"From a driver's standpoint, American Luxury is about vehicles that have the balance and composure to be engaging when the driver wants to be entertained, but also are designed to be comfortable, quiet and unobtrusive for cruising. The Lincoln Blackwood delivers on this promise thanks to a total 'systems' approach to component selection and tuning."
        - Al Kammerer, Director, Lincoln Mercury Product Development

DRIVING DYNAMICS: The Lincoln Blackwood's nearly perfect front-to-rear weight balance, careful turning of the rear suspension and short- and long-arm front suspension, acceleration-sensitive dampers, speed-sensitive power steering and 18-inch wheels and tires combine to provide a comfortable, controlled ride and confident, balanced handeling.

• The production Lincoln Blackwood remains true to the visual promise of the concept that debuted in 1999. Blackwood's gloss-black finish, signature Lincoln grille and low-profile 18-inch tires contribute to the vehicle's dramatic stance.
• Nearly even weight distribution front-to-rear gives Blackwood exceptional balance.
• Powerful, refined 300-horsepower engine offers a broad torque band that begins low in the rev range - ideal for towing.
• Proprietary speed-sensitive power steering system enhances maneuverability during parking and raises efforts at higher speeds to instill driver confidence.
• Short- and long-arm front suspension with steel coil springs and acceleration-sensitive shock absorbers maintain Blackwood's crisp steering response and ride composure over a variety of road surfaces and speeds.
• A hybrid air spring and single parabolic leaf spring rear suspension automatically adjusts for vehicle load to maintain Blackwood's stance. Staggered acceleration-sensitive rear shocks and anti-windup bars enhance rear axle control.
• 18-inch wheels and low profile, all-season tires developed specifically for Blackwood provide crisp turn-in response and a smooth ride with little road noise.
• Component selection, tuning and isolation offer excellent control of road, wind and powertrain noise, vibration and harshness.

The 300-horsepower Lincoln Blackwood offers performance never before found on a vehicle with anything approaching the same combination of size, luxury and functionality. The Blackwood uses a number of enhanced steering, suspension and braking components and careful tuning to deliver a driving experience that balances comfort and maneuverability with composure at-speed.

Chief Program Engineer Henry Brice said consumers consistently have three reactions when introduced to the new Blackwood.

"They are attracted by the unique styling, impressed by the luxury amenities and excited by the smooth ride and nimble handling," Brice says.

"In Blackwood, we set out to create a feeling of confidence and composure," adds Dave Wotton, chassis supervisor. "While no single feature leaps out of the spec sheet, all of the elements are engineered to work together to produce a result that's greater than the sum of its parts."

Steering

ON-CENTER STEERING: The first few degrees at the center of steering-wheel travel are key to establishing the driver's rapport with the vehicle. Blackwood provides a linear, precise steering feel in this critical area.

STEERING FEEDBACK: Blackwood's power steering system closely duplicates the steering "feel" of Lincoln LS.

SHOCK RESPONSE: The acceleration-sensitive damping of Blackwood's shock absorbers allows the response of two shocks in one. The cutaway above shows the dual-damping circuits, where a secondary valve opens in response to forces aboce 1.3g. The ASD shock allows more movement for quick forces, such as potholes. At the same time, it controls relatively slow movements, such as body roll.

The Lincoln Blackwood uses Acceleration Sensitive Damping (ASD) shock absorbers at all four wheels to manage the widest possible range of road surfaces and irregularities without unsettling the vehicle. It's not unlike having two dampers in one.

These ASD shocks incorporate an oil bypass valve that adjusts compression damping based on how fast the shock moves - not how far. On impacts exceeding a force of 1.3g, which can occur when hitting a pothole, the bypass valve opens immediately. This allows the bulk of the force to be spent by compressing the suspension's springs. Less force is transmitted to the vehicle's frame and passenger compartment.

ASD also enhances driver confidence by limiting body roll and pitch during steering and braking maneuvers. During these generally slower rate transitions, the bypass valve remains closed, and oil inside the shock is forced through a smaller opening to provide more resistance to suspension movement.

Suspension
The Lincoln Blackwood uses a combination leaf spring/air spring rear suspension that eliminates sudden shifts or spikes in spring rates, which can make the ride of vehicles with conventional leaf springs stiff or jarring, particularly when fully-loaded.

The Blackwood's rear suspension design also has 10 percent less operating friction than a standard leaf spring suspension, which improves ride comfort by allowing the vehicle to respond more quickly to sudden, small pavement irregularities.

ANTI-WINDUP BARS: The rear axle is controlled on each side by an anti-windup bar that extends from the frame. The bars control axle position to prevent creep or hop on acceleration.

On the Blackwood, a single low-rate leaf spring is used at each rear wheel. The spring is parabolic in shape if viewed from the side. That is, it is wider in the middle and thinner at the front and rear mounting points. A parabolic spring spreads loads more evenly across its surface compared with conventional leaf springs. They also are more linear, meaning that they offer more resistance in direct proportion to the load applied. In vehicles with bundled leaf springs, there can be an abrupt "knee" or kink in spring rates as each new leaf is called into service to manage increasing loads.

At rest, the Blackwood's leaf springs carry the weight of the unloaded vehicle with the air springs operating at their minimum pressure. The cylindrical air springs, which are mounted atop each leaf spring, manage dynamic forces, as well as the weight of any passengers or cargo. While this is not a fully active suspension, a sensor mounted atop the axle monitors the vehicle's attitude and automatically adjusts pressure in the air springs to maintain a level ride, regardless of load in the trunk or on the tow hitch.

