Lincoln Navigator 2016 excellent suv

 Lincoln Navigator 2016 excellent  suv google doc

Lincoln Navigator 2016 excellent  suv  have been out of fashion as often as they've been in vogue. With gas prices low again, they're back on the A-list.

The Navigator may have kicked off the BUV (blingy utility vehicle) trend, but it's since been eclipsed by Range Rover, GL-Class, and Escalade. That should change, since the 2015 update to the Navigator blessed it with a new look and new power that puts it easily on par with those American-made luxury SUVs, if not the British-built one.

The Navigator now has a fresh injection of life thanks to twin wings on its grille and twin turbos under its hood, but does it still feel like the 72-ounce steak of Lincolns? And is it enough to tackle the new, fully redesigned Escalade? In both cases, the answer is yes.

The refurbished Navigator boasts great power and new technology. In styling, it's more than ready for a redo. The Navigator still carries the standard for a strain of American luxury that pairs big grilles and big towing numbers with big pricetags, enticing athletes and rappers and ranchers and everyone in between.

 Lincoln Navigator 2016 excellent  suv google doc

And yet, it looks more dated and restrained than most of its competition. The grille's slimmer, its wings split like those on the Lincoln MKZ sedan and refactored along with the hood for a less showy, still imposing presence. The Navigator's LED accent lighting squares off its headlamps, linking it subtly with the Land Rover Range Rover, and LEDs work with cutlines to lower the rear end visually. But the basic shape is nearly a decade old, and though it pays off with excellent outward vision, it doesn't telegraph how vital the Navigator now feels.

Inside, the Navigator's twin-binnacle dash wears a new leather-wrapped dash with twin-stitched seams. A big touchscreen now dominates the center stack, but it hasn't elbowed out buttons and knobs entirely; they're all over the dash and the steering wheel, while another reconfigurable LCD screen tucks into the gauge pod. It's a scaled-up restatement of the shapes Lincoln used in the MKZ before it went dramatically aero in 2013.

 Lincoln Navigator 2016 excellent  suv google doc

In terms of interior space, the Navigator is essentially unchanged. Lincoln Navigator 2016 excellent  suv  Expedition and other SUVs in this class, the Navigator is offered in both standard and extended-wheelbase editions. The Navigator sits at 207.4 inches long; the Navigator L adds 14.9 inches of overall length for a total of 222.3 inches, while doling out an additional 24.9 cubic feet of cargo space. Standard-wheelbase models have 103.3 cubic feet of interior space; long-wheelbase versions have 128.2 cubic feet. Power-fold capability means the third row can be quickly and easily stowed when not in use.

 Lincoln Navigator 2016 excellent  suv google doc

The Navigator's body-on-frame construction hasn't changed, but its drivetrain and suspension have. The former 5.4-liter V-8 has been put to the curb; in its place, the Navigator elects for a fantastic twin-turbocharged, direct-injected 3.5-liter V-6 that's been in the F-150 trucks for the past few years. Here it makes 380 horsepower and 460 pound-feet of torque -- more than in other applications, such as the Ford F-150 -- and Lincoln claims it offers the best towing numbers in the class. It's a gutsy performer and works with the steering and suspension to evaporate long stretches of road, even some curvy ones. Rear-drive models are available, though we fearlessly predict four-wheel-drive models will account for most Navigator sales, since the fuel economy penalty is a rounding error for vehicles such as this one.

 Lincoln Navigator 2016 excellent  suv google doc

Lincoln Navigator 2016 excellent  suv  handled reasonably well for its size, but its independent suspension feels better with the continuous damping system that's optional on rear-wheel-drive models and standard with 4WD or the big 22-inch wheels. Unfortunately it's a big price jump to opt into packages that feature the new system. Four-wheel-drive models additionally include hill start assist plus Hill Descent Control. Across the model line, the Lincoln Navigator includes push-button start, the MyLincoln Touch interface, blind-spot monitors with cross-traffic alert, and a new LED-backlit instrument cluster.

 Lincoln Navigator 2016 excellent  suv google doc

The Navigator has suffered from a lack of infotainment and safety features, languishing while other Fords have prospered in the electronic era. That's changed now with the installation of MyLincoln Touch, which uses voice or touch or steering-wheel controls to operate phone, climate, navigation, and audio functions. It's standard, along with a rearview camera and three rows of leather-trimmed seats. The options list for the Navigator lineup includes a power moonroof, InVision headrest-mounted DVD entertainment system, dark-finished 20-inch alloys, or 22-inch polished aluminum wheels -- and new top-of-the-line 'Reserve' models add hand-wrapped leather for the dash, a rich-looking Ziricote wood interior, and 22-inch wheels, as well as the adaptive suspension.

 Lincoln Navigator 2016 excellent  suv google doc