Size matters when you need to transport six of your closest friends in style, haul home the contents of an average-sized Home Depot, and tow a boat the size of a Disney cruise ship.
That’s why we love Lincoln’s XXL-sized Navigator. Introduced back in 1997, this gussied-up, chrome-laden version of Ford’s Expedition 4×4 just gets better with age.
It’s also just had a major makeover to take it into its fifth generation, slathering-on more luxury, more style and the kind of cool features we used to get from a Sharper Image catalog.
Did I mention it comes with a new, mega-wide, 48-inch curved glass digital display that spans the entire width of the dash? Or a 28-speaker Revel Ultima audio system that, with the right AC/DC track played loud, can cause eyeballs to vibrate?
And take a look at that new, not-square, not-round steering wheel. I’m told the technical term is ‘squircle’. The word ‘quirky’ also comes to mind.
Less dramatic is the ‘Gator’s new styling, which is more in the evolution-less-revolution department. Surprisingly, nearly every body panel is new, with only the doors carried over from the previous model.
Headlining features include a complete new front end, with a bigger, bolder grille and full-width LED lightbar streaking across the nose. Lock or unlock the big Lincoln and you get a cool light show that’ll wow the neighbors.
At the rear there’s another full-width lightbar and a tailgate, that’s now split 7/8ths at the top, and a smaller 1/8th section at the bottom. That makes for a perfect game-day tailgate seat, or a barrier to stop your cans of beans rolling out.
What hasn’t changed is the Navigator’s gargantuan dimensions. The standard-length version measures 210 inches bow to stern, and rides on a 123-inch wheelbase.
Need even more interior space to transport a few pro basketball players, there’s the L version that stretches to a massive 222 inches overall. There are Mayflower moving trucks smaller.
As we know, Navigators don’t come cheap, and this latest version kicks off with the Reserve at $99,995 that doesn’t include the hefty $1,995 destination charge. There’s also a new Reserve with stealthy-black Jet Appearance Package for $103,495. The swanky Black Label starts at $116,995, with the stretched L versions all costing roughly $3,000 more.
I just spent a week captaining this gray mist Navigator Reserve with the black-wheeled Jet Package. Total MSRP, $108,360.
As before, there’s only one powertrain on offer. Carried over is Ford’s twin-turbo 3.5-liter V6 that cranks out a healthy 440 horseys and 510 lb-ft of torque. All that is channeled to the wheels through a 10-speed automatic with all-wheel drive as standard.
Yes, it still drives like the 6,ooo-pound, body-on-frame leviathan it is, with a mighty 510 torques on tap, and a major focus on creamy smoothness and hushed refinement.
The way it surges off the line under full throttle, reaching 60 from standstill in a mere 5.3 seconds, with just the merest rumble from under that mile-long hood, is still its party-piece.
No, it’s not a Mercedes GLS or BMW X7 in the way it carves curves. Though its standard adaptive dampers, surprisingly precise and well-weighted steering, and controlled body roll make it handle way better than a truck this big ‘n tall should.
And the new interior is a standout, with leather-clad Barcalounger-style front seats that massage, heat and cool and power adjust up to 30 ways.
But there are one or two truly annoying features that fall into the gimmicky, who-thought-that-was-cool department. Want to adjust the door mirrors, pedals, or the steering column? You have to move your pinkie around a teeny steering wheel pad.
Worse still, if you want to adjust the angle of the air vents, you have to take you eyes off the road, look down at the too-low center console screen and mess with on-screen controls. Just ridiculous. And dangerous.
Niggles aside, this mighty new Navigator is even more luxurious, even more capable, and even more of a rolling sanctuary than ever. Perfect for navigating life’s highways.
