The Blackwood is certainly the most interesting vehicle in Lincoln’s recent history. Based on the Ford F-150, it got the Navigator’s face, a four-seat interior, rear-wheel drive, and a carpeted bed. It was weird in all the right ways, which is probably why it flopped. The Blackwood was less usable than both its F-150 counterpart and its closest competitor, the Escalade EXT, while being more expensive than the latter. Lincoln sold just 3,383 units for the 2002 model year before pulling the plug.
Now, a rumor from Autoweek suggests Ford might be reapproaching the Blackwood strategy again, but instead of giving its most popular truck a luxury overhaul, it’ll be doing the same thing to its most interesting SUV, the Bronco.
The report, citing unnamed sources, claims Lincoln could introduce a body-on-frame SUV that uses Bronco underpinnings before the end of the decade. And it’s going to target some seriously heavy-hitters in the luxury off-roader segment. From Autoweek:
The two-row Lincoln will ride on the body-on-frame platform that underpins the Ford Bronco, according to one of the sources, who drew the comparison with the Merc G-Wagen—which also makes the Range Rover another likely target.
The report claims the upcoming Lincoln-badged, Bronco-based SUV will use a Lincoln-style fascia seen on the brand’s current cars, along with “softer sheetmetal edges,” akin to something like a shrunken Navigator.
It’s unclear whether that means the car will keep the Bronco’s powertrains or signature removable roof and door pieces; Ford Authority speculates the Lincoln may be more closely related to the Ford Everest, a foreign-market SUV that uses a body-on-frame structure similar to the Bronco’s, albeit without all the removable body panels.
Will This SUV Actually Work?
Luxurious off-roaders are all the rage right now. Just look at sales of vehicles like the Land Rover Defender and the aforementioned Mercedes-Benz G-Wagen. It only makes sense that Lincoln gets in on the action by building something to compete in the segment, and it’s a good way to shift public perception that Lincolns are only purchased by old people. Plus, the Bronco platform, with all of its off-road prowess, is right there for the taking.
For such a vehicle to succeed, it’s important to look back on why the Blackwood failed. There wasn’t just one obvious reason, but a bunch of small things that came together to make that truck unappealing to the typical pickup truck buyer. For one, it was pretty impractical as a pickup truck in every way but one. Sure, it had more power than an F-150 and could tow 8,700 pounds, but it had fewer seats and fewer driven wheels, limiting its use case for people who also needed to use their trucks as daily drivers.
Then there was the bed. It wasn’t really a traditional bed, in that it was more like a fully sealed trunk, complete with carpeting and aluminum trim. Pickup truck beds are normally used for utilitarian work, like moving dirt, tools, supplies, and other hardware, so having a bed covered in soft carpet limited who would be able to use the Blackwood how they wanted.
Price was also a big deterrent; the Blackwood’s $54,495 MSRP made it double the price of a SuperCrew XLT F-150 of the era, and around $5,000 more than the equally luxurious, better-equipped Cadillac Escalade EXT. To pay all that money for a more compromised vehicle, no matter how nice those rear captain’s chairs were, wasn’t something that many buyers could justify.
Ford learned its lesson, obviously. Several years later, in 2009, the company took a different approach, offering up luxury-trimmed versions of the F-150 instead of leaving that job to Lincoln, in the form of the F-150 Platinum. That trim has remained a cornerstone of the F-150 lineup, and though it makes up a small percentage of sales, it produces high margins for the brand.
My point here is, the Bronco-based Lincoln can’t just be a less useful Bronco with a different face and soft leather inside. There needs to be more to set it apart, something big that the Ford version doesn’t have. Maybe that’s a fully revamped, luxurious interior, or a hybrid powertrain. Or, even better, a factory V8 engine option. It can’t just be a V6-powered four-door Bronco with a Lincoln badge and different body panels. That’s just not good enough.
This is especially true once you realize that Autoweek estimates such a vehicle could be priced above the current Navigator, which starts at $94,890. Buyers aren’t stupid; if they know the Lincoln is based on a lesser Ford that’s way cheaper, they’ll just go buy the Ford (or a better-equipped competitor) instead. There needs to be a differentiating factor.
A part of me hopes this Bronco-based Lincoln is real and suffers the same fate as the Blackwood. This way, the car world will get another weird, one-year-only utilitarian Lincoln I can recommend to people who want the weirdest SUV at their local off-road park. If it does flop, perhaps Ford will start making Bronco Platinums with huge 20-inch alloy wheels and massaging seats. Sounds weird, but it worked for the F-150. So why not the Bronco?
