Back to the Future With Lincoln's Door-Mounted Keyless Entry Pad

We'll forgive you if you start experiencing deja vu when reading about the SecuriCode keyless entry system on Lincoln's MKS. After all, Ford introduced the exact same system some 28 years ago on the 1980 Thunderbird. Sure, the new keypad looks cool -- but so would
vacuum-actuated headlamp covers, and we don't envision those ever coming back.

While the MKS is the first Lincoln to feature hands-free access, the keypad keeps it rooted firmly in the era of walkmen and Members Only jackets. Ford's
press releasespeaks of a male Lincoln driver who has locked his Intelligent Access key fob in the car: "As he approaches the vehicle and presses his finger to the glossy
black B-pillar, a series of five glowing, red numbers appear. He
enters a five-digit code, unlocks the doors and is on his way. Sounds like a feature on a concept car, doesn't it?"

In fairness to Ford, we're pretty sure the '91 Maxima was a concept car at
somepoint.

The SecuriCode system joins the Intelligent Access "smart key" as part of a total keyless entry package. Drivers who keep their key fob in their pocket are able to unlock and start their MKS without touching the keypad. But drivers who choose to leave their key fob in its glovebox docking station might as well have travelled back to the Reagan administration, having to rely on five door-mounted buttons to take a ride in a true
baby blue Continental.

The technology behind the keypad on an MKS is from Quantum Research,
the same folks behind the touch-screens on iPods and iPhones. It's been engineered against vibration, thermal shock, 50,000 presses-per button durability,
salt spray, dust, mechanical shock, shelf life, and 3.5 liters of water immersion. Plus, it's just visible enough to be useful. "Making it totally invisible was impossible," said project engineer Dalminder "Sonny"
Minhas. "Besides, the customer needs to
be able to find it to use it."

Still, we can't forget that the keypad got
dropped from the '98 Town Car. There were riots in Boca, and Ford reintroduced the keypad on the '99 model. If Grandpa forgot the combination (it's 1-2-3-4 -- it's
always1-2-3-4) he could just try
3,129 potential combinationsuntil the car beeped to life. Like column-mounted shifters, bench seats, and Landau roofs, some technologies are meant for the Town Car. Even in its backlit futuristic glory, a keypad on the build-sheet for an MKS looks more dated than an episode of
Hart to Hartand does nothing to help Lincoln shed its image as the car brand for those who find those newfangled Buicks just too modern.

Photo courtesy
Ford Motor Company.