If the system senses that additional ride height is needed, the suspension controller signals a small, quiet compressor located in the engine compartment to the right of the radiator, which adds air to the two air springs evenly. Pressure increases are virtually seamless.

At the extremes of suspension travel, the air springs operate at full pressure, which helps to reduce bottoming. To manage extreme suspension inputs, the Blackwood uses micro-cellular urethane jounce bumpers to ease the axle to a stop more smoothly than natural rubber jounce bumpers.

To enhance control of the rear axle, particularly during spirited acceleration or when hitting sharp-edged bumps, engineers staggered the top mounting points of the rear shocks. The top of the left shock is angled to the rear of the axle and the top of the right shock is mounted toward the front to more effectively manage longitudinal forces.

Two anti-windup bars provide additional resistance to axle windup or wheel hop. The bars are mounted with relatively soft bushings, so they transmit less harshness from road irregularities.

The Blackwood's front suspension utilizes effectively the same short- and long-arm design with steel-coil springs used on the 4x2 Lincoln Navigator. However, the solid steel stabilizer bar is 31 millimeters thick - one millimeter thinner than Navigator and the front-coil springs are 4 percent stiffer. These enhancements, which improve ride quality and steering response by limiting side-to-side ride motions, or head toss, are made possible by the Blackwood's acceleration sensitive dampers and near-50/50 weight balance.

BRAKE BALANCE: Ventilated 308 mm front-disc brakes have two-piston calipers for enhanced stopping power. Blackwood's ABS combines with an improved Electronic Brakeforce Distribution (EBD) system to provide confident and controlled braking. The EBD system enhances the effectiveness of ABS by transferring brake force from the front to the rear, as conditions warrant.

POWER: Blackwood's 300-horsepower InTech(tm) V-8 engine benefits from a tuned aluminum intake manifold that provides air/fuel mixture in equal amounts to each cylinder. The tuned manifold also helps to reduce induction.

TOWING: Blackwood is rated to tow up to 8,700 pounds with a weight-distributing Class III/IV hitch. A Class III hitch and wiring harness are standard. It is ideal for towing boats, horse trailers or other bumper-pull trailers.

The flat-topped pistons are made of a hypereutectic alloy, which expands 15 percent less than aluminum and resists heat transfer for better power and durability. The piston skirts are coated with a Teflon-based friction-reducing material and fitted with low-tension rings and full-floating wrist pins to enhance both fuel economy and engine life.

In the event of a catastrophic coolant loss, the Blackwood remains driveable for short distances because its electronic engine controller includes a fail-safe mode that shuts off fuel to alternate banks of cylinders to reduce the risk of engine damage from overheating. To improve all-around driveability and fuel economy, the Blackwood's four-speed automatic transmission adapts its shift points depending on factors that include throttle position, engine vacuum, load and engine speed. In normal driving, shifts occur in the low part of the rev range for optimum fuel economy.

Under higher loads, a tow-haul feature automatically adjusts shift points higher in the rev range to produce better acceleration and performance feel.

The drivetrain's 3.73:1 final drive ratio contributes to the Blackwood's strong acceleration and robust performance feel, whether the vehicle is loaded or empty. For engine braking on long downgrades or towing up steep hills, the transmission's 2.64:1 overdrive ratio can be locked out with the push of a button at the end of the shift lever.

Traction Management
Electronic and mechanical systems were carefully integrated during the development process to optimize traction on dry, wet and slippery surfaces.

When available road traction varies from one side of the vehicle to the other, Blackwood's standard limited-slip differential can transfer enough torque side-to-side to double the available traction.

On snow or other slippery surfaces, Blackwood's engine management system reduces power to reduce excessive wheel spin. However, the engine management traction control system doesn't automatically reduce power every time it detects wheel slip. Engineers programmed Blackwood's computer to allow wheel spin on loose surfaces, such as gravel, where traction might be just an inch down from the surface, if the tires are allowed to dig in.

"The computer measures how fast the vehicle is moving compared with the amount of wheel spin," said Chuck Bannon, Blackwood's traction systems technical specialist. "If you're not accelerating, the system will feed in enough wheelspin to get the vehicle moving."
Controlling wheel spin with engine torque modulation, rather than through the braking system, makes the system particularly smooth in operation. "All the driver sees is the result - improved capability. It's nearly seamless," Bannon says.

If a driver doesn't want the engine management system to operate, pressing a lighted switch on the dashboard immediately disables the traction control. The system automatically resets the next time the vehicle is started.

QUIET, COMFORTABLE RIDE: Microcellular urethane body mounts are engineered to isolate the passenger compartment from road and powertrain vibrations, contributing to a quieter, more comfortable ride.

• The exhaust system is held in place by silicone isolator mounts, which reduce vehicle vibration and offer improved durability, compared with natural rubber
• The large "valley" under the tuned aluminum intake runners is insulated
• The body mounts are micro-cellular urethane, which transmit fewer vibrations than natural rubber mounts
• The front fender wells are lined with sound absorbing material
• Blackwood's muffler is eight times larger than the engine swept volume, to dramatically reduce exhaust sound
• The floor pan is reinforced with a fiberglass beta brace and mastic sandwich that adds stiffness while filtering out vibrations

These and other actions combine to give Blackwood a speech intelligibility rating of 92.69 - which means that a driver could expect to hear and understand more than 92 percent of a rear-seat conversation - in the same league as the Lexus LX 470, which scored 91.29 in internal testing.