Top graphic image: Ford
I think the Everest would be a more likely and better candidate. It’s already a full steel bodied vehicle, complete with 3 rows of seating. Size is similar’ish. And it wouldn’t necessarily be associated with the ‘plebeian’ bones of the Bronco/Ranger. The Everest isn’t sold in the US so it could have some ‘exotic’ association with it, heck some folks might even view it as more rugged/dependable than a Bronco/Ranger-based vehicle if it was based on an overseas model vs a US-spec one.
But even then, Lincoln has no offroad brand cache to leverage though. G-Wagen, Range Rover, Land Rover, Land Cruiser, these are storied brands/marquees with long, rich off-road histories.
If Ford is looking to leverage the Bronco for a lux’ed up model, I think they’d be better off making a lux’ed up Bronco. A Bronco King Ranch or Bronco Platinum or something along those lines. Give it the BRaptor powertrain, but the ‘Squatch suspension so it doesn’t look so out-there as the BRaptor. Lux up the inside, plush heated/cooled leather seats, maybe cover some more surfaces with stitched leather or something vs hard plastic. Carpeted sound-deadening material on the inside of the hard top.
Mark my words. This will be a sales failure and will only last for 3 model years at the most.
There’s no way that this vehicle can compete in with the likes of G-Wagens, Land Rovers, Lexus GX, etc…
Maybe if they took the Honda/Acura strategy here and made the starting price be $5,000-$8,000 over the base price of a Bronco, they might be able to move more units, otherwise I see them having to put down large cash rebates within 3-6 months of introduction.
The only other way I see this working is to make the Lincoln an HEV or PHEV with the 3.0 Ecoboost. The 3.0 has 330hp when installed in the Bronco, and if the electric motors could add say another 150hp, you might have a sales winner. It would need to be priced similar to the Bronco Raptor, but have far more refined road manners and it could be a stoplight drag champion.
I dig it. Props to Ford for even trying. Hopefully they execute it well. I probably cant afford it but give me an enclosed cabin with non removable panels for a quieter drive/NVH, the interior of the Nautilus/Navigator, and the performance of the Bronco Raptor and i’ll buy one used 10 yrs from launch.
Side note, do you think the naming will stay with Ford or Lincoln’s branding? Since it’s based on the Ford Bronco, maybe something like the Lincoln Stallion to stay with the horse theme or will they go with Lincoln’s 1st class “quiet flight” theme so something like the Lincoln Flying Fortress/Envoy/Ventura. Ironically with the Lincoln Corsair being discontinued, i think it would actually be a decent rebrand/reuse of the name.
I’m thinking it’d be a good opportunity to recycle the Mountaineer model name. Fits thematically with Aviator and Navigator, and Mercury’s not going to be using it anytime soon…
If they decide to go equine, Lincoln Percheron has a nice ring to it, or Lincoln Lipizzan.
I think the only difference between the Blackwood and a current 4-door pick-up was the bed. You can get an interior on a modern pick-up that is as luxurious, if not more so, than what the Blackwood offered.
The problem is perception and branding, not the actual appointments. Buyers want the impression of ‘rugged utility and toughness’ while being treated to supple, supportive, heated seats and all the bells and whistles.
The Blackwood was also 2WD only, which is a mix of real capability lost and the point you made.
I may be mistaken, but I was under the impression a rear wheeled drive truck is the option of choice when towing.
Worth noting that in 2002, it was still a time of transition from the 2wd norm of pick-ups to where 4wd was startign to match in numbers sold.
My comparison to modern pickups was meant to be more about the amenities and relative luxury of modern pick-ups vs being seen as a straight-up utilitarian vehicle. I should have been clearer.
RWD typically has a slightly higher towing capacity than 4WD because of lower curb weight, but the difference is usually negligible.
The loss of winter traction is a much bigger deal.
If you live someplace that routinely gets snow.
Intrigued… much like watching a car fire from a distance.
I’d buy this if they got it right.
Me too. Personally, all I would want is a Bronco with reduced wind and road noise (I’d even be cool with it if it meant going fixed roof), a nicer interior, and some kind of “premium” powertrain; what wouldn’t there be to like? Maybe price? If they target GX/Defender market and not G Wagen/Range Rover, I’m down.
I like the Blackwood more than I should
Alright, they need to do this correctly. No fender flares, quiet as a public library inside, smoother on the highway than a set of gage blocks, and interior quality that makes the boys across town at Cadillac worry.
The question is: Is the Bronco the right platform to do this with?
