The Navigator Black Label is a player.
Regular readers are aware that your humble reviewer drives more than a few new vehicles over to one of our beaches and right out on the sand. I obviously like driving out to the water since it beats trudging with whatever provisions you might bring along, from folding chairs to an ice chest. I haven’t yet tried my hand at fishing, but I haven’t ruled that out.
Some vehicular candidates, like the venerable Jeep Wrangler or Ford’s new Bronco, beg to add some crawling in soft stuff to a week’s test. And I’ve been promised Land Rover’s Defender 90 in the next week or two and will not be content to stick to paved roads. Stay tuned.
This week’s candidate is Lincoln’s big Navigator, the SUV offering that jump started the full-size luxury sport utility trend 26-years ago. Our new Navigator was not only big, but the extra posh Black Label edition, was finished in Crystal Blue Metallic and shod with lovely 22-inch wheels and low-profile tires. We had a dinner date at the Ritz Carlton, a perfectly appropriate destination for the fashionably prodigious Lincoln. And the valet parked our Navigator up front, preening alongside a Mercedes-Benz G 63.
Perhaps the valet parking association next to the Mercedes that conveyed off-road prowess with its chunky swagger prompted me to consider testing the Navigator’s off-pavement potential. After all, the big fella was equipped with four-wheel-drive and a control knob that would select a fitting mode, so the next day we headed down to Amelia Island State Park for a beach journey. If prizes were awarded for the most glamorous vehicle trudging through the sand that day, we’d have brought a trophy home. And although the steering was quite vague in the tall sand, we prowled nearly as well as the 4 X 4’s that are common to our shores.
Back on paved roads, the Navigator is a pretty nice ride with three-zone climate control and cooled seats to beat summer heat and a 28-speaker Revel Ultima 3-D audio system for entertainment. Even the alarm chimes are luxurious, created by the Detroit Symphony Orchestra. Both front and second row seats were heated or ventilated with multiple massage options. If you have to spend time in a car, this is certainly a candidate for the long journey.
Behind the wheel, this prodigious 5,855-pound Lincoln comports itself with stately demeanor. While it’s not a top choice for corner carving, anymore than its full-size rivals might be, the ride is composed and reassuringly firm and the 3.5-liter turbocharged V6 punches above its weight, outperforming Cadillac’s 6.2-liter naturally aspirated V8. When I traveled on Interstate 95, I was able to test BlueCruise, the company’s “hands-free” driving system. This semi-autonomous feature is included at the Black Label trim level with a four-year subscription and $800 per-year after that. It’s fine, but not much more autonomy than dynamic cruise control. Besides you’ve already paid $115,370 for this big galoot and that should be enough.
The large luxury SUV category is not a high growth segment since fuel economy hovers in the mid-teens but for affluent families who need a big utility vehicle, they’re an obvious solution. Other rivals in this sumptuous category are Cadillac’s Escalade, Mercedes-Benz GLS 580 and BMW’s X7 M60i. Best beach choices might include Land Rover’s Range Rover and the Jeep Grand Wagoneer.
THE FINE PRINT
2024 Lincoln Navigator Black Label
TYPE: Front-engine, four-wheel-drive
ENGINE: 3.5-liter Turbocharged V6
HORSEPOWER: 440 @ 5,850 RPM
TORQUE: 510 lb.ft. @ 3,000 RPM
BASE PRICE: $110,995
AS TESTED: $115,370
FUEL CONSUMPTION: 16-city, 22-highway, 18-combined