2018 Lincoln Navigator review
Lincoln's new Navigator is so plush, you'll almost forget it's a truck

Highs
Well-appointed interior
Powerful engine
Comfortable seating in all three rows

Lows
Truck-like ride
Disappointing fuel economy

Interior and tech
If you’re a spy, you shouldn’t drive a Navigator. It’s hard to be subtle in a vehicle this big, and Lincoln doubled down with bold styling that’s well executed and handsome (although we would have loved to see Lincoln go all the way and include the gullwing doors from 2016’s Navigator concept). Approach the Navigator with key fob in hand, and the headlights and Lincoln logo in the grille light up. At night, the Lincoln logo is projected onto the ground, a cute touch that’s the perfect invitation to step inside.
As with previous generations, the 2018 Navigator is based on the Ford Expedition, but you wouldn’t know that from looking at the interior. What seem like yards of wood, tastefully applied chrome, and soft leather combine to make this more than just a gussied-up Ford cabin.
A 10.0-inch touchscreen stands proud of the dashboard, paired with a 12.0-inch reconfigurable instrument cluster and, in our test vehicle, a head-up display. The Navigator also sports six USB ports, four 12-volt power outlets, and a 110-volt plug, with an optional wireless phone-charging pad. In addition to power, the Lincoln has plenty of Wi-Fi to go around, boasting a hotspot that can support up to 10 devices. The rival Cadillac Escalade also offers Wi-Fi, but “only” for seven devices.
Like most other Lincoln and Ford models, the Navigator uses the Sync 3 infotainment system, in this case with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility. The central touchscreen was very responsive and entering commands, whether by tapping on the screen or by voice, was fairly straightforward. Still, we felt additional analog controls would have been helpful, and the graphics on the central screen are basically the same as what you get on a Ford Escape. At least Lincoln did its own thing with the 12.0-inch screen that serves as the driver’s instrument cluster. That display featured cool-looking graphics that were also easy to read at a glance.

The Navigator has an advantage over the Escalade, in most measures of passenger space (although Cadillac does offer slightly more first-row head and legroom), with most other big luxury SUVs coming in behind the two Americans. Remarkably for any vehicle with three rows of seats, the Navigator’s rearmost row is actually fairly comfortable for adults. The 20-speaker Revel Ultima audio system produced good sound across all three rows as well, so the third row really isn’t much of a penalty box at all. Keeping the third row up drastically reduces cargo space, but that’s always the case with three-row vehicles.
You’d expect a vehicle as big as the Navigator to offer plenty of interior space, but what raises the bar to a luxury level (for the front occupants at least) is Lincoln’s “Perfect Position” seats. The front seats are 30-way adjustable (they also offer heating, ventilation, and massage), and we found it easy to get everything dialed in exactly right. The result was a comfortable ride without the feeling of sinking into an overly soft couch, as is the case with some luxury-car seats.
In the case the driver gets distracted by the built-in massager, the Navigator is available with adaptive cruise control and lane-keep assist. It also gets a 360-degree camera system (which really comes in handy when parking this beast), park assist, and the Trailer Backup Assist system also offered in the Ford Expedition and F-150 pickup truck, which automatically steers when backing up with a trailer.

Driving experience
Most automakers offer different driving modes, but Lincoln tried something different with the Navigator. Where other cars might get an Eco or Sport mode, you get Excite and Conserve in this Lincoln. Neither word really describes the driving experience, though.
The Navigator uses the same 3.5-liter twin-turbocharged EcoBoost V6 and 10-speed automatic transmission as the Ford F-150 Raptor. The V6 produces the same 450 horsepower and 510 pound-feet of torque as it does in the Raptor, and is coupled to the same 10-speed automatic transmission. The Cadillac Escalade uses the same 10-speed auto, but its 6.2-liter naturally aspirated V8 can only muster 420 hp and 460 lb-ft. The Lincoln V6 also boasts more horsepower than the V8 engines in the Infiniti QX80 and Mercedes-Benz GLS550, and more torque than the Infiniti (The Merc has 516 lb-ft).

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