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The car experts at TheCarConnection.com studied a wide range of road tests of the 2008 Lincoln Mark LT to compile this conclusive review. TheCarConnection.com's resident off-roaders also drove the new Lincoln Mark LT to help you decide which reviews to trust where opinions differ, to add more impressions and details, and to provide you with the best information.
The 2008 Lincoln Mark LT is a full-size, four-door luxury pickup based on the Ford F-Series. It offers a roomy four-door cabin, plenty of features, and a useful 5.5-foot (and optional 6.5-foot) cargo bed.
Under the hood, a 5.4-liter V-8 engine churns out 300 horsepower and makes possible a maximum rated towing capacity of 8,900 pounds. A four-speed automatic transmission is the standard. Fuel economy runs as low as 12/16 mpg, and performance isn't brisk, merely acceptable.
The Mark LT's suspension has been softened up relative to the F-Series to provide a smoother ride in both rear- and four-wheel-drive versions. Atop its double-wishbone front suspension and a Hotchkiss rear end, on loan from the Ford version, the Mark ambles amiably down most roads, with steering that doesn't require the torture of a thousand tiny inputs to maintain a true heading.
The LT sports four full doors, front captain's chairs, and a three-passenger rear bench, with good room and support for five adults. You wouldn't want to be the middle passenger on the rear bench for an eight-hour trek, but an hour or two is no problem. The bed is either 5.5 or 6.5 feet long. With a towing capacity of 8,600 pounds and payload of 1,460 pounds, you can pull plenty with the Lincoln Mark LT--it's just hard to carry some longer objects in its short bed.
Inside, the Lincoln Mark LT is markedly different from the stock F-Series, with ebony-wood accents, leather seats, unique instruments, and pleasant textures all around. Add in a great audio system and the optional rear-seat entertainment system, and the LT could double for a private screening room. This year, all Mark LTs get standard Sirius Satellite Radio, and options include a rearview camera, a remote start system, and a Monochrome Appearance Package with a body-color grille surround, body-color bumpers, and 20-inch, seven-spoke chromed wheels.
Four-wheel anti-lock disc brakes with electronic brake-force distribution are standard, but the 2008 Lincoln Mark LT lacks stability control, as well as side and curtain airbags. Still, it rates five stars for front crash performance and four stars for rollover from the NHTSA.