June 18, 2018
Anthony Murdoch
Lincoln has been on quite a tear lately, with their full range pretty much all-new or only a couple of years new, which is quite an impressive feat considering the timeline. The much anticipated and all-new 2018 Navigator shares its platform and many of its components with the all-new Ford Expedition, including an industry leading aluminium body. This new body helps cut weight and is also is quite strong, using a military type grade aluminium alloy. The lightweight materials were used in the name of saving weight, and indeed the new Navigator is lighter by about 200 pounds.
In the last couple of years of its run the previous Navigator ditched the V8 for a V6 which was turbocharged. It felt a little underpowered at times, and was really no less thirsty in real world driving. I am happy to report that for 2018 Lincoln upped the 3.5 litre twin-turbo V6 to a whopping 450 horsepower and 510 lb-ft of torque! These are Ford Raptor numbers. This is serious horsepower, although the fuel economy observed was actually a little better than the old Navigator V6 at around an observed average of 13.0 litre per 100km. Not bad for a 5000 pound plus vehicle.
With such an immense amount of power the Navigator is no slouch, and if heeded, will scoot you and its occupants down the road with rapid pace, yet relaxed in manner. The truth is, I rarely revved the thing much higher than 3000 rpm, as with so much torque on tap and a 10-speed transmission, you really don't need to work the engine hard at all. I did find that because the transmission skips gears, I noticed a slight clumsiness and lag, however it might be due to my relaxed driving style or Ford's newer 10-speed needing some software tuning. Either way, with so many gears and power, if towing is your thing you are in luck, as the Navigator can do that as well, and is rated to tow 8300 pounds in the four wheel drive version.
When Lincoln set out to redesign their new Navigator, it's clear that their sights were set firmly on Cadillac and its Escalade, which despite outselling the Navigator by a large margin, has more than met its match with this newest version. The 2018 Navigator feels like a true luxury vehicle and smells like its worth its $100,000 as tested price tag. It is a large and heavy SUV make no mistake, however it is not that difficult to park thanks to a multi-camera view system which helps even the worst parkers feel at ease. You may be thinking that getting in and out is going to be difficult, however the power-deployable running boards make it a cinch for access.
The interior is a sumptuous place to spend time, and everything from the switchgear to the heater controls both look and feel like premium pieces worthy of an Audi or Mercedes-Benz. With a total of seven-seats (an eight seat version is available) the Navigator can haul a decent sized crew, or larger family in style. The furthest back seats are very good and comfortable, and as they automatically fold, it's easy to create more cargo space should the situation call for it. The second row captains chairs are heaven for those in the middle row. There are entertainment screens as well as climate/audio controls, a lot of good cubby space, and charging ports. I did notice the absence of a DVD player, which is an oversight in my opinion as yes, there are still a lot of people whose use this medium for movies, heck even the newest Honda Odyssey has a Blu-Ray player as an option.
The instrument cluster is a digital affair and I have to say that I still prefer analogue gauges as when done right, they offer a higher quality and more tactile viewing experience. I did find the myriad of settings for the gauges confusing and hard to master, and I do not know why the simulated gauge needles were not that clear. They are highlighted while the rest of the simulated dial is darker. I am also not a fan of the recent trend of what I like to call "iPad cluster disease", which basically means a screen jutting out of nowhere as is the case in the Navigator. Why can't the screen be integrated into the dash? It felt flimsy sticking out and I hope this trend bites the dust soon.
The Navigator comes with six "Lincoln Drive Modes" which is a rather plain way to describe various states of tune of engine, the four-wheel drive system and suspension and traction control settings. To choose your drive-mode, you use a selector switch which is located in the middle console. With each change a rather interesting looking animation plays about as you switch from Normal to Excite, Slippery, Conserve, Deep Conditions and finally Snow Climb. As the pavement was bone dry during my time with the Navigator, I left it in Normal most of the time but did try out the other settings including Excite, which holds onto the gears longer and seems to increase throttle response.
Overall, I enjoyed my time with the Navigator and I have to say Lincoln has a winner here. I can only see this model improving with time, and you can really see the time, effort, and money that Lincoln (Ford) poured into this new model. For more information about the Navigator including pricing, please visit: https://www.lincolncanada.com/
Pros:
Anthony Murdoch
Lincoln has been on quite a tear lately, with their full range pretty much all-new or only a couple of years new, which is quite an impressive feat considering the timeline. The much anticipated and all-new 2018 Navigator shares its platform and many of its components with the all-new Ford Expedition, including an industry leading aluminium body. This new body helps cut weight and is also is quite strong, using a military type grade aluminium alloy. The lightweight materials were used in the name of saving weight, and indeed the new Navigator is lighter by about 200 pounds.
