Sharing its architecture with latest Ford Fusion (Mondeo), the new Lincoln Continental looks imposing, and is very tech friendly.

Despite its long legacy, the big luxury sedan brings some unique features to the segment, such as the exterior door handles that blend into the upper body crease below the window. Moreover, it lacks interior door handles, which makes exiting an unique experience that requires pushing an electronic button, as CR’s Michelle Naranjo noticed while taking the Select model with AWD out for a quick review.

As expected, the ride is very comfortable, and soundproofing is good, but there are a few drawbacks, such as the standard seats, without lumbar adjustment, which are said to be too narrow, and the fact that the company’s engineers chose to position the gear selector buttons near the SYNC 3 infotainment system. They are still within reach, but it could take time to get used to their unusual positioning.

Having features such as the collision warning and automatic emergency braking means choosing an optional technology package, which is only available on the mid-range Select and Reserve models. This, along with blind spot info, navigation system, heated rear seats, heated steering wheel, auto high beams and windshield de-icer will bring the car’s price up to almost $55,600, which is nearly $10,000 more than the entry-level version.

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