Just about everything inside the car is new and improved, from the door panels to the instrument panels to the
radio face to the switches and controls. The electronic instrument cluster of old has been eliminated. In its place
is a new, smaller cluster featuring a centered speedometer flanked by fuel and temperature gauges.
Two small electronic windows on either side of the speedometer serve as the message center and compass. The
system includes a redundant speedometer display, but no tachometer.
The old radio face has been replaced with larger and easier to use buttons and controls. Below is the control
center for the climate control system. Nothing is difficult to reach or understand, and the controls are not crowded
together.
Front and rear passenger compartments are huge. A new rear pillar design makes the rear seat cozier than the old
car without being smaller. The big, thick seats are comfortable and the power front bucket seats offer lumbar
support and two-position memory. For safety and convenience, the steering wheel contains buttons for cruise control and the sound system.
We noticed a marked improvement in interior noise over the previous model. The windshield has been moved forward four inches and gooseneck mirrors have been designed to generate less wind noise. The glass is thicker, there are triple seals on the doors, and the pillars have been designed to cancel noise. This is as quiet as Marcel Marceau.
Even with the Touring package, 3.55:1 rear-axle ratio and 220 horsepower on tap, the Town Car Signature Series
lacks the strong performance of some of its competitors. With its 282 cubic-inch engine, it just doesn't get away
from a stoplight like a $40,000 car should these days. It's not that it's slow, but its chief competition has 275
horsepower, a palpable increase.
Transmission feel and function are greatly improved over the 1997 Town Car, with shifts that take only 0.6
seconds as opposed to 1.2 seconds in the old car. The fourth gear overdrive can be switched off for climbing and
descending long grades. The full-time all-speed traction control can also be switched off for climbing out of snow
banks or other special situations.
What most veteran Town Car owners will notice on their first drive are the vastly improved steering and
suspension. Ford has redesigned the steering system with more expensive components-- replacing bushings with
bearings, for instance--that give improved steering precision and feel. The air suspension system boasts new
twin-tube shock absorbers; and the Touring Package comes with shocks that are 50 percent larger for a less floaty,
less jarring ride. Another more expensive solution is the rear suspension that uses a new Watts linkage between
the axle housing and the frame designed to improve both handling and ride quality--usually mutually exclusive goals.
The trailing arms have also been redesigned to be parallel to the frame. All this adds up to a much more pleasant
ride. The 1998 Town Car feels glued to the road. Handling is much more predictable in lane-change maneuvers, without
the momentary indecisiveness that characterized the old car.
Brakes have been upgraded with bigger, thicker front discs and new twin-piston calipers. With 25 percent more
swept area, the new brakes are less likely to fade away when hot, such as excessive use in the mountains. We
weren't happy with the brakes on the 1997 model and are pleased to see brakes that will take a great deal of Even with the Touring package, 3.55:1 rear-axle ratio and 220 horsepower on tap, the Town Car Signature Series
lacks the strong performance of some of its competitors. With its 282 cubic-inch engine, it just doesn't get away
from a stoplight like a $40,000 car should these days. It's not that it's slow, but its chief competition has 275
horsepower, a palpable increase.
Transmission feel and function are greatly improved over the 1997 Town Car, with shifts that take only 0.6
seconds as opposed to 1.2 seconds in the old car. The fourth gear overdrive can be switched off for climbing and
descending long grades. The full-time all-speed traction control can also be switched off for climbing out of snow
banks or other special situations.
What most veteran Town Car owners will notice on their first drive are the vastly improved steering and
suspension. Ford has redesigned the steering system with more expensive components-- replacing bushings with
bearings, for instance--that give improved steering precision and feel. The air suspension system boasts new
twin-tube shock absorbers; and the Touring Package comes with shocks that are 50 percent larger for a less floaty,
less jarring ride. Another more expensive solution is the rear suspension that uses a new Watts linkage between
the axle housing and the frame designed to improve both handling and ride quality--usually mutually exclusive goals.
The trailing arms have also been redesigned to be parallel to the frame. All this adds up to a much more pleasant
ride. The 1998 Town Car feels glued to the road. Handling is much more predictable in lane-change maneuvers, without the momentary indecisiveness that characterized the old car.
Brakes have been upgraded with bigger, thicker front discs and new twin-piston calipers. With 25 percent more swept area, the new brakes are less likely to fade away when hot, such as excessive use in the mountains. We weren't happy with the brakes on the 1997 model and are pleased to see brakes that will take a great deal of punishment. And ABS is standard. punishment. And ABS is standard.