2007 Lincoln Town Car Safety Review [ 2008 ]
Lincoln Town Car Safety Review
Safety - 9.5 (Excellent)
The 2007 Lincoln Town Car is considered safe thanks to its robust standard equipment. The 2007 model was also the first in history to achieve five-star safety ratings in government crash tests in all four categories for four years in a row, according to Lincoln.
Accident Avoidance
Anti-lock brakes (ABS), traction control, and front side air bags are standard on the 2007 Town Car. The powerful four-wheel anti-lock braking system provides a "panic assist" during fast stops. Keep in mind that the Town Car lacks an antiskid system and rear and curtain side air bags.
For maximum visibility, the headlights on the standard Signature model already produce 60 percent more light than earlier models. On top of that, the Signature Limited, Designer Series and Signature L models come optional with high-intensity discharge headlamps that double the output of the standard halogen bulbs. In addition, the electrochromic auto-dimming rearview mirror (standard on all models) has a rearward-facing sensor that detects glare from the headlights of other vehicles and automatically darkens for night driving.
Crash Protection
All Town Car models come standard with the ultimate in crash protection--a comprehensive Personal Safety System. This includes dual-stage driver and front passenger air bags, a front-crash-severity sensor, front outboard safety belt usage sensors, driver's seat position sensor, front outboard safety belt pretensioners, front passenger sensing system, and safety belt energy management retractors. The Town Car also continues to feature Belt Minder, which chimes to remind the driver to buckle up.
In 2005, Lincoln began fitting the Town Car with special steering columns from Delphi that can absorb up to 20 percent of the driver's energy during a collision. The steering column adjusts its response based on driver weight and size, seat belt use, vehicle speed and crash severity.
Backing up its long list of safety features are the Town Car's excellent safety scores in crash tests. The 2007 model received a rating of "good," the highest possible, from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). And in government crash tests, the Town Car received five-star ratings (the best possible) in both the frontal and side-crash categories--making the Town Car the first in history to achieve five-star ratings in all four categories for four years in a row, according to Lincoln.
In addition, according to U.S. News' Rick Newman, the Lincoln Town Car received a favorable score from the nonprofit group Informed for Life, which annually calculates RISK scores from a composite of both NHTSA and IIHS crash ratings. The scores are weighted according to actual fatality risk in accidents, along with known factors that raise the fatality risk in vehicles, like weight, the presence of stability control, and the presence of a side curtain air bag. The 2006 Town Car received one of the lowest (and therefore best) RISK scores (58) of any measured vehicle, second only to the Acura TL (56).
