Lincoln Grabs For The Luxury SUV Crown With The Totally Baller New Navigator
Watch out, Escalade.
Lincoln‘s all-in bet on maximum comfort has made its second step, from the impressive new Continental to this brawny new Navigator, introduced at this week’s New York International Auto Show. This is the production model, headed to showrooms late in the year, based on last year’s hit Navigator concept.
Lincoln invented the luxury SUV with the 1998 Navigator, but its position atop the group of would-be off-roaders was long since usurped by the Cadillac Escalade and Land Rover Range Rover.
Ford’s luxury brand is punching its way back into the fight with an absolute focus on coddling the Navigator’s occupants. That means not only a cushy ride and hushed engine sound, but even a soothing color palette for the paint and upholstery.
“When designing the Navigator, we put an emphasis on ultra-luxury touch points,” says David Woodhouse, Lincoln design director. “We took everything the client would see and touch, and made sure it would look and feel a little more exuberant, a little more indulgent and incredibly beautiful.”
This is underscored on the Navigator Black Label uber-luxury edition, which compliments the exterior colors with three available color schemes. “Yacht Club” features Coastal Blue Venetian and Blue Bay Alpine leather upholstery, complimented by whitewashed teak trim.
The “Chalet” theme combines Espresso and Alpine Venetian-hued leathers with Silverwood trim, and the “Destination” theme features diamond-stitched Mahogany Red Venetian leather khaya wood trim.
These themes provide distinctive ambiance in a world dominated by black or beige leather, giving Lincoln drivers another way to relax in unique style and comfort in their Navigator.
Power is from a 450-horsepower, 500 lb.-ft. twin-turbo V6 engine with a 10-speed automatic transmission, just like in the 2017 Ford F-150 Raptor we drove in the desert of Southern California.
Lincoln says it aims for each of the Navigator’s Perfect Position Seats, which offer massage, heating and cooling functionality, and can be adjusted up to 30 different ways, to be as comfortable and happy as possible. To help with that, there is not only a Revel® Ultima audio system with 20 speakers, but the Navigator supports personal devices with built-in wifi, six USB ports, four 12-volt power plugs and a 110-volt AC household power outlet.
The built-in dual 10-inch rear-seat entertainment systems work with Sling Media, so Slingbox owners can watch their TV channels in the Navigator.
If Lincoln has overlooked anything in its quest to reclaim the luxury SUV title, we’re not sure what it could be.
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