As a century-old heritage of the Lincoln brand, it has always had a positioning that combines luxury, tone, and practicality. As a unique American luxury brand, how to maintain competitiveness in the new energy era depends on how Lincoln can enhance product power, especially in the hybrid field, while retaining luxury and tone. With strong global industrial chain relationships and the capabilities of the joint venture company with Changan Lincoln, Lincoln has already unveiled two models with hybrid systems at the Chengdu Auto Show last year, which are the new Aviator Hybrid and the Lincoln Z Hybrid that Sina Auto test drove today.
Smooth Hybrid Switching – Adventurer Hybrid Edition The appearance of the two hybrid models is consistent with the fuel version, with only slight differences in detail, so let’s talk about the driving power and driving experience first. The new Adventurer Hybrid Edition, positioned as a compact SUV, is equipped with a 1.5T engine with a maximum power of 142 kilowatts, coupled with an E-CVT gearbox and a motor power of 96 kilowatts. The hybrid system is matched with a nickel-cobalt-manganese lithium battery provided by BYD, with a battery capacity of 1.4kWh.
Official data shows that the new hybrid version of the adventurer has a comprehensive range of over 1240km. The hybrid system has also been extensively validated for fuel consumption, fuel-electric switching, and various driving modes, all of which have performed well.
In actual driving, hybrids mainly drive at startup and low speeds. In addition to the basic standard mode, there are also sport, eco, standard, and wet mode in the driving mode, providing a more accurate, comfortable, and safe driving experience for different driving scenarios.
The low-speed driving experience feels very much like a pure electric car, thanks to Lincoln’s consistently good NVH indicators. The switch between fuel and pure electric power is barely audible in the cabin, coupled with the excellent suspension shock absorption ability, making the overall smoothness of the driving experience very good. The comfort-oriented American luxury positioning is still the biggest highlight of this hybrid version of the adventurer.
The Lincoln Aviator Hybrid is very responsive, with smooth and linear acceleration. It can drive mainly in pure electric mode at speeds of up to 60 kilometers per hour, making it very fuel efficient for city commuting.
Most users of this car will drive on paved roads, so it’s important to minimize the fuel consumption of the Lincoln Aviator Hybrid. However, if you want a powerful driving experience, the hybrid version can still deliver. When you press the gas pedal, the engine will respond quickly and provide plenty of power.
The working principle of this hybrid electric technology, officially referred to as the Power Split Device architecture, uses the familiar sun gear, planetary gear, and engine/generator driving motor structure. This mechanical and electric drive structure allows for smooth switching between fuel, pure electric, and hybrid power, operating at the most optimal efficiency to achieve impressive fuel consumption in urban areas. The average fuel consumption of the hybrid version under normal driving conditions is 5.7L per 100 kilometers.
In terms of car weight, the hybrid version will definitely be heavier than the pure fuel version, so the support of the chassis is important. The hybrid version and the fuel version both use MacPherson independent suspension for the front suspension and multi-link suspension for the rear suspension. The chassis support of the hybrid version of the adventurer is as resilient as ever. At low speeds, the steering wheel has a moderate feel, and female drivers can easily handle it. The precision of the steering is in place, and the chassis, based on its resilience, is set with a sporty tuning style. When encountering road conditions such as speed bumps, big potholes, and other large bumps, the chassis filters out vibrations cleanly and efficiently.
Smooth Hybrid Switching – Lincoln Z Hybrid Version Compared to the Explorer Hybrid version, the Lincoln Z has a slightly larger displacement, equipped with a 2.0T hybrid system, with a maximum engine power of 214 kW and a motor power of 140 kW. In terms of power battery, it uses nickel-cobalt-manganese lithium batteries produced by BYD Lithium Battery Co., Ltd. The transmission system is matched with an E-CVT gearbox, and the official acceleration from 0 to 100 km/h is 6.04 seconds.
The power of the Lincoln Z will be more powerful, just like the adventurer’s hybrid system. This hybrid system has a highly integrated ISC inverter assembly, which includes motor controller, vehicle controller. In the optimal combination of ISC, drive motor, generator, differential, and planetary gear, it can bring the feeling of inductive acceleration.
The driving experience of the Lincoln Z hybrid is more dynamic compared to the Lincoln Aviator hybrid. It is a mid-sized car, so the hybrid provides assistance with acceleration and low speeds while balancing fuel efficiency and performance.
The Lincoln Z hybrid version has a very aggressive power delivery at the start, with strong electric drive sensation. The vehicle’s drive is very smooth with light pressure on the gas pedal. The hybrid powertrain’s switch between gas and electric is very seamless, making the entire driving process very smooth. Just like the adventurer, its hybrid powertrain switch is very seamless without any noticeable power drag from the involvement of the gasoline engine.
