2018 Lincoln Navigator TV Commercial Stars A Fairly Bored Matthew McConaughey

How many years has it been since Matthew and Lincoln have been in cahoots? God only knows, but it appears that even he is bored with the deal in the latest ad for the luxury automaker. Centered around the all-new Navigator, McConaughey sits at the train barrier, tapping anxiously on the leather-wrapped steering wheel of the full-size luxury sport utility vehicle.

And that’s it for the TV commercial some people have been hyping for months now, partly because Oscar-winning cinematographer Wally Pfister poured his know-how into it. You know, the guy who helped Christopher Nolan do its best to turn Inception into a box office success.

Starting from $72,055, the Navigator is a big thorn in the Escalade's side, especially because the Cadillac doesn’t have anything to brag in the face of Lincoln other than the number of cylinders. But you know what? The 3.5-liter EcoBoost V6 in the Navigator is a-OK, packing 450 horsepower and 510 pound-feet of torque sent to all four wheels by a 10-speed gearbox.

Thanks to the extensive use of military-grade aluminum alloy, the range-topping Lincoln sport utility vehicle is also lighter than the model it replaces. Beyond luxury and performance, the Navigator also knows how to do the family business thanks to the best-in-class tow rating (8,700 pounds).

And it's these very things that make the Navigator stand out in the crowd that also make McConaughey’s drumming unnecessary. These ads are losing their punch, though as far as effectiveness is concerned, Lincoln is on a roll. Navigator sales jumped 82 percent thanks to the new model, and Lincoln’s SUVs posted an overall gain of 12.4 percent through November 2017.