Open Letter to Lincoln - How I'd Improve the Corsair

[Sga$99]

Most customers are happy when a product "over-achieves" on a requirement. This is not one of those cases. FMVSS No. 141, Minimum Sound Requirements for Hybrid and Electric Vehicles requires vehicles to have an audible sound up to 18 MPH (it actually states 30 km/hr, apparently the US agency doesn't know that we use MPH has the US standard....). It does not require a stupid bonging noise for reverse. Not only did Ford add the bonging noise, they well exceeded the minimum volume for this "safety feature" and it works up to 25 MPH. Please don't over-achieve on something that is this annoying. It makes no sense that they have made our EVs louder than about 90% of the ICE only vehicles at these speeds. Give me a way to set this back to the minimum required volume.

When I unlock the rear hatch to load groceries, why do I have to manually unlock the doors so my family can get into the vehicle? I have the car set to unlock all doors. If I open any of the side doors, it unlocks all of the doors. But, somehow the hatch is not treated as a door in this logic.

The easy exit seating option is useless for anyone under 5'7". It moves the seat back too far to allow the driver to reach the brake pedal to start the vehicle.

The Revel audio system is terrible. There is no bass to this system. The front sound stage is so awful that the best sound for the driver is obtained when it is set to "on-stage". This setting makes no sense and still lacks any low frequency punch. This is with the subwoofer. No subwoofer delete here.

The options for driver information is too limited. The temperature gauge gives very little info. In a world of computerized vehicles, a driver should be able to see the actual temperature of the coolant, actual temperature of oil, actual oil pressure, etc. A PHEV minivan will provide this information, why not the Corsair? Additional information about the state of charge on the traction battery would also be desirable.

The 3.3kW/hr on-board charger is an insult. The vehicle would provide much better charge rates with the more common 6.6kW/hr charger. Even Toyota offers this as an upgrade. Stellantis provides it as the standard charger.

The cargo cover should be a standard item. If it has to be special ordered, the sales staff should be more knowledgeable. Why would a customer assume that they need to ask about this? And then, after delivery, even Lincoln Concierge couldn't figure out how to order one.

The trailer harness connector is non-standard. Many trailer wiring harnesses will not plug into this 4 Pin connector without using an extension that does not have a sheath covering the pins.

The seatbelt reminder is relentless. Its one thing to not have mercy on people with long driveways and force them to put the seatbelt on or go insane with the noise after they pick-up the mail. BUT, when all passengers have buckled their belts, why should the driver have to select OK to have this display cleared from the dash?

I could go on, but in all honesty, I am not sure if this is intended to be a free therapy session or if there is some hope that Ford might actually read this thread.

Second the motion on the seatbelt reminder.

 

[Rick816]

I have three items I'd like addressed in the Corsair.

1.) In the Sync infotainment, allow us to set a primary phone or a priority to the synced phones, like was possible in earlier versions. My wife's Android phone always connects first, even when I drive away with my iPhone in the car (plugged in no less), and she is in the house. I have to go through a number of steps to get mine connected. It's ridiculous that you eliminated a feature that is so critical.
2.) When all seatbelts are fastened, turn off the notification on the instrument cluster, so I'm not required to hit 'OK' every time I drive. This is the most annoying feature of the vehicle, and will prevent me from EVER purchasing a Lincoln (or Ford) vehicle again!
3.) Update Blue Cruise software regularly. I understand it takes a lot of testing to certify an update on each vehicle, but GM is releasing updates to SuperCruise much more often. I'd be fine with an update every 6-12 months, but I will ABSOLUTELY not pay for a software subscription service that doesn't get regular updates.

Not addressing these three items will move me back to buying GM vehicles. This is my first, and likely my last Lincoln, due to these very minor, but extremely annoying issues.

 

[felixmendel]

My suggestions:

1. Install subwoofers. There is no excuse for a Lincoln to have a substandard sound system.
2. Make map updates free in Canada for the term of the warranty period. We are forced to buy navigation to get other options and a luxury car should include updates.
3. Add back the buttons that were deleted in the model update. I hate scrolling through menus to do basic functions - unsafe and inconvenient. I prefer my 2020 dashboard to the 2024.
4. Make the LEDs replaceable in the tail lamps. I had to pay over $1000 to get a new tail lamp assembly because a bulb was out.
5. Offer an integrated dash cam as an option or put a USB connection near the rear view mirror. Dash cams are becoming a desirable option for many.

 

[Xarax]

Lincoln executives have been watching this community for years. They've also made improvements to their vehicles based upon what they've read here. They are listening to you.

This discussion will serve as a quick and easy way for Lincoln executives to gauge interest and help make decisions moving forward.