A luxury Bronco and the Blackwood are simply not the same thing. This rumor has also moved my brain towards the thought of, “holy f, how does Ford still not make a hybrid for so much of its lineup??”
The ability to sell a removable roof on a Lincoln is debatable I suppose. Strong novelty factor but a big NVH penalty that I’d personally not put up with.
Whatever they do, they’d better overhaul the entire Playskool interior. I was somewhat interested in a Bronco until I saw how bad the materials and build quality on the interior were.
I’d bet $10 that JFK certainly ain’t a fan.
One of my favorite Covid car stories was all of the rich assholes that bought Broncos with huge markups because they just had to CONSUME and have the coolest thing on the block winding up trading them in and take huge losses because…surprise surprise, the $90,000 Bronco they bought to wave their dick around isn’t as nice as refined as their Range Rovers or Cayennes.
Fucking idiots….
I think they’re pushing their luck here. Lincoln is pretty fortunate to have any niche at all in the current American market and their niche is basically leasing cars designed for the Chinese market to rideshare drivers, olds, pastors, and a handful of ADD addled nouveau rich types who see shiny objects and screens and go ZOMG WOW!
The Navigator is already so overpriced that it’s lease-only (imagine paying six figures for a fucking Navigator lmao) and this is going to sit above it? And compete with what? The Lexus LX? Special edition Range Rovers? The G Wagen, a car with half a century of history that has never gone out of style in that time?
As the kids say, this is delulu. What’s going to separate it? DURRRRRR IT’S GOT A V8! V8 GO BRRR! FUCK YOU! ? Good fucking luck with that in 5 years and good fucking luck selling it anywhere but yee haw land. Bloomberg ran an interesting article about how thoroughly fucked American car manufacturers are if they continue on their current path and it’s worth a read.
Putting resources into a gas guzzling, 3+ ton, assuredly V8 powered, six figure off roader seems like a microcosm of an everything that’s ailing the American automotive industry right now. Line may go up, but line will not go up forever…
The flip side is, if your Lincoln, how are you not looking at your GM competition and asking for a pickup? GM is pretty successful with the Sierra being a tarted up Silverado. Giving Lincoln a pickup (again) would basically make them a more true competitor to GMC and Cadillac balled up into one.
That being said, Lincoln’s offerings haven’t been nearly as good as what Cadillac puts out, and the Mark LT and Blackwood didn’t find the success that the Sierra Denali (which initially came out at roughly the same time as the Blackwood) did.
There are still very few real standalone Lincoln stores. Most are a showroom appended on to a Ford dealership, and they share a parts and service department. If you’re getting truck business on the Ford side of the same building you’re less worried about having the same product with a Lincoln badge.
My local Ford dealer is such an suburban-hillbilly circus that there’d be no way I’d walk in for a luxury vehicle purchase no matter how much I liked the vehicle.
There is one Lincoln dealer in my 2 million metro population area and it has 2.8-stars from 42 Google reviews compared to 4.7 stars from 4,000 reviews for the nearest Lexus dealership, and this combination of numbers is probably a good encapsulation of Lincoln’s overall problems.
Said Lincoln dealer is indeed an appendage to the Ford one. It’s directly across from a very nice Mercedes Benz dealership. Another 4.7 star review aggegrate from 3,000 reviews.
Good luck, Lincoln.
I can already hear the gravely voiced commercials.
“Built Ford Tough, nothing handles the punishment like our Blackwood”
“consult your local Lincoln dealer to discuss your options with our most recent recalls”
I think it’s possible, but $98,000 is gonna be steep if they want to be competitive. The G550 makes similar HP to the Raptor 3.0T -which has also been used in Lincolns’ past – if it has a hybrid attached. That could be smooth enough to help trot it along. It’ll be tricky.
Good for ford trying the easy money grab. Why develop something new when you can just luxury option package something that you already have. I am not a fan of the idea but I get why they want the money. I do not expect it will work out for them. It would seem like a Chrysler version of the Wrangler Sahara?
Well, Ford did pretty much invent “Brougham” with the 1965 LTD.
Every old boomer in their boomer spec Maroon+chrome trimmed Platinum/High Country/Tungsten trim level trucks would do a Lincoln Blackwood today. None of them haul anything in their beds and actually use those carpet bed liners now. They should do a truck again.
The carpeted hard cover 4-5ft beds are now just big car trunks and the trucks are just big cars.
The word “normally” is definitely doing some utilitarian heavy lifting in that statement.
Yep. As someone that likes pickups, I’ve got to assume the most normal use for a pickup involves a single driver in an otherwise empty truck without anything being towed behind.
