On Saturday I had a long list of auto manufacturers I wanted to consider in replacing Nina. Ford, Chevrolet, Kia, Hyundai, Lincoln, Cadillac, Audi, Buick, BMW, Mercedes, Toyota, Honda, and Volkswagen. One by one I knocked down each brand. Sometimes it was because of old technology, sometimes it was because of price. But regardless of the reason I finally whittled it down to two brands. Lincoln or Ford.
When I finished the last post I was honestly already down to Cadillac, Buick, Audi, Ford, and Lincoln. I stopped because my head was spinning by trying to research and write at the same time... but I didn't stop researching. I researched all of Saturday and Sunday and by Sunday evening I was down to not only two manufacturers, I was down to three models.
The main determining factor comes down to three things. The gauge cluster, the infotainment system, and the new technology.
The gauge cluster is what knocked Caddy and Buick out. They've actually embraced digital clusters for awhile. They just didn't fully commit to them. The Audi, which I mentioned is the gold standard, is entirely digital. Like Nina, there are no dials or physical gauges. It's a 12 inch screen and it's glorious.
The bottom photo almost looks right, until you realize the speedometer and tachometer are both physical. It leaves just the center portion to be screen. That's a little more obvious in the top photo. Buick is about the same across its vehicles.
I'd be paying top dollar for a Cadillac and this is a true knock against them. So Caddy is off the board. Buick follows quickly. I'd pay less for a used Buick and could practically afford a brand new one, but they're just not luxurious enough and almost... frumpy? I may not smile at any new vehicle as much as I smile at Nina, but I don't want to frown when I see it either. So Buick is gone.
That's Audi, Ford, and Lincoln. Obviously Audi passes the gauge cluster test and Lincoln follows suit as their newest models all have digital gauge clusters. They're not as customizable or nice as Audi's, but they're still as good as Nina's. Ford's new Explorer, released in 2020, stays in but that's it. And even then, it's only the Platinum or ST trim.
The infotainment system of all the Lincolns and Fords would be the same thing as I have in Nina. Sync 3. The new Explorer has the option of a portrait style 10 inch screen as opposed to the landscape 8 inch screen, but it's still the same software. Audi's is fine. It didn't look bad, had Apple Car Play, and had no complaints when I watched some reviews, so it didn't get knocked out. But while looking at a review on the Explorer, they mentioned specifically that the new portrait style screen wasn't the same as the 12 inch screen in the new Edge as that had Ford's new Sync 4.
Sync 4?
Yes, it only took a little research to realize that's the same infotainment system in the new Mustang Mach-E and the newest F-150. I have no idea how the Edge got this before the Explorer, but there it is. And just like that, the Edge was back in the running. Understand, the Edge was at a big disadvantage as it's gauge cluster is what knocked it out of the running before. Not only is it NOT a digital cluster, it's the same layout as the Fusions. Speedo in the center with a four inch screen on either side. Nice, but something I've seen for years.
The top is what I'd be staring at as I drive. The bottom is it with the new Sync 4 system. For comparison, here's the Lincoln and Explorer's screens:
Gauge clusters have it down to Lincolns, Ford Explorer, and Audis. The infotainment system brings the Ford Edge back into the conversation if not the lead. That leaves technology. Obviously Ford and Lincoln share a lot of technology while Audi generally leads the way as a premier German luxury brand. But as I researched, I found the thing that knocked Audi out. Ford/Lincoln Co-Pilot 360 Plus.
The Ford Co-Pilot has a lot of technologies. The blind system alert, the back up camera, cross traffic monitoring, lane departure warning. Stuff like that that I already have. But when it's the Plus it get the Adaptive Cruise (a must have) and lane centering. Some vehicles even get the newest Intelligent Cruise.
Adaptive Cruise we know about. It's where you set your speed and when a car in front of you slows down below it, you slow down to. It's great and needed for any commute. Intelligent Cruise adds a new twist. It uses its cameras to read the speed limit signs and assigns your speed according to that. For instance, I put in that I want to go 5 miles per hour faster than the speed limit. When I'm cruising along at 60mph on a 55mph highway and it sees a sign come up that the speed limit is now 70mph, it will automatically increase my speed to 75 mph.
!!!