As a Corsair driver, you should state exactly what you'd like to see enhanced, added, and/or omitted from your Lincoln Corsair.

Any posts that don't stick to the subject matter will be moved elsewhere.

As has mentioned numerous times on this forum:
(1) get rid of the seatbelt display as soon as seat belts are buckled.
(2) Allow for lane centering on all roads without Bluecruise having to be enabled (or adaptive cruise being enabled) on cars. The toggle for lane keep could be used instead for lane centering. Virtually every car manufacturer allows for lane centering without adaptive cruise control being enabled.

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[rexflash]

Thanks for the opportunity. Although there are a number of off topic comments, there are some genuinely good suggestions here and I’ll let you sort through what’s valid and what is mere whining.

In my opinion, Ford’s most important job is continued manufacturing and build-quality improvements: I came from a Genesis GV80. Honestly the feature content, design, fit and finish are all superior to any Lincoln product. I have needed to take my GTIII into the dealer four (4) times now to have things fixed or adjusted. Ford needs to do better on all fronts.

I realize the Corsair is not a full EV, but having more battery range would be very useful; a few other PHEV vehicles are starting to push 50 miles on a charge these days.

Ford should incorporate product improvements as they are available, like BlueCruise 1.3 and provide free (or nominal cost) over-the-air map updates at least yearly.

The current drive modes are all you need, work well and do not need changing, despite what some comments suggest.

You should ignore suggestions to add more content. The GTIII has all the content anyone could ask for. If you want more content, buy a higher trim level!

You should also ignore suggestions about cargo covers. Ford rightfully ditched these useless amenities unless an owner really wants one and then they can get one. Anyone who has watched how snatch-and-grab thieves break into cars knows that cargo covers are completely worthless. I never missed them.

Many of the comments posted by ljnelson109 on 18 May 2024 are very valid and I endorse them.

Please offer an integrated dash cam as an option.

Thank you for listening. But listening is not enough. Lincoln sales are foundering and Ford needs to produce a premier product if it wants to stay in business. Time will tell.

 

[NJRonbo]

I appreciate the fact that Lincoln is looking in this thread for feedback.

I would like to offer mine, though it's not favorable.

I will talk about the Corsair in a moment, but I think it's important that when considering the Corsair as a purchase choice, you must also look at Lincoln as a company. If there are issues within the company or its dealerships, you don't want to end up being an owner.

This will be my last luxury vehicle I will ever purchase from Lincoln. My experience has been mostly unfavorable and it began with the day I walked into a dealership to buy my Corsair.

There is a dealership in Staten Island that runs its business like it's part of the mafia. Countless negative reviews on Google and Car Dealership review sites confirm this, and I know there is one member of this group who will back me up on my accusation. They readily rip off their customers and when caught act like a bunch of bullies in response. Their service department has been rated poorly as has their overall attitude towards their customers. When I walked in they acted highly unprofessional, taking a salesman away from me for a management meeting that took place in the middle of the floor in full view. They completely ripped me off when I bought my car. It took an intervention from the Lincoln Executive team, who I complained to, for me to be refunded for all the unauthorized, unexplained charges they added to my car purchase. When an apology was demanded, I got an extremely weak response from its manager.

The thing is, the Lincoln Executive team has been aware of issues with this dealership, yet to this day, I read complaints conveying the same horrific experiences I had when I shopped at that dealership. This tells me Lincoln has done nothing, nor does it have any interest in controlling dealerships that are acting in this rogue manner.

To be fair, I will give a huge amount of kudos to the Lincoln Executive Team for treating me very well during my ordeal with their Staten Island dealership. They compensated me quite well for my troubles. However, again, I question their motives for allowing that dealership to continue its deceptive business practices that shouldn't be representative of the prestigious Lincoln brand.

I bought a loaded 2022 Corsair GT. For a vehicle that costs $65k, I was shocked to see the level of complaints regarding build quality. Cars arriving with misaligned panels, missing insulation in the wheel wells, rear gate water leakage, shifting driver seats, and a handful of bugs that exist in the infotainment system that will never get fixed. On top of that, these vehicles have gone through an unusually large handful of recalls. A vehicle at this price point should not have build quality issues like this.

Then, to pile on more misery, because Lincoln demanded its Ford dealerships have separate buildings for its Lincoln brand, my local dealership dropped the brand altogether. Know what this means? I no longer get the service perks of Lincoln ownership because the next closest dealership is more than 15 miles away from me. No car pickup/drop-off. I was told I don't qualify to get a loaner vehicle at my local dealership while it's being serviced. What the hell?! That's a crappy thing to do to a Lincoln owner like myself that chose the brand thinking I would continue to receive these benefits.

