2002 Lincoln Blackwood

Body style(s): 4-door pickup truck

Notes

    Intent on filling niches in the luxury-vehicle market, and hoping to extract greater profitability from the corporate pickup-truck fleet, Lincoln debuted the Blackwood luxury truck for 2002, modeled after a 1999 concept. The name reflected the African Wenge wood used in its interior, which was ironic since the production version used a plastic-laminate fake; however, as Automobile noted (07/2002, pg. 76): "...photo-laminate plastic Wenge wood trim looks like photo-laminate plastic, but so does genuine African Wenge wood." The luxury model was based on the Ford F-150, with a Navigator nose grafted on for brand recognition. Its only competitor was the Cadillac Escalade EXT, which beat the Blackwood to market by several months. However, while the Escalade EXT preserved almost all of the utility of its donor (the Chevy Avalanche), the Blackwood had almost none. Its cargo box was carpeted, and the sidewalls were done in polished stainless steel. Moreover, the box was covered by a power tonneau cover which could not be removed, sharply limiting the Blackwood's ability to haul bulky objects. Twin Dutch doors substituted for a tailgate. Surprisingly, the vehicle was only sold as a rear-drive model and not as a 4x4, although its air-sprung suspension made its ride somewhat softer and more car-like than most pickups. It also could only seat four; a large rear console took up the space that would have been for a fifth passenger -- and most testers found those seats uncomfortable. Power mirrors, door locks, mirrors, and pedals were all standard, along with automatic climate control, keyless entry, and a Homelink system. The stereo was a high-end Alpine unit, but strangely, the CD changer was mounted in the floor console storage compartment, instead of in-dash. A two-thousand-dollar navigation system was the only option. Lincoln had ambition plans to sell up to 10,000 Blackwoods a year, but in the face of the more versatile Cadillac competition (and a price nearly double that of an F-150 crew cab) saw only 3,356 sold in fifteen months. The Blackwood was put out of its misery after a single model year on the US market, one of only a handful of vehicles to suffer such an ignominy. Fortunately, Mercury's plan to offer a stripped-out version under the Colony Park nameplate died stillborn. Some have speculated that its complete market failure may in fact make this ultimate dude-ranch pickup a future collectible. Most collectible of all is the Neiman Marcus edition, of which 50 were built, costing $8000 more the regular version. It included a rear CD/DVD player, and a coolbox.

Series: 2002 only

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Lincoln Blackwood pickup truck [photo by Scott Jacobs, courtesy Edmunds.com].


Lincoln Blackwood pickup truck [photo by Scott Jacobs, courtesy Edmunds.com].