Photo: Jeffrey Ross
Ford claims that in the last two years they have invested over $2 billion on the Lincoln brand to keep it alive and competitive in the segment and yet, the results are far from noticeable. Furthermore, they claim that another $5 billion will be added to the bill, did the 2015 Lincoln Navigator we reviewed show any of that?
In short: no. Sure, there are some new tidbits here and there, there’s a new face and a new rear end that is absolutely dreadful to look at but that’s just a facade. Underneath it all, we have nearly 3 tons of recycled parts that simply don’t do such a popular car any justice.
Speaking of popularity, the new Navigator will go somewhat toe to toe with the Ford Expedition but the latter will probably outsell the Lincoln by around four times by the time the smoke settles. So why keep on investing in a car that is now running on an 11-year old platform? For the status.
It’s hard to imagine anyone actually buying this car. The thing is, the brand snobbery is just as often met in the US as is in Europe and other parts of the world. This is a car that uses a lot of old parts but nobody will care because it looks new and gets the job done.
Jobs like traveling in big numbers (up to 8 people will fit inside the Navi, easily) and with plenty of comfort along with luggage space for days. It will also keep you warm and cozy all the time but don’t expect the infotainment system to be too fun. It has a tendency to crash from time to time.
What’s good about the new model is that it finally dropped the old 5.4-liter V8 that used to make just a little over 310 HP and was obviously in way above its head. Now, even though the configuration was changed to a V6 and there was some serious downsizing done too with the new EcoBoost plant. Thanks to turbocharging, the 3.5-liter heart under the bonnet makes 380 HP on premium fuel. That’s more like it.
To put it short, the new model has a brand new face that is rather nice to look at from a distance, an ugly rear end, it is extremely comfortable and pollutes less. Those are all good points that we discovered during our time with it but there’s more to it than meets the eye at first. However, you’ll have to read our full 2015 Lincoln Navigator review to find out more.
Speaking of popularity, the new Navigator will go somewhat toe to toe with the Ford Expedition but the latter will probably outsell the Lincoln by around four times by the time the smoke settles. So why keep on investing in a car that is now running on an 11-year old platform? For the status.
It’s hard to imagine anyone actually buying this car. The thing is, the brand snobbery is just as often met in the US as is in Europe and other parts of the world. This is a car that uses a lot of old parts but nobody will care because it looks new and gets the job done.
Jobs like traveling in big numbers (up to 8 people will fit inside the Navi, easily) and with plenty of comfort along with luggage space for days. It will also keep you warm and cozy all the time but don’t expect the infotainment system to be too fun. It has a tendency to crash from time to time.
What’s good about the new model is that it finally dropped the old 5.4-liter V8 that used to make just a little over 310 HP and was obviously in way above its head. Now, even though the configuration was changed to a V6 and there was some serious downsizing done too with the new EcoBoost plant. Thanks to turbocharging, the 3.5-liter heart under the bonnet makes 380 HP on premium fuel. That’s more like it.
To put it short, the new model has a brand new face that is rather nice to look at from a distance, an ugly rear end, it is extremely comfortable and pollutes less. Those are all good points that we discovered during our time with it but there’s more to it than meets the eye at first. However, you’ll have to read our full 2015 Lincoln Navigator review to find out more.
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