So, as I hope Lincoln recognizes, this is not just about improving the Corsair. The brand needs to be improved. Customers can't be left out in the cold when their Lincoln dealership reverts to a Ford. It ruins the overall ownership experience.

 

[ljnelson109]

Then, to pile on more misery, because Lincoln demanded its Ford dealerships have separate buildings for its Lincoln brand, my local dealership dropped the brand altogether. Know what this means? I no longer get the service perks of Lincoln ownership because the next closest dealership is more than 15 miles away from me. No car pickup/drop-off. I don't even get a Lincoln loaner vehicle at my local Ford dealership that dropped the Lincoln name. That's a crappy thing to do to a Lincoln owner like myself that chose the brand thinking I would continue to receive these benefits.

I purchased from my closest dealer and thankfully did not have many of your issues. BUT, the pickup/drop-off/loaner has proven to be a huge let-down. My dealer has no loaners. They will provide a rental from their on-site Enterprise office. They open at 7:00 and will only rent to us for the "day of service". I am at work at 6:30 every day. So, if I want to go to work 90 minutes late, I can hang out and hope that the Enterprise guy shows up at 7. Or, I can be inconvenienced to drop off the night before and provide my own alternate transportation.

The pick-up and drop off seems like a cute idea, but I am not home for this service and my office is more than 15 miles from my dealer.

So, basically, this is a misleading offer. I replaced a Volvo with this Lincoln. Volvo had their own loaners (although limited and had to be pre-scheduled) and would release to me the night before my scheduled service. This is the minimum level of service I expected for this higher priced replacement for my Volvo.

 

[greerl]

My biggest gripe with the PHEV is the lack of a true "Pure EV" mode. Currently, on the GT, "Pure EV" gets overridden by the computer in various situations that often make no sense. Leave that for some other mode. When I select "Pure EV", I mean it. Turning the ICE on for a few seconds or minutes is bad, very bad, for the engine. It's enough to make me avoid the PHEV even though I otherwise like it.

How close to Pure pure is depends on your circumstance and clearly Lincoln thinks they are smarter than we are; I've no reason to think that they aren't since my experience of Pure is at least 95%.

Perhaps you could be explicit? I personally don't think the principle of thinking we're smarter than Lincoln is justification for complaint. I'm at 76.0 mpg average at about 6000 miles so I'm sure not complaining.

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[greerl]

I appreciate the fact that Lincoln is looking in this thread for feedback.

I would like to offer mine, though it's not favorable.

I will talk about the Corsair in a moment, but I think it's important that when considering the Corsair as a purchase choice, you must also look at Lincoln as a company. If there are issues within the company or its dealerships, you don't want to end up being an owner.

This will be my last luxury vehicle I will ever purchase from Lincoln. My experience has been mostly unfavorable and it began with the day I walked into a dealership to buy my Corsair.

There is a dealership in Staten Island that runs its business like it's part of the mafia. Countless negative reviews on Google and Car Dealership review sites confirm this, and I know there is one member of this group who will back me up on my accusation. They readily rip off their customers and when caught act like a bunch of bullies in response. Their service department has been rated poorly as has their overall attitude towards their customers. When I walked in they acted highly unprofessional, taking a salesman away from me for a management meeting that took place in the middle of the floor in full view. They completely ripped me off when I bought my car. It took an intervention from the Lincoln Executive team, who I complained to, for me to be refunded for all the unauthorized, unexplained charges they added to my car purchase. When an apology was demanded, I got an extremely weak response from its manager.

The thing is, the Lincoln Executive team has been aware of issues with this dealership, yet to this day, I read complaints conveying the same horrific experiences I had when I shopped at that dealership. This tells me Lincoln has done nothing, nor does it have any interest in controlling dealerships that are acting in this rogue manner.

To be fair, I will give a huge amount of kudos to the Lincoln Executive Team for treating me very well during my ordeal with their Staten Island dealership. They compensated me quite well for my troubles. However, again, I question their motives for allowing that dealership to continue its deceptive business practices that shouldn't be representative of the prestigious Lincoln brand.

I bought a loaded 2022 Corsair GT. For a vehicle that costs $65k, I was shocked to see the level of complaints regarding build quality. Cars arriving with misaligned panels, missing insulation in the wheel wells, rear gate water leakage, shifting driver seats, and a handful of bugs that exist in the infotainment system that will never get fixed. On top of that, these vehicles have gone through an unusually large handful of recalls. A vehicle at this price point should not have build quality issues like this.

