Inspector Morse of the PBS "Mystery" series can donate his red 1960 Mark 2 S-Type Jaguar sedan to his favorite auto museum, and buy a brand new 2000 S-Type Jaguar sedan now that Jaguar has produced a worthy successor. Then again Morse, now retired on a police pension, might instead plump for the 2000 Lincoln LS, saving himself some $11,000, and still have a lot of fun driving it. But it sure wouldn't look as good as the Jaguar.
    Ford Motor Co. is mother to these great new cars. Ford bought Lincoln in 1922, and bought Jaguar in 1990. Over the years Lincoln has been Cadillac's principal competitor, and like Cadillac, kept building floaty, bloaty cars for the same aging customers. Problem is, these customers are now dying off, and taking Lincoln's market with them.
    Ford top management is encouraging Lincoln to go after a younger, more hip market. Last year they moved the Lincoln/Mercury headquarters from Detroit to Irvine in the hope that some West Coast culture might rub off. Driving the new Lincoln LS, I think some of it did.
    Jaguars were at the bottom of the various quality lists when Ford bought the company. Ford quickly dispensed with the ancient Jaguar production line and replaced it with a state-of-the-art ultra-modern manufacturing system. This, plus some aggressive, innovative design by Jaguar's Whitley Engineering Centre in Coventry, England, has produced the Jaguar S-Type sedan, and has put Jaguar products on top of the quality charts.
    Using the same platform, the famed Jaguar V-8 engine, and some of the Jaguar underpinnings Ford developed the all-new Lincoln LS. The chassis, however, is a distinctive American design, using a group of engineers who had worked previously on Ford Formula 1 and CART programs.

The 2000 S-Type Jaguar remains a favorite and will likely be a classic, just like the 1964 S-Type behind it.

    Driving the Jaguar and the Lincoln was a pleasant surprise. They are both genuine sports sedans, playing the same field as BMW, Audi, Mercedes and the new Volvo S80. The "rush" from the V-8 in either car is almost scary, you find yourself passing everything very, very quickly until your driver's license begins to twitch in your wallet, and a dab on the huge, powerful brakes brings you back to earth in a hurry. Both cars have tenacious cornering ability, even on rough roads. Talk about fun — you can throw these cars around, drive them fast, stop them on a dime and feel perfectly safe and comfortable throughout.
    When you step out of the Jaguar, you may feel like bowing to the audience of admirers that surround the car. The Lincoln, by contrast, will probably not attract much attention when delivered by the valet. It’s actually quite pleasant looking, but that’s all. Looks a bit Mitsubishi-like, or maybe Infiniti?
    The Jaguar is undeniably beautiful to look at, and has more powerful engine options than the Lincoln. The 24-valve 3.0 liter DOHC V-6 develops 240 hp and the 32-valve 4.0 liter DOHC V-8 develops 281 hp. These engines are coupled to a five-speed automatic transmission. The Lincoln offers a five-speed manual, as well as the five-speed automatic with the 210 hp 3.0 liter V-6, and the five-speed automatic with the 252 hp 3.9 liter V-8 engine, and is some $11,000 to $13,000 cheaper than the Jaguar. The Jaguar V-6 lists for $42,500, and the V-8 for $48,000, whereas the Lincoln LS manual shift Sport V-6 lists for $31,715, the automatic V-6 lists for $30,915 and the V-8 for $34,690. A Lincoln with a stick shift? What will they think of next?
    The all-aluminum V-6 engine for both cars is a Ford VTEC, with special Jaguar-designed variable valve cylinder heads on the Jaguar. The all-aluminum V-8 engine for both cars is a Jaguar design, destroked for the Lincoln. All these engines have a dual tuned exhaust system which under power produces a simply gorgeous sporty sound, perhaps a little muted in the Lincoln, but definitely virile in the Jag.
    The lowest priced Lincoln LS has a V-6 and a five-speed stick shift with sport wheels, steering and suspension.
    The automatic Lincoln has a manual control option, called SelectShift which allows manual/automatic shifting as an alternative to fully automatic shifting. Both Jaguars also have a manual/automatic shift capability.
    All the Lincoln LS and Jaguar S-Type models include as standard equipment power leather front seats, anti-lock brake systems, telescopic steering wheels with radio and cruise controls, power windows and door locks with remote entry, alarm systems, dual zone heating and a/c systems.
    Other standard equipment for the manual V-6 Lincoln Sport LS includes a five-speed Getrag transmission, sport suspension, "failsafe" cooling system, solar glass, power heated outside mirrors and 17-inch aluminum wheels. Options available are a convenience package with auto rear view mirror, garage door openers, moisture sensitive wipers, seat/steering memory and front seat lumbar adjustment for $850, upgraded sound system for $565, CD changer for $595, built-in cell phone for $595, heated seats for $290 and a moonroof for $995.
    The Lincoln automatic V-6 standard equipment is the same as for the V-6 manual except for the 5-speed automatic transmission, 16-inch wheels and normal suspension. The options offered are the same except for a "sport" package with 17-inch aluminum wheels, sport tuned steering and shock absorbers, SelectShift shifter and engine oil cooler for $1,000 and the Advancetrac Yaw Control System which controls vehicle stability for $725.
    The Lincoln V-8 standard equipment is the same as for the V-6 automatic except for an electronic message center and seat/steering wheel memory. Options for the V-8 are the same as for the automatic V-6 with the addition of a Vehicle Emergency Messaging System for $960.
    Additional standard equipment for the Jaguar V-6 includes 16-inch aluminum wheels. Options available are a power/memory package with moon roof, electrochromatic rear view mirror with compass, garage door openers, driver seat/steering wheel memory and lumbar support for $1,900, a weather package with heated front seats, rain sensing wipers and dynamic stability control for $1,200, sport package with 17-inch wheels for $1,100, a deluxe communication package with cell phone, voice-activated controls for telephone/climate/audio control and a navigation system for $4,300, and a CD changer for $1,500.
    The Jaguar V-8 standard equipment is the same as for the V-6 with the addition of a moon roof, seat/steering wheel memory and garage door opener controls. The options available are the same as for the V-6 with the exception of the noted standard features on the V-8.
    The warranty for all these cars is four years/50,000 miles which includes a 24-hour roadside assistance program. The EPA fuel consumption figures for the Lincoln LS manual Sport V-6 are 17/25 mpg, city/highway, for the LS automatic V-6 18/25 mpg, for the V-8 17/24 mpg, city/highway, the Jaguar V-6 18/26 mpg, city/highway and the V-8 17/23 mpg, city/highway.
    These are fun cars, the Jaguar, elegant but overpriced, the Lincoln, out of place in the Lincoln showrooms, almost as good a performer as the Jag, and an absolute bargain. I like the LS, but I’ll save up for the Jag.

Motoring since 1952, Austin Lynas has owned 54 cars and at one time raced mini-sedans in England. An aerospace engineer, he was instrumental in developing the anti-skid systems used in British military aircraft that preceded today’s ABS systems. Lynas can be reached by e-mail at osten@aol.com.