For some time now, putting a definition to Lincoln’s identity has caused many to scratch their heads.
Sure, the company’s products were better equipped versions of stuff you could buy from Ford – but did anyone really want that?
Worse, as Ford expanded its appeal by moving ever upmarket, especially with crossovers and pickups, Lincoln started looking a little irrelevant. There’s a pretty big difference between an old Ford Fairmont and a Lincoln Continental, but between a Fusion and an MKZ? And wait, which one’s the MKZ again?
However, here’s a nameplate that looks to bring back meaning and presence: Navigator. Clocking in at an impressive 5.3 metres in length and two metres in height, this big SUV is about as subtle as one of the motor yachts you’d find tied up in Coal Harbour. It is not shy.
That’s good. Being the subtle, retiring sort has never worked where American luxury is concerned. Let’s see if the Navigator is enough of a success to turn Lincoln’s ship around and make steam for more profitable voyages.
Design
I’m not really sure “Large” can be considered a design element, but where the Navigator is concerned, that’s the main feature of the machine. It looks like it should come equipped with a Fiesta to use as a dinghy after you park it.
But big can be handsome if it’s not over-adorned, and Lincoln has gone the classic route with this new machine. Instead of their slightly odd twin-wing grille, the Navigator gets a big single surface treatment, fitted with a huge badge. If you opt for the more expensive Reserve trim ($90,500), that badge lights up.
Add in straight chrome lines, a full-width rear LED treatment, and polished multi-spoke wheels, and the Navigator is bluff-prowed but really quite lovely. Again, it’s not subtle, but it’s not overwrought either.
Environment
If the exterior is simple and square, the Navigator’s interior is entirely convincing. This is a big truck, and with a proper body-on-frame layout and squared-off dimensions that reach right to the corners, there’s plenty of space to work with.
Lincoln’s interior design department has filled this space with some of the most-impressive seats on the market today, veritable thrones that include individual adjustment for each leg. Both driver and passenger will be spoiled.
Mind you, even the fold-away third row in the Navigator is sufficient for adult passengers, and the two captain’s seats in the middle provide ample head and leg room. If that’s not good enough, there’s an extended wheelbase version as well.
Volume aside, the Navigator’s interior also features great-looking matte wood veneer, plenty of piano-black trim, and just enough chrome to liven things up. Add in bright graphics for the central control panel and a crisp digital dash, and this is no gussied-up boat-hauler, but a genuine luxury machine.
Performance
Don’t worry though: the Navigator can haul your boat, and then some. Under the hood is a 3.5-litre twin-turbo V-6 that’s essentially the same powerplant fitted to the Ford Raptor. A 10-speed automatic transmission, like that in the F150, handles shifting duties.
One of the chief advantages of a turbocharged engine is torque. Forcing more air and fuel into the cylinders raises overall horsepower, but it also provides plenty of pulling power at lower r.p.m.; compared to V-8 offerings elsewhere, the Navigator’s V-6 has excellent low-end response.
Total power is 450 h.p. and 510 foot-pounds of torque, with the bulk of the latter arriving around 2000 r.p.m. Paired with the 10-speed, which is well-tuned enough to fade into the background, the Navigator is capable of building up considerable forward momentum in a hurry.
When it comes to the corners, well, this is a well-bred Clydesdale, but at 2,700 kilograms or so, isn’t nimble. Still, when conditions are poor, the easily navigable traction selection system helps keep everything well in hand.
So, on one hand you feel the Navigator’s bulk, and on the other hand it’s not quite a roly-poly clipper ship. Detriments to visibility include a too-small rear wiper and a too-large B-pillar, but aside from that the Navigator is easy to pilot, and quick enough to blend in with fast-moving traffic on the Sea-to-Sky.
Essentially, some of the work Ford has done in making the F150 drive in a more refined manner has paid off in spades with the full-size SUV from their luxury brand. The Navigator is large, but its driver is still very much in charge.
And that towing capacity? 3,800 kg, and a trailer backup assist system is standard.
Features
The Navigator is available in two trims, with the Reserve costing an additional $3000, or 3.5 per cent over the well-equipped Select. You might as well spend the extra to get the power-folding running boards and the upgraded audio.
Official economy figures aren’t too bad at 16.2 (litres/100 kilometres) in the city and 11.9 on the highway. However, while turbocharged engines deliver the torque, they often fall a little short on mileage projections – not that anyone’s buying a Navigator for overall efficiency.
Green light
Handsome design; comfortable interior; very capable.
Stop sign
Big price tag to go with the size; some infotainment niggles.
The checkered flag
Good enough (and big enough) to tow Lincoln’s reputation out of the doldrums.
Competition
Cadillac Escalade ($86,540): Well here we go: the Navigator’s chief rival and main problem. A rolling monument to excess, the Escalade has been the star of countless rap videos, making its Lincoln rival look a bit stuffy by comparison.
However, the Linc’s new brash personality and hugely powerful engine just put the big Caddy on notice. Cadillac is going to have to up their game, especially in the interior department.