Then, to pile on more misery, because Lincoln demanded its Ford dealerships have separate buildings for its Lincoln brand, my local dealership dropped the brand altogether. Know what this means? I no longer get the service perks of Lincoln ownership because the next closest dealership is more than 15 miles away from me. No car pickup/drop-off. I was told I don't qualify to get a loaner vehicle at my local dealership while it's being serviced. What the hell?! That's a crappy thing to do to a Lincoln owner like myself that chose the brand thinking I would continue to receive these benefits.

So, as I hope Lincoln recognizes, this is not just about improving the Corsair. The brand needs to be improved. Customers can't be left out in the cold when their Lincoln dealership reverts to a Ford. It ruins the overall ownership experience.

I don't know the Staten dealer; there's no excuse for as you relate.

However, as a Corsair owner (2023 GT III) I do wonder if your expectations may be too high. With the average new car now in the $50K range and some of Lincoln's offerings well over $100K, I don't think that the Corsair's can be considered luxury pricing. So I wonder, whether officially intended of not, we Corsair buyers are being viewed as cheapskates not worthy of luxury treatment?

 

[NJRonbo]

I don't know the Staten dealer; there's no excuse for as you relate.

However, as a Corsair owner (2023 GT III) I do wonder if your expectations may be too high. With the average new car now in the $50K range and some of Lincoln's offerings well over $100K, I don't think that the Corsair's can be considered luxury pricing. So I wonder, whether officially intended of not, we Corsair buyers are being viewed as cheapskates not worthy of luxury treatment?

The Corsair is their smallest luxury vehicle so it's not going to be in the $100k price range

 

[Chuck734]

I think that a car wash "button" in the screen area that would disable the rain sensing wipers, auto hold brakes, and the front and rear bumper sensors. It should re-enable all three automatically after the vehicle reaches something like 18 mph so you don't forget to re enable it yourself.

 

[kingdre]

I wonder if you really understand the PHEV. I'm at 74.6 mpg at about 6000 miles, more than double that of my hybrid MKZ. It's the plain hybrid that's barely worth having.

RIGHT!! I bet the people complaining about the mileage do NOT use EV mode often. YES, it comes on in spurts, but DRIVERS need to learn to control and avoid it. STOP with the victim. Long distance driving using ICE does NOT maximize PHEV vehicle usage.

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[kingdre]

This is what's in the new union contract. A sales manager said? Really?


View attachment 21005

This says to me that the Escape/Corsair still have a shot. Why? They combine for 50k vehicles a year.

 

[kingdre]

Lincoln... why does the small battery ALSO charge so slow? Yall cut costs for no reason there. With the EV level charger hardware, we could charge in less than an hour. That saves over the cost of DOUBLING the battery capacity, although a 20kwh battery might be real good too. The newer PHEVs are starting to do uo to 70 EV miles. The best my screen has ever said was 46.

Can we get 20 more HP from the gas engine and 5+ mpg? I love the E-CVT.

Lincoln, there are so many things yall could do if yall forced your execs to use a new model for 30 days lol

 

[jpelli]

Move the push to talk button from the steering wheel, can't count the amount of times I have push that button by accident.

 

[ArizonaJon]

Move the push to talk button from the steering wheel, can't count the amount of times I have push that button by accident.

Since I like to use voice commands on my 2024, I like it in an easy to find location. Where would you move it to and still have easy access?

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[jpelli]

On my other cars the button is located on one of the cross spokes of the steering wheel, easy to tap with finger.

 

[ColonelColt]

So far I'm getting 70+ mpge from my '24 Corsair. Reports are Ford lost $130k on every all-electric vehicle sold through the first quarter of 2024...that is not a prescription for success. Add that to consumers are turning away from all-electric vehicles in droves will make those losses even worse.

To my way of thinking...the only way the all-electric vehicle will go completely mainstream and accepted by all consumers is when the cars have a minimum 300-400 mile range...take no longer to charge up than fueling a ICE vehicle...be competitive in MSRP...and do not need a government subsidy to convince you to buy one.

Electric vehicles have yet to overcome the costs of replacement batteries. If you want to sell or trade-in an EV that needs a new battery pack its value will take a huge hit. If you pay for a new battery pack (which is the price of some new cars)...you won't recover that investment in a trade or sale.

It's not going to take an evolution in battery technology to solve this...it will take a revolution in battery technology to do so.

None of this even comes close to addressing the environment impact of mining the necessary rare earth materials and the huge environmental footprint it leaves to build an electric vehicle.

As of right now...the plug-in hybrid seems the best of all worlds. That could change as the technology is always changing.