However, in terms of performance, the Lincoln Z hybrid version also provides strong power. Switching to sport mode, stepping hard on the gas pedal instantly gives you a push-back power. This is thanks to the dual power of oil and electricity. If you continue to step hard on the gas pedal, the power will continue to flow. If you then adopt a smooth driving style after stepping hard on the gas pedal, the electric drive will dominate the next acceleration.
A mid-size Lincoln sedan not only brings comfort in driving, but also focuses on cost-effective use. The Lincoln Z hybrid version continues to release more cost-effective options for users while maintaining luxury, style, and performance. The appearance of the two Lincoln hybrid models remains consistent with the overall fuel version, with no change in size, but with significant differences in detail, such as the addition of blue elements to the badge position to show the hybrid identity. The biggest difference in appearance between the two hybrid models and the fuel version lies in the details, such as the exclusive starry front grille, blue bottom star badge, blue side lettering, high-brightness luggage rack decoration, and 18/19-inch low-rolling resistance wheels.
The new hybrid version of the adventurer has dimensions of 4612/1887/1630 mm (length/width/height) and a wheelbase of 2711 mm, keeping the same body size as the fuel version.
The hybrid version of the adventurer differs from the fuel version only in the blue paint on the side fender and the emblem on the front of the car, enhancing the attributes of the new energy vehicle. In other aspects, the hybrid version and the fuel version remain consistent.
The Lincoln Z hybrid version is 4982/1865/1485 millimeters in length, width, and height, with a wheelbase of 2930 millimeters. The front end design is slightly different from the fuel version, with a more simple and flat overall style, in addition to the blue badge.
The car’s tail features a through-style taillight assembly, straight and grand, giving the rear end a steady overall shape. The black decorative panel below the lights adds depth to the tail, and it also has the Super Red light effect and three custom lighting modes.
The rear of the car has a sleek design with a small ducktail shape, enhancing the vehicle’s sporty feel.
Interior technology features upgraded In terms of interior, the adventurer has seen significant changes in core technology. The cockpit chip has been upgraded from 820A to 8155, increasing computing power by 177%. This results in smoother voice interaction, vehicle system interaction, and app switching.
The Lincoln Navigator also offers luxurious features like a large panoramic sunroof, a 12.3-inch digital instrument panel, adaptive cruise control, automatic parking, dual-zone automatic air conditioning, wireless charging, and more.
The Lincoln Z features a 12.3-inch and 27-inch panoramic screen, with high-definition resolution and multi-touch support, paired with the fourth-generation Lincoln SYNC+ smart connectivity system, supporting intelligent voice assistant.
In addition, the Lincoln Z is equipped with the Co-Pilot 360 2.0 intelligent driving assistance system, which can achieve L2 level intelligent driving assistance. Superior spatial experience The interior colors of both models have been updated with blue accents to reflect the hybrid version’s exclusivity, and chestnut and black colors are also available for selection.
In terms of the riding experience, both models maintain a luxurious and comfortable feel. The support of the adventurer’s seats is very good, and the seat cushions of the front and rear rows can support the entire thighs. The backrest has support, and the use of composite material filling gives a sinking feeling to the body, but there is enough support to support long-distance driving.
The front seat cushion is thickened by 13mm, the second-row seat cushion is extended by 26mm, and many user-friendly designs such as one-touch electric folding provide a comfortable cabin experience for passengers, without feeling tired.
The adventurer sees that the front seats have 22-way power adjustment, as well as heating, memory, and ventilation. The rear seats also have heating and 12° angle adjustment, so the comfort of the seats in the car is very good. The seating experience for rear passengers reaches a top level in the same class of vehicles.
The hybrid version of the adventurer has the same leather seats as the fuel version, equipped with Savannah semi-aniline premium leather, which is gentle and soft while being environmentally friendly, and has the characteristics of durability and stain resistance.
In terms of noise reduction, the adventurer hybrid version adds active noise reduction function, which was previously only available in the top model, equipped with front double-layer laminated glass.
The riding experience in the Lincoln Z is very intimate. It has a wheelbase of over 2.9 meters and a sloping C-pillar that extends slowly backward to the rear of the car, giving passengers in the rear seats a very “hidden” feeling.
The Lincoln Z hybrid version achieves the ultimate in riding experience with Bader premium leather-wrapped seats equipped with heating, ventilation, and 24-way power adjustment functions.
In summary, although equipped with a hybrid system, the two hybrid models are still built around the two major characteristics of the Lincoln brand: luxury and personality. The hybrid and performance are very well balanced, not abrupt. However, from the fuel consumption, it can be seen that the hybrid has a significant impact, with a fuel consumption of 3-4L per 100 kilometers. The new energy action of the luxury brand is coming, and it is coming grandly with great advantages. It is believed that the launch of these two cars will definitely have good sales performance, and also represents the beginning of the era of electrification for American luxury cars.