Lincoln has been trying to reinvent itself for about a decade now, but it seems the brand is finally firing on all cylinders with the redesign of the Navigator, and the unveiling of the new Aviator and Nautilus SUVs. Best of all, news has come out from the 2018 National Automobile Dealer Association that Lincoln has decided to bring rear-hinged doors back to the Continental. According to Automotive News, "During its annual make meeting Saturday, Lincoln showed dealers a photo of the flagship sedan with the rear-hinged doors and disclosed plans to build the model, according to multiple dealers in the room who didn’t want to be identified."
It would be a really cool move for Lincoln to go through with this — even if the Continental’s sales have been lackluster of late. Lincoln is trying to differentiate itself from the rest of the luxury car world, and while the brand is having some success in shedding the image of rebadged Fords, the addition of suicide doors to the Continental is a bold move that nobody outside of Rolls Royce is even considering. Of course, they’re also a throwback to the classic 1961 Continental, so the inclusion of suicide doors pays homage to one of the brand’s greatest hits.
The addition of these doors isn’t just a homage to the past, though; they’re functionally fantastic to use in real applications. While getting out of a car normally isn’t a difficult procedure, rear-hinged doors make getting in and out of the vehicle surprisingly effortless — more effortless than you’d ever realize getting out of a car could be. I encountered rear-hinged doors when I drove a Rolls Royce Dawn a few years ago, and it really is a huge difference. You just open the door and stand up. You don’t have to move your legs much, lean forward or maneuver around the door — you just sit down or stand up like you’d be sitting down in a chair. In many ways, luxury is just the ability to avoid the day to day issues that concern the masses — so something like this adds a very luxurious touch.
I really hope Lincoln follows through with it, as it would be great to see this door style make a comeback alongside the rest of the brand — and it could be a classic Lincoln selling point. Lincoln is trying very hard to differentiate itself, and things like this are exactly what they need. Find a Lincoln Continental for sale
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I hope that its the next Continental that gets the suicide doors. The current Continental isn’t a proper luxury car in the same way the 60’s one was, as it uses the same platform as the Ford Fusion, similar to how Chrysler in the 80’s used. A new car on a new (bigger) platform is needed if the Continental is to be taken seriously. Right now, the Continental is the sort of thing you end up with if you rent fullsize sedan.
This is why you have choices. Would you decide that “suicide doors” is the defining reason to pick this Lincoln over anything else? Ok, if you did you’d be thought less of but it’s your money and your choice in the end. So they may push a few units based on that one innocuous feature. My driveway won’t contain one unless they lease them for $199 a month with no money down!
While the enthusiast in me thinks this would be cool, it’s an idiotic idea from an actual practicality standpoint.