Driven: The 2022 Lincoln Navigator
The stately Lincoln Navigator receives a few exterior design tweaks, but it is the interior where the mid-cycle revamp is most keenly felt. Laura Burstein gets behind the wheel
On the outskirts of Phoenix, Arizona, we are ticking off miles in the 2022 Lincoln Navigator. As we drive further north, the rows of suburban strip malls transform into swaths of beige nothingness, save for the multi-armed saguaro cacti rising up from the sand like a scene out of a Western movie.
The behemoth American SUV at our command has been refreshed for 2022, with subtle changes on the exterior and significant improvements to the HMI and new interior themes. In addition, the new Navi gets ActivGlide, the fancy name for the advanced driver assist suite also known as Ford’s BlueCruise, which combines adaptive cruise control, lane centering, and speed sign recognition along with true hands-free driving on certain pre-mapped roads in the U.S. “It was really about elevating the level of the technology experience,”Lincoln interior design chief Ryan Niemiec told me as we sat in the cockpit.
On the exterior, the Navigator keeps its stately appearance but with a few tweaks. For the mid-cycle facelift, a new front grille is more upright compared with the previous version’s slightly more swept-back look. Top-of-the-line Black Label models get a unique, more three-dimensional grille treatment while new, reshaped headlamps with adaptive pixel technology give the Navigator a more contemporary look. Below the lower grille, an insert piece runs the full width of the front, underscoring Lincoln’s focus on horizontality. In the same way, the redesigned tail lamp graphic stretches the full width of the rear end, a redesign that Niemiec says was driven by customer feedback.
Inside, a new centre stack features a 13.2 touch screen, which sits atop more broadly stretched air vents and echos the horizontal theme. “The new display really fills out the space and aligns to the registers a little better,” Niemiec says. Although it’s an improvement over the last iteration, compared with the sweeping OLED display on the Cadillac Escalade — the Navigator’s direct competitor — the screen doesn’t quite measure up. Still, the user interface is attractive and modern, with a new “constellation” theme with animations inspired by the night sky.
The Navigator’s current powertrain lives up to its promises of “gliding” and “sanctuary” with a smooth ride and nearly imperceptible shifts
Two new colour and trim themes for Black Label models including Central Park, an homage to the urban oasis in New York City with dark green leather with perforations in a pattern that mimic the Manhattan skyline, along with open-pore walnut trim. It was a bold move for a vehicle that most customers get in all black. “When one of our colour and trim designers said she wanted to do a green interior, I wasn’t so sure,” Niemiec remembers. “But it worked out well. Being at Central Park recently, I get it. That noise and the bustle goes away. The green is rich and comes to life and gives a great accent to the vehicle.”
The second interior theme, Invitation, was inspired by the experience of celebrating with friends and loved ones. Black leather upholstery with brandy-coloured contrast stitching is accented with open-pore Khaya wood with a dual-laser-etched pattern meant to looks like an outdoor pergola. “Color is a super passionate subject to the point where it’s very challenging for the color and materials team,” Niemiec explains. “Like someone saying, ‘Give me something different from a black or grey suit,’ and then you give them an orange suit, and they’re like, ‘I don’t know if I’m really digging that.’ So there is a hard emotional barrier, but I think the teams always do a great job. These are subtle and elegant.”
In the second row, the Navigator gets new optional, touch-based entertainment screens as well as a massage function. All around, the massaging seats are improved with a firmer, more satisfying feel and much quieter operation thanks to new inflatable bladders. In the previous model, the inflators were so loud that, thanks to the Navigator’s well insulated cabin, an otherwise relaxing massage became a series of rhythmic little squeezes from Darth Vader.
The designers and engineers put a lot of thought and time into making sure the experience measures up to what today’s customers expect from a $100,000 vehicle
Under the hood of the Navigator is a 3.5-litre turbocharged V6 petrol engine, and here the Lincoln has a leg up on the Caddy, as its 440 hp and 510 lb-ft. of torque bests GM’s 6.2-litre V8 in both power and efficiency. It’s still a gas guzzler, however, and we look forward to an electric version, which, although not officially announced, is said to share the platform with the F-150 Lightning pickup truck.
In the meantime, the Navigator’s current powertrain lives up to its promises of “gliding” and “sanctuary” with a smooth ride and nearly imperceptible shifts. It’s certainly no sports car, but even as we begin to climb into the mountains around sharp, twisty curves, the Navigator still feels in hand despite its hefty weight — more than 5,800 pounds for the short-wheelbase 4x4, and more than 6,000 lbs. for the heaviest long-wheelbase model. Handling is aided by the adaptive suspension, which uses forward-facing cameras to help pre-condition the dampers for the road ahead.
Once we hit straight roads again, we switch on the ActivGlide system and let the car do most of the work. In general, these systems have improved over the past few years, becoming smoother in their responses. The Lincoln’s is no exception, and we find steering and braking inputs fairly natural and not as reactive or jerky as others. Most impressive is the true hands-free driving that is enabled when the vehicle enters a “blue zone,” which is available on 130,000 miles of divided highways. Once back on the highway in Phoenix, the system detects it’s in a hands-free zone, and we see a notification on the driver’s display.
It works flawlessly during our 15-20 minute test, although the camera above the steering column will alert the system to disengage if it detects that the driver’s eyes or head position aren’t straight ahead (or, if like us, someone accidentally blocks the camera while holding up a phone to take a video).
In all, the Navigator is an elegant choice for those looking for a large three-row SUV. It may not boast the most cutting-edge HMI, but it’s clear the designers and engineers put a lot of thought and time into making sure the experience measures up to what today’s customers expect from a $100,000 vehicle.
“I’m really proud of the fact that you’re in a big vehicle, yet you have a sense of control over things,” Niemiec says. “It’s a relaxed, quiet mindset.” One that’s just right for driving off into the Arizona sunset with nothing but you, the cacti, and a car full of friends.