off a 60/40 split.

Engines for LS contain either six or eight cylinders. The entry model has a 3.0-liter V6 good for 232-hp, but a 3.9-liter aluminum V8 hits 280-hp. Either plant connects to a 5-speed electronic automatic transmission, with H-gate SelectShift controls added to the V8 version.

LS appears in three trims for the V6 -- Luxury, Appearance Package and Premium, with the V8 ordered in Sport, Ultimate and Appearance Package. Options extend to a Soundmark CDX6 audio system with DVD-based navigation kit, high intensity discharge (HID) headlights and a curtain-style air bag system.