And then there's Lane Centering. I have lane depature and it's fine. When you get close to the lane markings it will turn the wheel a bit to push you back into the lane. If it can't do it or you push past it's intervention, it will shake the wheel to let you know you're crossing the markings and entering another lane (or exiting the road!). With Lane Centering, it actually reads the lane markings then centers the vehicle in it. You can take your hands off the wheel and it will actually turn you around a curve.
When I test drove the Edge ST back in 2019 (the one with the seats that were trying to kill me) it had that feature and it was amazing. I'd forgotten about it as I got a dream car instead of a dream feature... but that feature is now available on the Edge, the Explorer, and all Lincoln models.
I'm sorry, but Audi doesn't have anything like that in anything that I can afford. Audi is out of the picture leaving me, once again, just considering Ford products.
Now that I was down to two manufacturers, I had to narrow it down to actual vehicles. Here's where price came in.
Lincoln has the Navigator, the Aviator (based off the Explorer), the Nautilus (based off the Edge), and the Corsair (based off the Escape). The Corsair is too small, so it's out. And a glance at used prices show that the Aviator and Navigator follow it out the door. The Nautilus CAN be had in used, just not new. New, with the features I want, it goes for about $70,000. Thank fully the Nautilus nameplate has only been out since 2019 so I don't have to worry about the model year. I just have to keep the miles under 50,000 so that I can get a warranty to cover it through the payment period.
To properly search for a car, I have to know what options and how they break down. So for the Nautilus it has to be the Reserve trim in all wheel drive (all my vehicle choices have to obviously be AWD). It has to have the Drivers assistant package as that's what includes the lane centering. I'd also like it to have other options, but I'd take a Nautilus Reserve AWD with the drivers assistance package.
The Edge would normally lose out as I have other options that include the digital cluster, BUT I can get it with the same technology in it's most luxurious form, with Sync 4.... New. All the other cars I'm looking at are used (we'll come back to this).
The Edge would be a 2021 Edge Titanium AWD with the 301A package. That gives me both the Sync 4 and the lane centering. I'd also demand on having the Edge Elite package as it includes an interior that looks amazing and keeps the Edge from appearing cheap. IT would go for about $49,000.
Finally the Explorer. To get everything I want, the digital gauge cluster and the lane centering, I'd have to have either the Platinum or ST trim. The limited and below don't get the digital gauge cluster and don't even have the option for the bigger infotainment screen. So the Explorer would be either an Explorer Platinum AWD (no other packages needed) or the Explorer ST (the ST is automatically an AWD) with the 401A package. I could add the Premium technology group that also adds the larger infotainment screen as well as other bells and whistles.
The new explorer came out in 2020, so I'd only be looking at 2020 model years. The Platinum trim is harder to find in my price range but its doable. The ST is easier to find, even with the 401a.
Then we come back to the other 'new' option. All the vehicles I'm looking at have Sync 3 except for the Edge. All of them have digital clusters except for the Edge. All of the Lincolns have 8 inch screens. If I put those together, I can piece together a new explorer that keeps the lane centering. It would be an Explorer Limited AWD. The limited automatically includes the lane centering so anything else would be cake. If I add the 301a package for $700 (worth it for all it includes) I might be able to squeeze it in for exactly $800 a month.
So now I technically have 5 vehicles to pick from:
- 2021 Ford Edge Titanium AWD with the 301a package
- 2021 Ford Explorer Limited AWD with the 301a package
- 2020 Ford Explorer Platinum AWD
- 2020 Ford Explorer ST with the 401a package
- 2019 Lincoln Nautilus Reserve AWD with the Drivers Assistance package.
The Edge would be a 2.0L 4 cylinder producing 250 HP. The Explorer Limited would be a 2.3L 4 cylinder producing 300 HP. The Explorer Platinum would be a 3.0L V6 making 365 HP. The Explorer ST would be a 3.0L V6 making 400 HP. And the Lincoln Nautilus would be either a 2.0L making 250 HP or a 2.7L 4 cylinder making 335 HP.
I keep sliding back and forth between all of these options. I want the Sync 4 and the new vehicle happiness from the Edge. I want the ultra premium feel and extra horsepower of a Platinum or ST Explorer. I want the luxury of the Lincoln. I want the new feeling of the Limited Explorer.
The Edge and Nautilus are probably going to be discontinued in a few years. The Explorer is brand new for 2020 and not likely to be redone for several more years and isn't going anywhere as it's popular... but it's popularity means I'll always see 'my' car everywhere.
BAH!!!
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