There was a time in the US when luxury was synonymous with size. This golden age of the American luxury car was ruled by vehicles big enough to fit the entire baseball team, or the entire harem of the rich and famous. That was before European style entered the US and luxury became more refined than garish and more reliant on quality than simply size. Now we have Mercedes-Benz and BMW leading the way, and others like Hyundai and Lexus following closely behind with ever-more refined styling.
So where does that leave the Lincoln Town Car? Unfortunately it leaves it looking more like a parody of those long-gone days than a serious luxury car. That is not to say it is bad – it actually drives pretty well despite the enormous weighting towards comfort over performance. However it is difficult to see a future for this old-fashioned behemoth, particularly with economic times as they are and the trend back towards smaller and more economical cars. It is quite likely that within a few years we will see these kind of massive sedans in museums rather than on the road.
2009 Lincoln Town Car Performance
Sporting a 4.6-liter V8 engine that generates 239hp and 287lb-ft of torque, the 2009 Lincoln Town Car offers enough power to lug its heavy frame around and still have some to spare for reasonable acceleration and highway passing. That is not particularly helped by the four-speed automatic transmission which is not as responsive as you would hope, particularly decelerating where it seems to prefer to keep cruising and avoid the hard work of kicking down gears.
In fact it is this kind of laziness that typifies the Lincoln Town Car in many aspects of its handling. The floppy comfort-tuned suspension which rolls around corners and wallows over bumps gives a disconnected feel to the steering, and although some say it is an improvement on previous year models, we are not so sure. Sharp braking brings on a serious nose-dive, but to its credit, the Town Car is quiet and peaceful, in keeping with its lazy persona. Fuel economy is predictably thirsty given the V8 engine and the sheer size of the Town Car at 15/22mpg for city/highway driving.
If you are looking for a car that is fun to drive, then the Lincoln Town Car is most certainly not it, and there are a myriad of better options available like the Hyundai Genesis, Lexus LS and Audi A8. However if supporting the US economy whilst driving a big, comfortable armchair is what you are after then the 2009 Lincoln Town Car may be just what you are looking for.
2009 Lincoln Town Car Interior and Features
Seating in the 2009 Lincoln Town Car is soft and comfortable and as you would expect, and comes with almost unprecedentedly massive legroom in both the front and back seats. We say “almost” because the Signature L trim adds 6 extra inches to the wheelbase of the Town Car to create more interior room that you can possibly know what to do with. The Town Car seats six passengers with three on the front bench seat in true old-fashioned style (is that even legal?) and three in the back. Cargo space is of course cavernous, at 21 cubic feet and features an optional cargo bin that helps to load and unload as well as stopping the grocery bags from rolling around.
There are two trims on the 2009 Lincoln Town Car. The Signature Limited comes standard with full power accessories (including power closing trunk and power adjustable pedals), soft leather upholstery, 17-inch alloy wheels, heated front seats, dual-zone climate control, leather and wood-trimmed steering wheel with controls for the audio and climate functions, and six-disc CD changer for the stereo. There is also a universal remote control for the garage doors and gates, rear parking assist and cruise control.
The Signature L trim adds 6 inches of extra wheelbase which is absorbed largely in the rear seat area and fits the limousine criteria to a T. Also added are heated seats at the rear, folding armrest, rear seat mirrors and rear seat audio and climate controls. Conspicuously absent from the options list of both trims is a navigation system and rear seat entertainment system, both of which would have helped the Town Car look and feel a little less like a dinosaur facing imminent extinction. However if you feel the urge you can add whitewall tires to really finish off the retro look, plus xenon headlights and chrome wheels.
2009 Lincoln Town Car Safety
One advantage to being such a huge car is that even in most crash situations the passengers are distanced from the road enough to be relatively safe. Thus despite not carrying head curtain airbags or stability control (which the Town Car could really use given its floppy nature), it remarkably became the first car in history to achieve the perfect five stars in government crash testing for all situations. Front seat side airbags are included as well as traction control and anti-lock braking.
Safety features:
- Traction control, ABS brakes
- Front seat side airbags
- LATCH (lower anchors and tethers for children)
Overall the 2009 Lincoln Town Car is a big car with a big history of chauffeuring around the rich and famous, but unfortunately a not-so-big future as its era draws to an inevitable close. Nevertheless it remains a viable choice for those who still want home-grown luxury.