2007 Lincoln Navigator Review

Lincoln Navigator – Review: Place: Chicago. Date: February of 2006. Lincoln rolls the restyled Navigator onto the stage at McCormick Place convention center and immediately offends the retinas of the assembled press. We harped on the new Navi's "cheese grater" grille and reminded people to "bring a block of tasty to scrape across" it if they visited a local Lincoln dealer. We also detailed the reasons why the updated Navigator could still duke it out with the hot new Cadillac Escalade, and after a week of living with this rather impressive full-size luxury SUV, we've validated our assumptions. This is a compelling blend of luxury and utility wrapped in over-the-top packaging.

What We Drove

Southern California residents make pilgrimages each winter to play in the snow that lasts for fleeting weeks in the local mountains, and the Navigator arrived shortly after one of the few storms our region has seen this year. For our ride to the slopes we packed seven people and a little bit of stuff into a Vivid Red Metallic 2007 Lincoln Navigator Ultimate with four-wheel drive and a base sticker price of $51,475 including an $820 destination charge. To that, our truck had the Elite Package ($5,450 for navigation, THX audio with Sirius satellite radio, rear seat entertainment system, power deploying running boards, and a premium appearance package) and 20-inch chrome wheels ($1,495). Total MSRP rang in at $58,420.

Performance

Despite its output of 300 horsepower and 365 lb.-ft. of torque, the Lincoln Navigator's smooth-revving 5.4-liter V8 is merely adequate for the task of motivating 6,070 pounds of metal, rubber, glass, and chromed plastic. To its credit, the engine's behavior was consistent whether one or seven passengers were aboard, boding well for its 8,750-lb. tow capacity. The six-speed automatic transmission delivers clean shifts, features an overdrive-off button for downhill coasting, and sometimes kicks down enough gears to produce something close to impressive thrust. Rated to return 13 mpg in the city and 18 mpg on the highway with two-wheel drive, our Navigator four-wheel drive averaged 14.3 during a healthy mix of both.

Handling

With truck-tough underpinnings the Navigator pounds broken pavement into submission, traverses eroded fire roads that would leave the typical crossover suv high-centered, dispatches light mud and snow, and tackles corners with a flat attitude at normal driving speeds. Add velocity on sweeping corners and the heavy Lincoln starts to bob and weave, the numb steering providing zero detail about what's happening at the road surface. Pitch it into a hairpin and it plows, howls, and rolls. Ride quality is what you might expect, as long as you expect a pickup truck with a loaded bed. The brakes are easy to modulate after the first half-inch of travel, during which time nothing happens except the injection of adrenalin into your system.

Visibility

Giant side mirrors, thin windshield pillars given the Navigator's size, and third-row headrests that collapse forward for an improved view through the rear glass all contribute to good outward visibility. It helps that the Navigator towers above surrounding traffic. Reversing takes planning, especially with the third-row seatbacks blocking the lower third of the back glass, but with rear parking sensors and a tight turning circle for such a big SUV, it's better than some. Still, we wish a reversing camera was offered on the Navigator.

Fun to Drive

During a sledding trip to local mountains with four adults and three kids aboard, we did a little light off-roading in the Lincoln Navigator. Push-button four-wheel drive, big tires, generous ground clearance, and the thrill city folk get when ramming around the high desert in a gigantic luxury SUV sure provided passengers who repeatedly tested the automatic locking retractors of the seatbelts with a good time. From behind the wheel, however, the Lincoln is a dud to drive.

Front Comfort

Lincoln's got Cadillac beat on the comfort front, that's for sure. The seats are fine, perhaps a bit too small given the size of the vehicle but able to provide hours of support. Our test truck's front buckets also offered heating and cooling – we needed both during a drive from 80-degree Los Angeles to 35-degree Angeles National Forest. What places the Navigator ahead of the Escalade is the wide padded upper door sill, perfect for resting the driver's left arm on a long road trip, the wide padded center console, and the thick steering wheel rim with spokes that serve as palm rests. The optional power retractable side steps are icing on the cake.

Rear Comfort

Climbing in and out of the Navigator's rear seats is easy thanks to the optional power retractable side steps. Our test truck came with the standard rear bucket seats and center console (a bench is optional), and the chairs supplied comfort similar to those in front, though they were mounted a bit low and didn't afford as much leg space as one might expect in a full-size SUV. The third-row, however, is among the most comfortable in any SUV. Here, the Navigator shines in comparison to the Escalade and Escalade ESV. Knee room is a tad tight, but foot space is generous and the bench sits tall off the floor providing plenty of thigh support.

Interior Noise

Aerodynamic science is lost on the Lincoln Navigator, so wind noise is a given. Get this hulk up to speed on the freeway, and the atmosphere makes itself known around the mirrors, the windshield pillars, and if you've got the sunroof open, the hole in the roof, too. Road noise, however, is well isolated, and while the stiff suspension transfers plenty of shock to the cabin it doesn't clank and thunk like some crossover SUVs. Lincoln's THX-certified audio system sounds terrific, easily drowning out aural irritants with rich sound quality.

Loading Cargo

Unless you pop for the extended-length Navigator L, you've gotta take your pick: seven passengers or a bunch of stuff. Obviously, in the standard-length model, you can't do both without a rooftop carrier or a trailer. If you decide on four people (five when the no-cost bench seat is ordered), the power folding third-row is handy for expanding cargo space to 54.5 cu.-ft. Or, fold all the seats for a maximum of 103.5 cu.-ft. The liftover height is high, so lighter is better. Also, the power tailgate takes for-freaking-ever to open, which isn't going to make anyone happy on a rainy day. Closing the tailgate is easy thanks to a button on the left side panel of the cargo area.

Build Quality

Lincoln needs to apply the attention to detail wrought on the interior of the Navigator to the exterior. Outside, we grabbed the lower part of the bumper cover and tugged; the whole bumper and grille wiggled significantly. This may be to resist low speed impacts, but it imparts a sense of questionable build quality. The hood was also mounted off-center, there was inconsistency in front door fit, the left rear door fit was way off, the tailgate didn't fit flush, and the rear license plate brow trim was wavy. Inside, the sunglasses holder cover was crooked and the second row DVD bin cover was askew. Overall, however, the cabin was impressively tight with uniform gaps and solid fitments.