Never forget the study The Drive published that concluded 75% of truck owners tow once a year or less and 35% use the bed for hauling once a year or less….the vast majority of them are effectively cod pieces that owners are horribly over leveraging themselves to be able to wave around.
And how often do sports car drivers race their cars? And no, speeding on the highway doesn’t count. At least trucks are *useful*. Sports cars just really, aren’t. Heck, I’d wager the % of truck owners that use their trucks for truck stuff is way higher than the % of sports car owners that race their cars.
Sports cars are niche products that are sold in small numbers. IIRC Trucks make up the majority cars sold in the US. Someone with a sports car that isn’t taking it to the track is affecting very few, if any people. The road being primarily populated by 6,000 pound gas guzzling behemoths that people want because vibes makes life worse for everyone.
It’s not even remotely an apples to apples comparison. There are probably 10 body on frame trucks on American roads for every single sports car, if not more. A sports car not being used properly isn’t my problem, and one that is being used properly is a drop in the bucket. A handful of people getting bad gas mileage driving niche products that are usually small doesn’t make much of a difference.
100 million or whatever people driving gas chugging, carbon blasting, 5,000+ pound death traps on public roads is everyone’s problem. That’s the difference, and that’s the part of the Truck Industrial Complex that’s unique. It becomes a public health issue. It wouldn’t be one if trucks were sold in the same numbers that sports cars are.
But they’re not. Our society has decided they’re a necessity, and all of humanity will have to deal with the consequences for centuries. There’s an argument to be made that the tens of millions of people who own trucks and don’t tow or haul with them are antisocial. By the dictionary definition, it’s probably true. It’s an incredibly selfish choice that makes life worse for everyone around you.
This, exactly. I live in a rural truck town. There is a used truck dealership that sells lifted trucks and was caught deleting diesel emissions stuff. They are still in business. Every car is too large when compared to my Miata or my 2wd, regular cab 2002 Tacoma. Ironically, that little truck worked harder then 90% of the big trucks in town.
I own a sports car and a truck. It’s not the same argument though. One uses an excessive amount of space, resources and pollution to transport someone around, and the other is the opposite, and also provides fun to the driver the entire time. I do track my car and I haul and tow with my truck. If I have to go somewhere, it’s not in the truck if possible.
So a modern day Monteverdi Safari?
Maybe Ford should do something else, like make a CAR.
It’s in the plans.
For Europe.
https://www.motor1.com/news/788266/ford-passenger-cars-europe/
came to the comments to say the same exact thing
Bronco’s are already pretty pricey. I would imagine this would be hitting six figures. I also can’t see them retaining the removable roof and doors while still creating an isolating luxury ride that tackles the NVH issues in the Bronco. Besides the Bronco’s off road chops, it also has the legacy appearance working for it (on the 2 door model). I find the 4 door model slightly repulsive.
You’d think they would have learned from the first two attempts.
What Ford, and many other automakers who try this nonsense don’t seem to get is that you CANNOT make a high end luxury vehicle out of something with plebian bones. The buyers see right through that with rare exceptions. You can take a platform meant to be a luxury car first and dumb it down (as VAG is pretty good at doing), but Ford’s bones just aren’t that good.
Of course the G-wagen is in a weird class by itself. How a literal army truck became the rich git darling baffles me to no end. The old ones are utterly terrible to drive, as any vehicle that capable offroad has to be. I assume the new ones are rather better, but by all accounts still worse than anything else on the road, even with rocket-power under the hood (also something I don’t get at all). But ultimately, they are the giant logo purse of the car world – mostly they just shout very loudly that you can afford that much stupidity.
You are right about the gwagon. It’s not popular because is a good luxury car, but because its an expensive, distinct car
Mercedes is laughing all the way to the bank with the G-wagen. The margins on that thing have to be absolutely epic. Fools and their money.
I’d respect them a lot more if Mercedes actually offered them in a configuration that would make real use of the off-road ability, and not just in fancy purse configurations with fine leather, silly frosted paintjobs and rubberband tires. And at a price that isn’t stupid.
But some of the major exceptions where high end luxury vehicles made out of plebian bones are high-end American SUVs (Escalade/Navigator), so to me this is a question of whether we should be comparing it to the Blackwood, or to the Navigator.
That being said, I don’t see it succeeding. The Navigator didn’t have to compromise much on the Expedition’s size or towing capability, so it worked fine. I think either a luxury-badged truck or Bronco would have to compromise too much of what makes them special. Plus, I think even most buyers who want luxury on a platform like that would prefer the cheaper badge, to avoid looking snobby.
