2003 Lincoln Town Car

Executive shuttle sedan, vacation rental car, or official ride of South Florida retirement communities, there is nothing sexy or cutting edge about the Lincoln Town Car. With that said, the refreshed 2003 model does represent a new direction for Ford Motor Company's domestic luxury marque. The Town Car is the first of three new models from Lincoln for the 2003 model year, including the revised Navigator and the Explorer-based Aviator sport/utility vehicle. Like the new Navigator, the Town Car gets a hydroformed frame and variable ratio rack-and-pinion steering (replacing a recirculating ball), plus new sheetmetal designed to make the car more competitive with the Cadillac DeVille in the livery sedan market. (Fleet sales account for up to 60 percent of Town Car transactions.)

Lincoln says the chassis setup, along with reworked front suspension and brakes, will provide Town Car drivers with sharper steering response and better control without giving up the cushy ride. Handling and appearance are augmented with standard 17-inch wheels replacing the 2002's 16-inchers. These changes are important: with Lincoln's two biggest land yachts switching to rack-and-pinion, the automaker is moving to make responsive steering a hallmark of the brand, regardless of how soft the suspension may be.

Stylists have squared off the Town Car's body, to better reflect upcoming designs that will hearken back to the classic sharply chiseled "suicide door" Continentals of the early 1960s. The standup hood ornament has been revived, which Lincoln says helps drivers navigate parking spaces. Consider this the first taste of the new design direction, just as the 2000 DeVille hinted at Caddy's emerging "Art & Science" aesthetic. The Town Car's creased look also lends itself to better use of the trunk space, along with moving the spare tire to the right-side wheel well and providing a powered open/close function controlled via key fob.

A revised interior includes an analog clock and large-numeraled digital speedometer readout, plus such amenities as revised cupholders. The 2003 Town Car also has a touch of the white-light and satin-nickel interior trim that will make a big splash in the 2003 Navigator and other new Lincolns. Trim levels are the Cartier, Signature, and Executive, plus the long-wheelbase Cartier L and Executive L models.

In total, the midlife Town Car refinements address numerous desires from current Lincoln owners, a loyal base with an impressive 60-percent being repeat buyers. The 2003 updates may be low in sex appeal, but they breathe fresh life into the full-size sedan, while easing the transition to future Lincoln models.