In the last couple of years of its run the previous Navigator ditched the V8 for a V6 which was turbocharged. It felt a little underpowered at times, and was really no less thirsty in real world driving. I am happy to report that for 2018 Lincoln upped the 3.5 litre twin-turbo V6 to a whopping 450 horsepower and 510 lb-ft of torque! These are Ford Raptor numbers. This is serious horsepower, although the fuel economy observed was actually a little better than the old Navigator V6 at around an observed average of 13.0 litre per 100km. Not bad for a 5000 pound plus vehicle.
With such an immense amount of power the Navigator is no slouch, and if heeded, will scoot you and its occupants down the road with rapid pace, yet relaxed in manner. The truth is, I rarely revved the thing much higher than 3000 rpm, as with so much torque on tap and a 10-speed transmission, you really don't need to work the engine hard at all. I did find that because the transmission skips gears, I noticed a slight clumsiness and lag, however it might be due to my relaxed driving style or Ford's newer 10-speed needing some software tuning. Either way, with so many gears and power, if towing is your thing you are in luck, as the Navigator can do that as well, and is rated to tow 8300 pounds in the four wheel drive version.
When Lincoln set out to redesign their new Navigator, it's clear that their sights were set firmly on Cadillac and its Escalade, which despite outselling the Navigator by a large margin, has more than met its match with this newest version. The 2018 Navigator feels like a true luxury vehicle and smells like its worth its $100,000 as tested price tag. It is a large and heavy SUV make no mistake, however it is not that difficult to park thanks to a multi-camera view system which helps even the worst parkers feel at ease. You may be thinking that getting in and out is going to be difficult, however the power-deployable running boards make it a cinch for access.
The interior is a sumptuous place to spend time, and everything from the switchgear to the heater controls both look and feel like premium pieces worthy of an Audi or Mercedes-Benz. With a total of seven-seats (an eight seat version is available) the Navigator can haul a decent sized crew, or larger family in style. The furthest back seats are very good and comfortable, and as they automatically fold, it's easy to create more cargo space should the situation call for it. The second row captains chairs are heaven for those in the middle row. There are entertainment screens as well as climate/audio controls, a lot of good cubby space, and charging ports. I did notice the absence of a DVD player, which is an oversight in my opinion as yes, there are still a lot of people whose use this medium for movies, heck even the newest Honda Odyssey has a Blu-Ray player as an option.
The instrument cluster is a digital affair and I have to say that I still prefer analogue gauges as when done right, they offer a higher quality and more tactile viewing experience. I did find the myriad of settings for the gauges confusing and hard to master, and I do not know why the simulated gauge needles were not that clear. They are highlighted while the rest of the simulated dial is darker. I am also not a fan of the recent trend of what I like to call "iPad cluster disease", which basically means a screen jutting out of nowhere as is the case in the Navigator. Why can't the screen be integrated into the dash? It felt flimsy sticking out and I hope this trend bites the dust soon.
The Navigator comes with six "Lincoln Drive Modes" which is a rather plain way to describe various states of tune of engine, the four-wheel drive system and suspension and traction control settings. To choose your drive-mode, you use a selector switch which is located in the middle console. With each change a rather interesting looking animation plays about as you switch from Normal to Excite, Slippery, Conserve, Deep Conditions and finally Snow Climb. As the pavement was bone dry during my time with the Navigator, I left it in Normal most of the time but did try out the other settings including Excite, which holds onto the gears longer and seems to increase throttle response.
Overall, I enjoyed my time with the Navigator and I have to say Lincoln has a winner here. I can only see this model improving with time, and you can really see the time, effort, and money that Lincoln (Ford) poured into this new model. For more information about the Navigator including pricing, please visit: https://www.lincolncanada.com/
Pros:
- Quiet as a bank vault. Smooth American luxury. Comfortable interior with great materials.
- Massaging seats. Simply perfection!
- Styling which is ageless, tasteful and Lincoln like.
- Poor brake feel.
- Steering feel is not great, and visibility is compromised (cameras do help). Digital Instrument cluster is confounding to set and not laid out well. Why not a combo of high-end analogue gauges and a screen in the middle?
- Engine and transmission combination was jerky at times. Throttle response is not great.
