New Car Review of the 2006 Lincoln Zephyr Economy Sedan

Description: Economy Sedan
Base MSRP Range: Not Yet Available
Invoice Price Range: Not Yet Available
Where built: Not Yet Available

Lincoln, the luxury line from Ford Motor Company, begins a renaissance with five new products planned over the next four years. Expect the first two of these new Lincolns -- Zephyr and Mark LT -- to roll out as 2006 models.

Zephyr is a new entry-level mid-size sedan for Lincoln built off the front-wheel-drive (FWD) Mazda6 platform that also supports a new Ford Fusion sedan. Zephyr, mythic god of the west wind in ancient Greece, was also the name of a streamlined Lincoln from 1936 packing a V12 engine. The Zephyr of 2006 will also feature a streamlined package and a luxury-car cabin but the engine gets only half the number of cylinders of its 1936 namesake.

Zephyr's powertrain is a Ford Durtec dual-cam 3.0-liter V6 with 210 hp managed through a six-speed automatic transaxle.

Cabin content ranges from soft leather upholstery on seats, trimwork in exotic Hardwood and satin-finish metal, white electro-luminescent lighting for instruments in chrome-ringed gauges, twin-zone climate controls, a navigation system and deluxe THX audio components.

Ford's Personal Safety System applies to Zephyr with dual front air bags and seat-mounted side air bags for each front seat plus curtain-style air bags concealed above side windows for head protection of front and rear riders.