Let’s not forget that the entirety of GMC is basically taking plebeian and making it fancier.
A Silverado WT and a Sierra Denali Ultimate represent like a $50k price differential despite having the same plebeian bones.
Which is why they are only considered to be luxury vehicles by rubes.
That can be said about ~90% of luxury items. What separates a $25,000 Birkin bag from a $100 one? What separates a Rolex from a Seiko?
What separates luxury bones from a “plebian” bones? Also, I think it’s funny you are calling people rubes when you can’t even spell plebeian.
Whatever captain pedantic English teacher – this isn’t a college essay, and typos happen.
Very simply – sharing your underpinnings with a $40K work truck (or Wrangler competitor) does not a luxury vehicle make. Though it certainly makes for exceptional profit margins if you can get idiots to pay it.
You are absolutely correct about a handbag – there is VERY little difference between a $100 bag and a $25K bag beyond the prestige of the logo and “nicer” materials (and the really expensive ones DON’T shout the logo all over them – if you know you know.) But there is a HELL of a lot of difference between a $35K Camry and a $150K S-Class – but there is no $35K car that shares the platform of the S-Class. A big part of what you should be paying for is bespoke engineering.
The S-Class is built on the MRA2 platform, which is used all the way down to the C-Class. Maybachs are on it too. So your example goes from $50k to more than a quarter-million.
You still want to stick with your example?
Platform in that sense is not the same as a truck platform where it is literally the same. Get a grip.
Not really – they are like the Lexus LX/Toyota Landcruiser or GMC Yukon Denali/Escalade. Luxury and very slightly more luxury versions of the exact same vehicle, that is also the same vehicle as MUCH more plebian offerings in the case of the North Americans, just with added tinsel. And really more premium than luxury anyway. I don’t think the Bronco is premium enough to pull that off, not even close. It’s a fine Wrangler competitor, and that is all. And you know Ford won’t do more than put “luxury” lipstick on the pig.
I think Ricardo might want to have a word with you about taking a ride in a Cordoba with Rich Corinthian Leather…
Or the entire run of ’60’s Lincoln Continentals (shared platform with the Thunderbird).
See also the original X-body derived Cadillac Seville.
I think when it’s done correctly it can work. I think the Blackwood was launched at the wrong time and maybe a bit too pricey.
I think you just made Mr. Rhodes’s point very poignantly.
Possibly, and I know the Seville wasn’t Mercedes-level luxury, but it was a step above what Cadillac was offering at a “premium” price and it was successful in the marketplace…
I’d also like to note that the Brits did this repeatedly in the 60’s, 70’s and even into the 80’s. BL is possibly the worse offender.
Just because it was successful doesn’t mean it was luxury. Any more than a logo’d Louis Vuitton purse is luxury these days. Just high priced garbage for the gullible.
None of those were real luxury cars. They were just expensive versions of crap foisted on people who don’t know any better.
V8 would be absolutely required, AND 4WD this time. Hardtop only. It HAS to be an AMG-Wagen but American. And somehow build it in Texas. They’ll sell a a pile of them at any cost. Blackwood failed (IMO) due to lack of 4WD and presence of upper-trim F150 that rivaled (King Ranch, anyone??)
I think the Bronco Raptor powertrain would be sufficient, and they already know that the packaging will work. Agree on keeping the hardtop and non-removable doors. Keep the narrower, non-Raptor Sasquatch width and ride height, unless you want something that’s more like the G-Wagen 4X4Squared.
So it’s a gentlemen’s bronco? Then it should be called the Broncanus.
They need to offer popcorn balls at the dealership!
As much as the Blackwood flopped, I think the Mark LT flopped even more. Sure, it sold a tad better than the Blackwood, most people don’t even remember the Mark LT was ever actually made.
Heck, it’s not even mentioned in this article at all.
The Lt was super popular in Mexico.
The Mark LT at least got several model years and 5 digit sales
Plus, it did well enough in Mexico to get a second generation there that lasted to 2014
Yeah, but it was heavily watered down (compared to the Blackwood) to get there, and even then, it still amounted to only ~1% of F150 annual sales.
So yeah, percentage wise, big improvement compared to the Blackwood when it comes to sales, but still absolutely pitiful.
Came here for this, was surprised it wasn’t mentioned.
Anyone else disappointed this isn’t a badly rebagdged bronco, ala linoln mark lt?
Lincoln’s version of a G-Wagen would be pretty cool to see. The Navigator was a big deal when it originally arrived on the scene.