In the US, the full-size SUV market is still in the midst of an epic arms race. With the release of the new Navigator, Lincoln is leading the charge against Cadillac and other rivals. The fifth version of Ford’s most popular SUV, the 2025 Lincoln Navigator, had major changes made to the outside and even bigger changes made to the inside. It’s not different from the last model in terms of how it works. The new Navi will have a 3.5-liter twin-turbo V6 engine, just like in the Ford F-150 Raptor. This SUV, the Navigator, has a twin-turbo V6 engine that makes 440 horsepower and 510 pound-feet of torque, which is more than enough power for it. The SUV only comes with full-time four-wheel drive, and the engine is still paired with a ten-speed automatic gear. As before, the Heavy-Duty Trailer Tow Package is needed, and the highest weight that can be towed is 8,700 pounds. People who need a lot of cargo room will be able to choose between short and long wheelbases, even with the third row of seats folded down. The Navigator has been remade to look more like the Nautilus and the Aviator. Both the outside and the inside of the boat have been changed. For a car that costs almost twice as much as its smaller brothers, Lincoln’s new design language is surprisingly sleek and classy. This is also true for the Navigator 2025, which is still a big SUV with room for seven people plus the driver. The Navigator is still as big as it was before. It has a normal wheelbase of 122.5 inches and a long wheelbase of 131.5 inches. However, the outside design has been simplified by getting rid of some of the things that made the old Navigator look crowded or too complicated. The shape of the new model is smooth, and it strikes a good pose. For the first time on a Navigator, you can choose to have 24-inch wheels instead of the usual 22-inch wheels. The big SUV’s outside doesn’t have any chrome details like most SUVs do. On the other hand, the Jet Appearance Package has accents made of satin metal and blacked-out areas. Shiny chrome, which used to be a big part of American land ships, isn’t in style anymore. Now, you can tell the difference between a regular car and a luxury car (or an SUV like the Navigator vs. the Expedition) by the accent lights. Every time a car gets close, a new lightbar at the front of the Navigator turns on. The SUV’s welcome process includes a lightbar that holds the taillights and changes the driver’s seat and mirrors to settings that have already been set. Ford calls the new back gate with taillights the “Split Gate.” Below the lights, it splits apart and opens up and down. With the Open on Approach feature, the top three-quarters of the SUV instantly lifts when the driver’s key fob gets close to the back of the car. The most important improvements are inside, but Lincoln does things inside its main car differently than companies like Cadillac. Of course, it’s all about screens! However, bigger screens and images are sometimes better. Lincoln didn’t put a big screen on the dashboard; instead, they made a tiered dashboard with a 48-inch panoramic display behind the driving wheel. Surprise! Because of how it’s set up, a tablet wouldn’t work here. A row of start/stop and gear change buttons sits below an 11-inch touchscreen that is easy to reach. On top of that is a power knob that looks like a crystal. Lincoln says that the raised dash was meant to keep the driver’s eyes from dropping as they would if they were looking down and switching their attention between a big screen lower on the dash and the main points in the distance. It looks like this is a creative way to lessen the attention that shows get. Since there isn’t a screen right above the wheel, the top and bottom of the turning wheel are flat to make the screen easier to see. On either side of the steering wheel, Lincoln put touchpads that can be used to change settings. The Navigator’s new cabin might be better than the D-pads, but we’ll have to wait and see. The Navigator’s sound system is better than the Escalade’s because it has a 28-speaker Revel Audio sound system, which is made by the same company that makes the popular Performa series. Harman owns the 19 AKG speakers that come with the base model of the Escalade, so it’s unlikely that one will be better than the rest. With up to 14 ports, the bedroom has more USB ports than most people’s living rooms. In the first and second rows, there are wireless chargers that people can use to charge their phones, but each person can only use less than two ports. Lincoln was able to make the second and third rows as comfortable as the first row most of the time. There are now 40/20/40 split seats in the third row that work like captain’s chairs. Lincoln has also given the Navigator a lot of thought to ADAS. All models come with BlueCruise hands-free highway driving, which makes it easier to turn, brake, and speed up. To use Lane Change Assist, tap the signal stick when the road is clear. BlueCruise will offer a four-year Navigator membership. Two more functions are In-Lane Repositioning and Turn Signal View, which show a camera view of the lane next to you on the big screen when the turn signal is on. Intersection Assist also sounds an alarm and applies the brakes when it spots an oncoming car, helping drivers make safe left turns at stoplights. Lincoln wants its most expensive car to feel like a home away from home. Even though the idea of a “third space”—apart from your home and workplace—is overdone, the Navigator is still a nice place to rest when you’re tired, thanks to technologies like Lincoln Rejuvenate, which uses the Lincoln Digital Scent to massage drivers and turn an SUV into a “spa on wheels.” If the Escalade performs better than the Navi, Lincoln will be on par with Cadillac when it comes to style and luxury. The 2025 Lincoln Navigator will go on sale early next year, and the exact price will be known then. The base model, or Premiere trim, is no longer available. The Reserve and Black Label trims are the only ones left. Lincoln says that the new flagship will cost at most $100,000. The Navigator Reserve you’re getting rid of starts at $97,690.
