Stylish Day in the City with Lincoln Continental

Remember when Anne Hathaway turned into a modern day princess in the movie The Princess Diaries? Ford of Canada treated me to a similar experience this week, centered around the timeless elegance of the Lincoln Continental.

STARTING THE WEEK OF LUXURY

When I arrived at the Universal Ford dealership, the personable Ford Commercial Account Manager, Eric, welcomed me to Universal Ford and casually asked me if I’ve ever experienced a Lincoln before.

I wanted to tell him, “Umm, no. My vehicle resume includes my parent’s old minivan and a few other beat up cars found online.” But murmured something to the polite effect of, “I’ve always wanted to but I haven’t!”

As my heart-rate beat faster, I eyed-up the elegant vehicle I would be driving for the next week. Eric then handed over the keys to a brand-new, state-of-the-art 2019 Ruby Red Lincoln Continental. Which aren’t really even keys, by the way. They are keyless, digitally censored ‘fobs’ that unlock the vehicle for you as you approach it. I already feel like I’m over my head with luxury, but I’m going with it. I have full plans of making it big one day so I have to start getting used to this life, right?

DRIVING MY NEW BABY HOME

I obviously have no idea what it’s like to drive a newborn baby home from the hospital, but I can imagine it felt the same as driving the Lincoln Continental away from the dealership. Like a new, nervous mother, I asked Eric to test drive the Lincoln around the parking lot with me before I hit the highway solo. He kindly agreed, and my nerves evaporated as I realized this was just like driving any other vehicle. But this time with a gorgeous cappuccino leather interior and endless luxurious features, like a full panel sunroof, massaging/ventilating/heating chairs (sitting down is even an elevated experience in this vehicle) and auto-parallel parking.

When I stopped at red lights, passengers in other vehicles were checking out the car and probably wondering what my story was. Is she a successful online entrepreneur? A heart surgeon? Beyonce’s cousin? I smiled at my fans and pretended that this close-to-$90,000 car was mine.

STYLISH DAY IN THE CITY

Ford knew that a day driving a luxurious car around called for a day of luxurious activities, and they treated my friend, Carissa, and I to just that. Carissa and I have been good friends since high-school, and we went through drivers training/driving around our beater-hand-me-down vehicles together. So, it was only fitting that I picked her up while blasting Drake’s “Started From The Bottom” song. With the vehicle’s Revel Audio Sound system, it sounded more like a live-music concert. Drake was basically in the car with us.

DIOR EXHIBIT

Carissa, Drake and I then drove to our first stop, the Christian Dior exhibit at the Glenbow Museum. The Dior exhibit was packed with timelessly elegant attire, gowns and jewellery from the various decades of Dior’s legacy. It turns out that Dior and Lincoln both made their debut in a similar era, so this activity was perfect for an elegant afternoon. It took everything in us to not speak in a British accent while at the museum, by the way.

LOOKING THE PART

What do two fabulous ladies do on a summer Friday afternoon when they are driving around a luxurious car? They stop at Sephora for makeovers, of course. The team at Sephora perfected our cat-eye and applied red lip stain so we truly embodied that chic, 50s elegant vibe that the Lincoln shows off.

KOMBUCHA AND DINE

Since we looked like Audrey Hepburn (in our heads at least), we needed a restaurant that was equally as chic. Ford let us choose whichever restaurant we wanted to go in the city, so we picked Ten Foot Henry. After hours of convo, bottles of Kombucha and the best cauliflower/beet dishes I’ve ever tasted, we hit the road for our next stop.

SUNSET CRUISE

What do you do when your makeup looks like Marilyn Monroe’s and you have a Lincoln to take you wherever you want to go? You drive around the city, blasting tunes with the sunroof open, searching for prime photo spots to document your Cinderella-story day.

ALL FAIRYTALES END

Ford of Canada knew that I needed more than just one day to experience the Lincoln luxury, so they let me drive the car around for the remainder of the week. If you caught my Instagram stories (@janellesaccucci), I was running every errand on my list trying to find ways to ride the car as much as possible. When the week ended and I traded in the Lincoln Continental for my used SUV, I felt like Cinderella when the carriage turned into a pumpkin (last fairytale reference, I promise). On the ride home, my inner monologue was saying, “The Lincoln was so much safer than this car. With all the cameras and sensors, it’s a justifiable investment for my wellbeing. And I’ll save so much money on massages. Plus I need the voice command features and built-in navigation since I just moved to Calgary. I need to convince Linden (my fiancé) that this is for our safety.” ;)

I’ll keep you posted on how that convo goes. For now, take my word for it that the Lincoln Continental is the most luxurious, comfortable ride and if you’re in the market for a new luxury car, this is where to look.

Have you ever ridden in a Lincoln Continental before? Let me know your thoughts!