2006 Lincoln Zephyr

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2006 Summary

The all-new Lincoln Zephyr is a near-luxury sedan that makes Lincoln-grade luxury and styling affordable to more people than ever. It's a welcome addition to the Lincoln lineup, as Lincoln's sustained focus on large luxury cars and SUVs has left the brand conspicuously absent from the highly competitive near-luxury segment.

Full Review 2006 Zephyr

With its youthful appearance and tidy packaging, the Zephyr provides some balance to the other vehicles in the Lincoln showroom. With a base price of less than $30,000, the Zephyr enters 2006 as the brand's entry-level model. Based on the proven front-wheel-drive mechanicals of the Mazda6, Ford Fusion and Mercury Milan, the Zephyr offers a smooth ride, a spacious interior and bold new styling that is certain to be echoed on future Lincoln products. Zephyr's appeal lies in its combination of style, interior comfort and price. While it costs several thousand dollars more than the aforementioned sedans with which it shares much of its underpinnings, the Zephyr adds value by way of premium materials, a quiet, smooth ride, high feature content and impressive refinement.

Trims and Styling

The 2006 Lincoln Zephyr is offered in a single trim level, with a 220-hp V6 engine, front-wheel drive, and a six-speed automatic transmission. Its long list of standard equipment includes 17-inch wheels, a six-speaker sound system with in-dash six-disc CD player, cruise control, leather upholstery, 10-way power driver and front passenger bucket seats with heating feature, dual-zone climate control and genuine wood trim.

 Options include a THX II Audiophile sound system, a touch-screen DVD-based navigation system, which includes the THX sound system, a power sunroof, cooled front seats, which includes perforated leather upholstery, Xenon HID headlights, and chrome aluminum wheels. Active safety features include anti-lock four-wheel disc brakes with electronic brake-force distribution (EBD) and traction control. Passive safety features include front seat belts with pretensioners and load-limiters, dual front air bags, front side seat-mounted torso air bags, front- and rear-seat curtain air bags and an inertia-based fuel cutoff switch that stops the flow of fuel in the event of a serious accident to prevent fuel spills and fires.

The Zephyr is the smallest of all Lincolns, fitting in the midsize category along with the slightly larger, rear-wheel-drive Lincoln LS. The Zephyr is based on the same platform as the Mazda6, Ford Fusion and Mercury Milan, but has many Lincoln styling cues to maintain a distinct visual identity.

In front, the Zephyr features a broad waterfall grille flanked by quad headlamps. Fog lamps are standard. As a front-wheel-drive vehicle, the nose is long, but not unattractively so. All Zephyrs ride on 17-inch wheels; eight-spoke silver painted wheels are standard; chrome wheels are optional.

The Zephyr's rear end is dominated by large, high-mounted taillamps that incorporate fast-illuminating LED brake lights on the outer portion and conventional bulbs in the middle with prism-like reflectors. The bumper has subtle cutouts to accommodate twin chrome exhaust tips.

2006 Zephyr Interior

Front seats offer comfort for people of most body types, thanks to standard 10-way power adjustments for both the driver and front passenger, including lumbar support. The steering wheel tilts and telescopes. The center console features generously sized, chrome-ringed cupholders and an armrest that slides forward to accommodate drivers that may have moved his or her seat forward on its tracks. Vision out the sides is decent, aided by big, heated outside mirrors. Ergonomics are quite good, even if the Zephyr's highly stylized, formal dashboard treatment is a bit imposing. All gauges and controls feature cool white nighttime illumination that conveys an appreciable sense of class. Front seat heaters are standard, while seat coolers are available. Both offer three settings. Ordering the cooled seats brings with it perforated leather upholstery in place of the non-perforated leather on all other Zephyrs.

Interior trim is remarkably nice, with padded materials covering the dash top and door panels. The silvery metallic plastic trim looks attractive, offset as it is by generous swaths of genuine wood trim and chrome accents. Zephyr's steering wheel is a particularly good-looking part of the interior. Two lovely wood pieces, at 8 o'clock and 4 o'clock where one's hands belong, match the wood trim elsewhere in the vehicle.

 The optional, easy-to-use touch-screen navigation system unfortunately gobbles up the dashboard real estate usually reserved for the radio, thus most audio functions have been incorporated into the touch screen. At least a conventional volume knob has been retained even with the navigation system option, which includes the THX sound system.

2006 Zephyr First Drive

On the road, the Lincoln Zephyr behaves very much as a Lincoln should. The velvety ride quality is on par with that of the Lexus ES 330. Zephyr is only available with front-wheel-drive, and as such is the only Lincoln that does not have rear- or all-wheel drive.

The standard six-speed automatic delivers smooth, unnoticeable shifts. The powertrain delivers decent fuel efficiency, however, thanks in no small part to the six-speed automatic's tall top gear. Handling, however, suffers as a result of Zephyr's emphasis on ironing out all the bumps. In terms of sportiness, the front-wheel-drive Zephyr simply cannot compete with the rear-wheel-drive Cadillac CTS or the rear-wheel-drive BMW 3 Series or the all-wheel-drive Audi A4. The Zephyr's ride and handling mix is more comparable to that of the Buick LaCrosse, Toyota Avalon, and Lexus ES 330. The engine-speed-sensitive, variable-assist power steering tends to be a bit overboosted at most speeds. The turning circle is unimpressive at 40.0 feet, making parking lot maneuvers particularly cumbersome.

The Zephyr comes with four-wheel disc brakes with ABS and electronic brake-force distribution. Traction control is offered, but stability control is not. Also notably absent from the options list is a reverse sensing system.

 2006 Zephyr Conclusions

The 2006 Lincoln Zephyr is a classy, midsize luxury sedan that combines front-wheel-drive dynamics with contemporary styling, a terrific interior and good fuel economy. It is safe and easy to drive, if not super sporty. For more info on Current Lincoln models go to Lincoln.com. The attractive price makes it a compelling choice for buyers looking at the Buick Lucerne, Lexus ES 330, Acura TL, or Cadillac CTS.