Sense or Nonsense: Should Upscale Hyundais Become Lincolns?

Which cost more these days? Car or building?

I had a 2013 Hyundai Genesis R-Spec Sedan as my proverbial press fleet mule this past week.

The car gave me flashbacks. The quiet of the 5.0 Liter V8 engine reminded me of the first time my neighbor bought a brand new 1995 Lincoln Town Car. That car offered folks a whisper quiet ride, and enough space and luxury to make a Mercedes E-Class envious.

The dirty little secret of that time was that I enjoyed driving that Lincoln more than I did the last of the W124’s.

See, the miseries of commuting always took a huge bite out of my driving enjoyment. Instead of feeling the bumps and hearing the honks, it would have been nice to be cocooned in a big beautiful quiet world that the last of the good Lincolns offered.

The 2013 Hyundai Genesis sedan brought that world back to my daily grind. If only for a brief moment. So with that in mind… I wonder…

Should the nicest of Hyundais become Lincolns?

Now here me out. I am not tossing the Genesis coupe into the mix because I think that car’s character is as different from a classic Lincoln as Mercury is from Pluto.

Nor should the upcoming 2013 Hyundai Azera be thrown into the mix. I drove one quite recently, and the experience was a lot like an Avalon with tighter handling and nicer interior materials.

Nice it was. Upscale? It was not.

The Hyundai Genesis and the Hyundai Equus are the two targets for what I see as a Lincoln-ish future. Both of these models are headlong into the world of affordable big car luxury that once made Lincoln a sought after brand.

You have a front grille that is vaguely reminiscent of a Lincoln. So much so in fact that Ford ended up hiring it’s creator as the new head of exterior Ford design in North America.

How’s that for flattery?

Then you have the fact that these vehicles are truly their own creatures. There is no platform sharing or cheap upscale nips and tucks of other downscale Hyundai models. The Genesis and Equus were designed as flagships first and foremost.

That is what Lincoln desperately needs to do to keep the flagging brand afloat. Riffing Fusions and amortizing the parts bin will sure get Lincoln nowhere at this point.

There are a lot of other little things as well. Hyundai’s focus on price aggression is a good parallel to the age old ‘value proposition’ of owning American iron.

Just like Town Cars, Mark’s and Continentals, the big selling point of these two Hyundais is that you pay a lot less than the Europeans and Japanese competitors while getting just as many features and comfort. The interior may not be as opulent and some of the buttons and switches are more reminiscent of a $30,000 car than a $60,000 car. But the Genesis and Equus drive just as nice for a lot less money and with that, you get better reliability.

It’s hard to market a Hyundai that cost more than a Lexus or a Benz. Selling the Lincoln name may be a non-starter in the world of Mulally. But what if? What if Ford offered Lincoln to the Hyundai/Kia conglomerate?

Does it make sense? Should the Genesis and Equus enjoy a newfound heritage that is synonymous with luxury?

Perhaps these models could pick up names with a bit more cachet with the mature buyers who predominate the full-sized luxury segment. Personally, I still like the model names Continental and Town Car.

What do you think? Sense or nonsense?