Everyone wants a piece of the giant SUV pie today. Across the globe, manufacturers today are launching high riders of all sizes and this trend is most prominent in the home of the traditional SUV - USA. This country is the land of the seven-seaters and the picture album that you see today is an all new take on a famous SUV from the pages of Ford’s luxury marque Lincoln. Dubbed the Navigator, this new generation luxury SUV was showcased as a concept at the same New York Auto Show last year and has now been unveiled in production form. It shares its underpinnings with the equally large Expedition SUV, but has enough luxury touches to take things up a notch.
1. This is the fourth generation for the SUV and at 4.9-metres, this is a proper seven seater and well encased in luxury. The entire cabin is bathed in swathes of leather, high quality plastics and lots of buttons to electronically control everything.
2. Standard features include multi-zone climate control, infotainment system, 20 speaker audio system and wireless charging for the front passengers. Optional extras include a new trim package called ‘black label’ as well as rear-seat entertainment package.
3. The exterior design while staying true to the large American SUV concept, also sports lines similar to a Range Rover, which is not a bad thing at all since the latter is actually a very good looking vehicle. The side profile shows a long hood and proportionate rear overhang.
4. The face is dominated by the large Lincoln grille with the minimalist logo while the rear gets wrap-around tail lamps, chrome bezel above the number plate slot and subtle spoiler lip which look surprisingly good when combined with contrast coloured roof rails.
5. Packing the punch for the Navigator is a 3.5-litre Ecoboost V6 producing 450bhp and equally large amount of torque. The transmission mated to this engine is a 10-speed AT but there is no word yet on AWD options.
6. This Lincoln has been built using new materials which has helped it shed 90kgs and this is expected to aid in efficiency and performance. However, given its luxury image, it seems more than likely that the ride quality will be nothing short of sublime.
7. This new Navigator comes fitted with a host of driver aids including adaptive headlights, cruise control and a variety of cameras to help the driver manoeuvre this massive chrome barge in congested or low speed situations.
8. Given the way the luxury car market is growing in India, it seems like a good time for Ford to bring in the Lincoln brand into the sub-continent. Given its size and features, this would be a rival for the Mercedes-Benz GLS, Audi Q7, BMW X5 and the Volvo XC90.
