2012 & 2011 Lincoln SUV Reviews & Ratings

In 1915 one of the founders of Cadillac, Henry Leland, founded a second company that he named Lincoln Motor Company. The inspiration for the name came from U.S. President Abraham Lincoln and over time the automobile manufacturer would become as well known across America as its namesake. However, that would not occur until down the road when the company was bought by Henry Ford and added to his Ford Motor Company line of vehicles. It was then that the vehicle brand was transformed to become a well-loved luxury automobile.

Lincoln began their longstanding history with the sedan and that is where they stayed until the 1990s. It took that long before buyers would see the first Lincoln SUV. However, the sedan kept the company a household name. The Continental became the staple of the company as a truly loved luxury vehicle. It wasn't until the Town Car went from a top of the line trim to its own standalone vehicle that the Continental began to die out. The Town Car would become the most widely known Lincoln vehicle and would even serve a dual purpose as the most commonly used chauffeured vehicle in its stretch limousine form.

Though both vehicles have since been discontinued leaving the company with one full-size sedan on the market, there was a resurgence in the name with the creation of the first Lincoln SUV. The Navigator was designed to compete in the SUV market while offering luxury that did not come with standard models, including those from sister company Ford. The 1998 introduction of the Navigator spawned a flurry of luxury vehicle manufacturers that would introduce their own SUV onto the market. The popularity of the SUV has kept it in production and it still is being offered to buyers.

The Navigator may be the most popular Lincoln SUV to enter the market, but it was not the last. The most recent SUV from the company began in 2008 as a concept vehicle. Afterwards in went into production and would be released to the public until 2010. The MKT was designed to be the same size as the Navigator with some major differences in the platform and styling. The goal is that the MKT is more fuel efficient and will eventually replace the Navigator altogether in the Lincoln SUV lineup.

Whether producing the Lincoln SUV or sedan, the company is known for providing the upmost in luxury. The Navigator became well known over the years as the transportation of choice for celebrities with Cadillac offering the biggest competition in that arena with the Escalade. The MKT offers the same luxury and style as the Navigator with the ability to save just a bit on fuel. The MKT even made its debut as a limousine version with the Town Car badge added to the name to symbolize the stretched version. There were other SUVs offered from the company, but none have made quite as large of an impact as the Navigator and MKT.