Lincoln Navigator tries really hard to amaze and delight – and that's too badBy Jim Bray Do today's automobile designers actually drive the vehicles they create? I ask because it's hard to find a new vehicle these days (of the ones I get to review, anyway) that doesn't make me want to punch its lights out because, rather than just being a vehicle, they've become technology hubs that offer so much connectivity, electronic features and supposed safety nannies that it's difficult to live with them. And, alas, the Lincoln Navigator that's the subject of this rant is a prime example, and it's a damn shame because – as with a lot of other vehicles that suffer the same tech overkill – there's a lot to like about it. The big Lincoln – and it's very big! – is powerful, comfortable and robust. Its turbo V-6 engine puts out a more than adequate 400 horsepower @ 5,400 rpm and an even more welcome 510 torquey things @ 3,300 rpm. That motivates this whale very nicely. On a trip to the Rocky Mountains on a particularly interesting back road, it pulled out and passed with the feel (other than the laws of physics as they apply to a nearly public transit-sized vehicle) of a much smaller and sportier vehicle. It was lovely, and so intoxicating that I would have probably failed a breathalyser even though I hadn't had a drop. The car drives well and I liked the transmission as much as I like any 10-speed automatic (which isn't much), but the manual mode here is merely a rocker switch on the console, and that sucks. Paddle shifters would be nice. You also get all-wheel drive. As one might expect, the big Lincoln tends to wallow in its default mode. You can mitigate this a bit by putting it into what Lincoln laughingly calls "Engage" mode, which in a less ponderous vehicle might be called Sport mode. It does tighten things up, but not enough for me – though I'm undoubtedly not the target market. I loved the powered running boards that made getting in and out of this large vehicle possible without making me look a complete oaf. Well, it tried… I also loved the Revel audio system, which simply rocks!
My grandkids, boys aged nine and 12, loved the middle row. There were enough buttons and other toys there to keep them occupied during our mountain trip. In fact, they found that Sirius XM has about 1999 different channels – and they had to try every one! That third row is remarkably nice, with lots of bum and leg room (well, remembering that I identify as five feel seven inches tall). I was back there for the better part of an hour and it was fine. The only fly in the ointment is that there's really no arm rest on the outsides because they have a storage bin and cup holders there instead. This isn't a huge deal, however, and overall, I was impressed by the third row. Ah, but now we have to talk about the technology, which I found redundant, obtrusive, and kind of silly in some ways. And, to be honest, dangerous. There's a massive central LCD screen like you'd find in most cars these days and what used to be a dashboard is now a series of screens stretching from one side of the car to the other, and they're customizable to a certain extent. It looks cool and elicited comments pro and con from passengers. You can display the weather if you want – though while I had the Navigator it was a couple of days behind, rendering it useless – especially since you can just look out the big windows and huge panoramic sunroof to see if it's raining. As for the big main central screen, as so many other carmakers do today, too many of the things you want to access, such as HVAC, many audio controls etc., are only controllable via the big LCD screen. And as usual with this strategy, I found it finicky and difficult to use safely when driving because, instead of keeping your eyes on the road and tweaking the odd knob or button occasionally as needed, you have to take your eyes over to the screen and start stabbing at its menus, hoping you don't go over a bump and end up stabbing something completely different. This isn't just a Lincoln thing, alas. It gets worse. Most vehicles these days have steering wheel-mounted controls and I love this feature because it lets you operate stuff like the audio system and cruise control while keeping your hands on the steering wheel. But Lincoln in its wisdom has chosen to replace the buttons with a kind of touch pad controller on each side of the hub and when you use one it brings up a new display on the instrument panel, which also takes your eyes off the road. You have to use this really annoying system to do things like skip audio tracks and change the volume (to be fair, there's also a big volume knob on the centre console and it works fine), and even such comparatively normal stuff like adjusting the steering column, pedals, etc. Yep, if you want to tilt the steering column you have to do it with the stupid touch pad. And it's finicky, too; I found myself scrolling right past where I wanted to go, so an operation that would take but a second using normal controls not only takes longer, it takes your eyes off the road longer and by the time you're finished you're probably seething. I predict that someone is going to get killed by someone using all this technological overkill, whether it be via a rear end collision, running down a pedestrian, or the distracted driver (aren't we supposed to be fighting distracted driving?) will run off the road and die that way. I guess that's why they have all these annoying safety nannies… The Navigator also seemed forgetful at times. One time I parked it while my wife and I went for a walk, and when I came back the mirrors were out of adjustment and the steering wheel had raised itself out of position. This happened more than once and made me go back to those stupid track pads again to reset things. I also had to fire up CarPlay manually every time I wanted it, even though it reconnects automatically in other vehicles and my phone was the only one paired with the Lincoln at the time. In all, this sophisticated vehicle ended up rubbing me the wrong way so much that I wouldn't even consider it if I were looking to buy a boat like this. It's a shame. There's a lot to like with the Navigator otherwise. Copyright 2026 Jim Bray |
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The middle row offers either a bench or captain's seats (hence the seven or eight-seat configuration) and they're comfortable and roomy. They also move out of the way nicely to help facilitate old and fat men getting in and out of the third row, which I did on our trip home from the mountains.