 

[Dimi1]

Vehicle: 2024 Model Corsair GT Hybrid
Current Mileage: 1000 KM
Dealership : in Ontario Canada

Comments: Things I do not enjoy abt the Car and Engineering if you are reading, you should fix with software releases.

1) Everytime I get to destination and stop, the very next time i start the Modes are not remembered. FIX IT. Why do i have to reselect a driving mode?... It is not well thought. It must get fixed.
2) when on basic cruise control with 2 or 3 car widths , the car is rough in stopping, get confused. it applies brakes then releases and reapplies. NOT SMOOOTH at all.
3) The battery algorithm is a mess. It shows me full 48 or say 50 km available and as soon as i drive 200 feet it goes down by 2 km. or more. Seriously flawed.
Sure the Air Conditioning is on but in a matter of 1-2 kms actual driving it goes down disproportionately. In 2km actual driving at times it will lose more than 5-6 km. range off the battery.
The battery is a mere 14.2KW if this is going to be the norm why would anyone (except me) LOL buy a useless vehicle like this??... FIX IT.
Seriously?.. what good is the battery if it only gives you 25 actual km when at full charge you have 48-52Km????... SERIOUSLY flawed.

I spend a Fortune for this car and I'm disappointed at your engineering. FIX IT with software, I know you can....
Also Put out fixes like other electric / hybrid manufacturers are, more often with more selectable options.

Another bothersome thing is when selecting a pure EV , its not pure EV. it does whatever the hell it wants, including starting the engine at odd times as per its programmed schedule. That is STUPID!!!!!

I know its harsh to hear down right actual criticism but in the end I paid the $$ so you must react and look in to these issues as reported by Us the everyday owners.

I hope the Lincoln brains are reading this.
I send all the above detailed email to Lincoln Canada and was told there is no way for the management team to send Comments or improvement feedback to engineering. Only bring it to the dealerships attention and they might send it to Engineering...

A real gong show.
Hoping for improvements as I really like the car, but if not, Never again and moving on to other options.

To all veterans here on the forum, Is engineering ever reading this forum?.. or is it just an owners forum to exchange ideas etc??

Thank you so much.
Dimi

 

[Dimi1]

Vehicle: 2024 Model Corsair GT Hybrid
Current Mileage: 1000 KM
Dealership : in Ontario Canada
Price: EXPENSIVE

Comments: Things I do not enjoy abt the Car!! Engineering if you are reading, you should fix with software releases.

1) Everytime I get to destination and stop, the very next time i start the Modes are not remembered. FIX IT. Why does it have to go to a Default mode? I should not have to reselect a different driving mode again. It is not well thought. It must get fixed.

2) when on basic cruise control with 2 or 3 car width spacing with other cars , the car is rough in stopping, it often gets confused. It applies brakes then releases and reapplies. NOT SMOOOTH at all.

3) The battery algorithm is a mess. It shows me full 48 or say 52 km available and as soon as i drive 200 feet it goes down by 2 km. or more. Seriously flawed.
Sure the Air Conditioning is on but also in a matter of 1-2 kms actual driving it goes down disproportionately. In 2km actual driving at times it will lose more than 5-6 km. range off the battery.
The battery is a mere 14.2KW if this is going to be the norm why would anyone (except me) LOL buy a useless vehicle like this??... FIX IT.
Seriously?.. what good is the battery if it only gives you 25 actual km when at full charge you have 48-52Km????... SERIOUSLY flawed.

I spend a Fortune for this car and I'm disappointed at your engineering. FIX IT with software, I know you can....
Also Put out fixes like other electric / hybrid manufacturers are, more often with more selectable options.

Another bothersome thing is when selecting a pure EV , it's not pure EV. it does whatever the hell it wants, including starting the engine at odd times as per its programmed schedule. That is Crazy!!!!!
Other modes are like that too. If I need Conserve Battery, it still drives in battery mode and switches back and forth. It is not Ideal. It does not do what the mode is telling it to do.
ALSO HUGE LACK OF INFORMATION ON HOW THE MODES WORK. How about you let us know in detail how it all ties in together?

I know its harsh to hear down right actual criticism but in the end I paid the $$ so you must react and look in to these issues as reported by Us the everyday owners.

I hope the Lincoln brains are reading this.
I send all the above detailed email to Lincoln Canada and was told there is no way for the management team to send Comments or improvement feedback to engineering. Only bring it to the dealerships attention and they might send it to Engineering...

A real gong show.
Hoping for improvements as I really like the car, but if not, Never again and moving on to other options.

To all veterans here on the forum, Is engineering ever reading this forum?.. or is it just an owners forum to exchange ideas etc??

Thank you so much.
Dimi