Reviews

2018 Lincoln Navigator: A First Class Experience

By Benjamin Yong, 24 Sep, 2018 03:12 PM

“The sleek styling, spacious interior and technology are all designed to make each trip effortless,” says Kumar Galhotra, president of Lincoln Motor Company.

To reference a certain Chamillionaire song from many moons ago – do you like them to see you rollin’? If so, go check out the 2018 Lincoln Navigator immediately. The full-size SUV has undergone a total overhaul coming out looking gorgeous, and now offers drivers and passengers an experience akin to a first class seat on the airplane.

“Quiet luxury is both a look and a feeling,” says Kumar Galhotra, president of Lincoln Motor Company. “The all-new Navigator embodies both. The sleek styling, spacious interior and technology are all designed to make each trip effortless.”

The front fascia looks like an enlarged version of the equally aesthetically pleasing Continental executive sedan. The polarizing split grille is out, replaced by a metal mesh grille made up of tiny repeating Lincoln emblems. Customers can opt for a neat LED-enabled centre star badge so that the vehicle stays recognizable even at night time.

Lincoln is all about offering the personal touch, and this is accomplished on the Navigator through what the premium brand calls “Embrace.” Walk up with the key fob and the side mirrors cast an illuminated logo on the ground, lighting the way. The front and rear running lamps gently activate. The hidden running boards are powered and also lower down automatically. And you’re going to need them.

I can give you the measurements: 5,334 millimetres long, 2,383 millimetres wide, 1,938 millimetres tall. But the SUV has to be seen in person to appreciate how gargantuan it really is. Standing 5 feet 11 inches myself, I still felt like I had to do a bit of climbing to get inside. If you’re planning on parking in an underground parkade, checking the height restriction is actually necessary, as I entered a covered parking lot in an older building and quickly realized the roof rails wouldn’t clear if I went any deeper into the facility. As much as I don’t normally care for air suspension setups, one certainly would have a useful application here.

Lincoln is all about offering the personal touch, and this is accomplished on the Navigator through what the premium brand calls “Embrace.”

I mentioned first class earlier, and I’ll explain what I meant. Packing a full load of people is truly the best way to enjoy the Navigator, which I did on a road trip across Alberta, because the level of comfort is the same whether there are three people inside or seven. All three rows provide ample leg and shoulder room and individual climate control while the first benefits from Perfect Position engineering, available with up to 30-way adjustability and massage capability. Even the headrest can be angled four different ways. They really do allow for driving longer stretches at a time before

a rest stop is required.

What’s a road trip without some banging tunes? Not only does the Revel Audio system, packing either 14 or 20 speakers depending on the spec, sound crystal clear, the backlit brushed metal speaker covers really look the part. Users can choose from three listening modes: stereo, audience (tuned to resemble being at a concert) and on-stage (360-degree virtual sound stage where specific instruments and musical elements are arranged all around the listener).

A vehicle of this magnitude – and weight, tipping the scales at 2,656 kilograms – needs an engine to match, and it’s got one. A 3.5-litre twin-turbo V6 pushes 450 horsepower delivered via a 10-speed automatic transmission. In addition, the use of high strength aluminum alloys in construction has helped achieve an almost 90 kilogram weight loss. What impressed me even more than the capable powertrain was the fuel economy. Admittedly most of my journey consisted of highway, nevertheless the 11.3 L/100 km consumption definitely deserves a shout out.