Lincoln is taking the steps necessary to return sales back from foreign autobahn cruisers. The all-new 2018 Lincoln Navigator is a bold move to reclaim some of the brand’s heritage of class and quality.
The redesign from the outside is imposing. Coming in at 210.0 inches long for the short wheelbase and 221.9 inches for the long wheelbase models, this vehicle truly is massive. A height of 76.4 inches is enough to be seen as a monster of the road, but the 22-inch wheels included on our Reserve trim level Navigator makes most other vehicle on the road look feeble in comparison.
Opposing the exterior styling of the Navigator, the interior is plush and inviting. The seats, all eight of them, were made of incredibly soft leather and the front seat headrests felt like pillows. The front two seats also had more controls than many other vehicles in their entirety, but that is a good thing.
Each of the seats had three levels of heating and cooling, five individual zones to fine tune your seat adjustment, two levels of massage, and special adjustable bolsters at the knees that are only common on the highest end luxury cars. These features make even Miami traffic enjoyable knowing that you are in the most comfortable seat on the road.
I sat in every seat in the car and was pleasantly surprised to find that even the back row of seats can power recline. The middle row seats has its own console for radio adjustments and climate control with full screens to display the exact temperature your passengers would want to be driven in. The back row may not have access to such a console but are not without plenty of ventilation and USB charging ports.
While in the captains seat of the Lincoln Navigator, you see the world in a new perspective, mostly from above. The ride height gives a commanding view of the road and visibility is good, too. When you go to drive, the gear select being on the center console where you would expect radio knobs and buttons to be was a bit jarring at first, but became second nature. Both the dashboard and center console had wood features throughout that felt reminiscent of the 1970s Lincolns. There are no physical gauges in the new Lincoln Navigator, just one big display for the digital replacements.
Featuring a 360-degree camera and reverse camera presented in high quality resolution on the 10-inch display made maneuvering this 6,000-pound beast a breeze. Despite this lofty weight, the Navigator still gets good gas mileage at a combined 20 miles per gallon, thanks to the EcoBoost engine and active bodywork in the grille that will adjust itself to make the car more aerodynamic.
Starting at $72,055 for the base Premium trim level and going all the way up to $93,705, before options, for the Black Label trim level, this latest redesign has already turned many customers looking at competitors into owners of the new Navigator. The model we tested had the Reserve trim which starts at $81,205. Both the Reserve and Black Label only come as the long wheelbase model which gets slightly lower miles per gallon
The new Lincoln Navigator is a fantastic alternative to many others in its class, such as the Infiniti qx80 and Mercedes GLS. It will not only turn heads here in Miami with its imposing figure, but waft you around these busy streets in supreme comfort.
Grant Miller is the publisher of Miami’s Community Newspapers. He may be contacted by calling 305-662-2277 or via email at Grant@CommunityNewspapers.com.
