2008 Lincoln Navigator Luxury SUV
Lincoln Navigator was born at a time when SUVs were becoming ever more popular and since that time this big, imposing and flashy vehicle remains the high status symbol. Sold in two generations, the Lincoln Navigator is a traditional body-on-frame SUV, which has standard V8 power.
Any Navigator is made for seven to eight occupants to seat, offers over 100 cubic feet of cargo capacity and a tow rating of over 8,000 pounds. That is why this car is aimed to large families with a boat or travel trailer. The biggest Lincoln has some off-road capability as it has the availability of a dual-range four-wheel-drive system. The main features of early Navigators were subpar fuel economy, sluggish acceleration and sloppy handling. Fortunately, Lincoln managed to perfect the formula over the years, and as the result we have a full-size SUV that offers a reasonably pleasant driving experience.
One can hardly call the Navigator the best of the large, luxury-brand sport-utilities, however it is still worthy of attention especially for buyers who carry more than five adults on a regular basis.
New Lincoln Navigator Last the vehicle was redesigned in 2003, and now the present Lincoln Navigator is a full-size SUV.Despite of the fact it is styled and equipped for an upscale audience, shares the bulk of its underpinnings with the Ford Expedition, including its standard 300-horsepower 5.4-liter V8 and six-speed automatic transmission. The most notable updates for 2007 version include heavy revisions to the Navigator’s frame and rear suspension, along with larger brakes and additional sound-deadening material. Owing to these changes the SUV has got additional weight but at the same time tidier handling dynamics and a quieter, more refined ride. The ‘07 refreshing also led to a new grille design, and it’s no understatement to say that it has the most amount of chrome available on the nose that any of current production vehicle. Lincoln Navigator buyers can choose between rear-wheel drive (2WD) and four-wheel drive; the 4WD system offers both high- and low-range gearing, along with “2 Hi” and “Auto 4WD” modes. This allows the motorist to choose between the fuel economy or wet-weather traction. There are two trim levels, Luxury and Ultimate. The Navigator Luxury has 18-inch wheels, three-row seating for seven (with captain’s chairs in the second row), leather upholstery and multizone climate control - in general all the features of a large luxury SUV. The Ultimate has additional features including a power rear liftgate, power-folding third-row seats and heated/cooled front seats. Standard for all Navigators are the stability control (with rollover avoidance logic), front-seat side airbags and curtain airbags for outboard passengers. It is very important for those buyers who are concerned about safe driving. They also should pay attention to the fact that Navigators sold before ‘07 did not have front-seat side airbags and was only equipped with side curtain coverage for the first two rows of seating. Until up 2005 the stability control was an optional but not a standard feature. A second-row bench seat (increasing seating capacity to eight), DVD navigation, rear-seat DVD entertainment, power running boards and 20-inch chrome wheels are major options of the big Lincoln. The Navigator`s greatest advantage over other vehicles of this class is the ability to seat adults comfortably in all three rows of seats. Owing to the Navigator’s independent rear suspension a lower floor became available. It opens up more rear legroom and provides at the same time fold-flat capability for the third row. However, the Lincoln`s performance level is lower than that expected of today’s luxury SUVs, as its 5.4-liter V8 feels a bit breathless next to the V8s in the Escalade, Infiniti QX56 and Mercedes-Benz GL450.
Previous Navigator Models The first Lincoln Navigator was sold from 1998 to 2002. It was a little changed version of Ford’s Expedition which had softer leather, extra wood grain trim and additional chrome detailing. It was very difficult to spot the difference between these two vehicles. Compared to today’s large SUVs, the first-generation Navigator looked like a truck because in its demeanor. The driver had to correct the course to keep it pointed straight ahead on the highway. If you are intending to buy used Navigator of this generation, pay attention to year-by-year changes. Additionally to the more powerful V8, 1999 Navigators got power-adjustable pedals and more easily removable third-row seats (achieved owing to rollers mounted on the bottoms). Front-seat side airbags, much needed optional rear parking sensors and a CD-based navigation system was given to Navigator in 2000. in 2001 the options list was added by the rear-seat video entertainment instead of archaic VHS tape format.
[VIA: bigthreenews.com]
Written by autoguru on November 28th, 2007 with
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