2015 LINCOLN NAVIGATOR ECOBOOST
March 18, 2015
By: Anthony Murdoch
What a difference one model year makes! For 2015, Ford upped it's game with the venerable Navigator and its Expedition twin, giving them both a nice refresh along with a new power train, the 3.5L EcoBoost V6 rated in this application at 380 horespower and a whopping 460 lb.-ft. of torque!
The Navigator has always been a gas hog, but the new EcoBoost V6 helps little in making it a more efficient machine. Sure, I was able to with a restrained right foot average at times a respectable 14 litres per 100 km, but overall fuel economy dropped significantly when you wanted the 'boost' part of the engine. Make no mistake this is one heavy SUV (around 2800 kg), however overall the new motor does make the Navigator quicker and more, if only a little, fuel efficient.
One thing that impressed me the most about the 2015 refresh is the interior. After a bad experiment with touch-less buttons, back are actual buttons controlling the majority of functions in the interior, although standard of course is Sync with MyLincoln Touch, a Microsoft based system which is still slow however it is being replaced across the board for Ford and Lincoln vehicles with Sync 3, a newer and hopefully better system based on BlackBerry's QNX operating system.
There is quite a lot of leather inside, with the dash being covered in it along with a lot of touch points, at least for the front seats. The fit and finish is good, however I did feel that the feel of some of the plastic buttons was cheap. It needs to be better at this price point. My tester was priced at $86,760, although it was optioned with the rear seat DVD system and 22 inch wheels along with Lincoln Drive Control, which allows you to control the firmness of the suspension. I found that you could feel the difference between 'comfort' and 'sport', however the 'normal' setting was a little less obvious.
New for the 2015 refresh is a much nicer front end with cool looking LED accents and a split grill which in some ways I feel resembles a happy whale? Seating a total of eight passengers, the Navigator also has power running boards, along with a power tailgate.
Canadian Navigators come with standard four-wheel drive with Hill Descent Control, and hill start assist. Hill start assist does just what the name says, meaning it will stay stationary for a brief moment if parked on a step grade. I noticed that the cabin was very quite at all speeds although I did miss the V8 soundtrack. It find the EcoBoost V6 to be a little coarse in the higher rev ranges, although it is a smooth motor and does give you a great kick in the back when on full boil.
With an independent rear suspension, the Navigator has a better balanced and more sophisticated ride than its main competitor, the Cadillac Escalade. Although the Escalade may look more modern, in fact the Navigator is more so, despite riding on a frame that is getting long in the tooth. This is what I have always liked about Ford. They keep pushing the bar when it comes to engine technology and always seem to be one step ahead of all other American car manufactures.
Overall, the 2015 refresh will give the Navigator a couple more years of life. I wonder where Lincoln is going to go after this? Maybe an aluminum bodied version?
By: Anthony Murdoch
What a difference one model year makes! For 2015, Ford upped it's game with the venerable Navigator and its Expedition twin, giving them both a nice refresh along with a new power train, the 3.5L EcoBoost V6 rated in this application at 380 horespower and a whopping 460 lb.-ft. of torque!
The Navigator has always been a gas hog, but the new EcoBoost V6 helps little in making it a more efficient machine. Sure, I was able to with a restrained right foot average at times a respectable 14 litres per 100 km, but overall fuel economy dropped significantly when you wanted the 'boost' part of the engine. Make no mistake this is one heavy SUV (around 2800 kg), however overall the new motor does make the Navigator quicker and more, if only a little, fuel efficient.
One thing that impressed me the most about the 2015 refresh is the interior. After a bad experiment with touch-less buttons, back are actual buttons controlling the majority of functions in the interior, although standard of course is Sync with MyLincoln Touch, a Microsoft based system which is still slow however it is being replaced across the board for Ford and Lincoln vehicles with Sync 3, a newer and hopefully better system based on BlackBerry's QNX operating system.
There is quite a lot of leather inside, with the dash being covered in it along with a lot of touch points, at least for the front seats. The fit and finish is good, however I did feel that the feel of some of the plastic buttons was cheap. It needs to be better at this price point. My tester was priced at $86,760, although it was optioned with the rear seat DVD system and 22 inch wheels along with Lincoln Drive Control, which allows you to control the firmness of the suspension. I found that you could feel the difference between 'comfort' and 'sport', however the 'normal' setting was a little less obvious.
New for the 2015 refresh is a much nicer front end with cool looking LED accents and a split grill which in some ways I feel resembles a happy whale? Seating a total of eight passengers, the Navigator also has power running boards, along with a power tailgate.
Canadian Navigators come with standard four-wheel drive with Hill Descent Control, and hill start assist. Hill start assist does just what the name says, meaning it will stay stationary for a brief moment if parked on a step grade. I noticed that the cabin was very quite at all speeds although I did miss the V8 soundtrack. It find the EcoBoost V6 to be a little coarse in the higher rev ranges, although it is a smooth motor and does give you a great kick in the back when on full boil.
With an independent rear suspension, the Navigator has a better balanced and more sophisticated ride than its main competitor, the Cadillac Escalade. Although the Escalade may look more modern, in fact the Navigator is more so, despite riding on a frame that is getting long in the tooth. This is what I have always liked about Ford. They keep pushing the bar when it comes to engine technology and always seem to be one step ahead of all other American car manufactures.
Overall, the 2015 refresh will give the Navigator a couple more years of life. I wonder where Lincoln is going to go after this? Maybe an aluminum bodied version?
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