2007 Lincoln Navigator Review (continued)
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Walkaround

Lincoln calls its 2007 Navigator all-new, and extensive changes inside and out might warrant that description. Even the smaller of the two 2007 models is larger than the 2006 Navigator, which already was a very large vehicle. Indeed, the 2007 is the largest luxury-class sport-utility available, and one of the largest passenger vehicles on the market.

The Navigator remains what we'd call a truck. It's built on a pickup-style ladder frame, with a separate body bolted to that frame, rather than welded into one unit. But unlike most truck-based vehicles, the Navigator features a fully independent rear suspension, which tends to promote smoother ride and handling than the solid rear axle on the typical truck.

The Navigator L is nearly 15 inches longer than the standard model, extending its full length to almost 19 feet. The extra length does not significantly change passenger accommodations, however. Besides making this big sport-utility even more challenging to park, the Navigator L's additional size translates entirely into an additional 25 cubic feet of storage space behind the third seat. That extra space (by itself) is about 30 percent larger than the trunk in a full-size luxury sedan like the Mercedes-Benz S-Class or Lexus LS460.

In general, the 2007 Navigator looks longer than its predecessors, perhaps lower and even a bit sleeker. The basic shape is clean, if slightly bland. It's mostly sheer, tapered surfaces, consistent across the vehicle, with a chrome strip running below the windows. The profile is tidy for such a big vehicle, almost lean. Our issues with the styling rest in the details.

The ends of this sport-utility were clearly designed in Lincoln's new, retro-style brand theme. The eye is immediately drawn to the big, intricate grille in front. Its horizontal and vertical lines are supposed to inspire thoughts of Lincoln's Star logo, and the high-intensity beam headlights on either side add a jeweled, classy look. A second, thinner grille below the bumper replicates the bigger one above, flanked in this case by the fog lights.

The taillights could be lifted from Lincoln's MKZ sedan. They're shaped like wings that cut into the liftgate and wrap around the rear corners, with chrome edging and a hard contrast between the red and white sections.

The details seem to be an attempt to spice up an otherwise staid look, as if Lincoln is trying to out-bling popular competitors like the Cadillac Escalade. The optional chrome hood accent is basically a thick piece of chrome tacked on the end of the hood above the grille. We'd call it hideous, and find the Navigator much more attractive without it. We don't care much for the shiny steel plates at the bottom of the doors, either, but you might. Look at both options.

The Navigator comes standard with 18-inch double-spoke alloy wheels. The optional chromed 20-inch wheels aren't as disturbing as the chrome hood schnoz, and we like their size. They do, however, have an adverse effect on ride quality and interior noise.

Two exterior features have definite benefits. The outside mirrors are large, with repeating turn signals along the bottom edge and approach lamps underneath. The lamps light when the doors are unlocked with the remote key fob, and cast a nice circle of visibility around the doors. More than that, the big mirrors retract against the windows with the touch of a button. You'll appreciate this convenience when you pull a vehicle as large as the Navigator into a garage.

This Navigator also retains its trademark retractable running boards. When the doors open, these drop and extend about five inches, creating a step that makes climbing in and out easier. Now, they are more artfully integrated into the overall exterior design, almost impossible to detect when the doors are closed.

Interior Features

Deliberately retrogressive styling touches outside the 2007 Lincoln Navigator carry through inside, only more so. Presumably the thinking goes something like this: re-create the charm and romance of a simpler time, and the glory of Lincoln Continentals and Zephyrs past, updated with the convenience and function of a new millennium.

The Navigator interior may do that for some. For others, it may simply inspire memories of sitting in their parents' (or grandparents') behemoth sedan in the early-to-mid 1960s.

Either way, if you like the retro design you won't be disappointed with the finish. Particularly with the lighter Anigre wood trim, the square-ish shapes and flat switch clusters inside the Navigator generate a kind of post-modern, Scandinavian feel (furniture, not cars). The leather is thick and soft. The plastics, with some retro-looking graining, are nice to the touch. There's a mix of satin-nickel and chrome peppered throughout the cabin, and nothing looks overtly cheap, as it does in some other recent products from Lincoln's parent Ford Motor Co. The only real gripe in our test vehicle was the seam where the wood panel for the center stack blended down into the wood on the center console. It felt more like a bump.

One of the Navigator's obvious strengths is space, seemingly acres of it, in all directions. The front seats are large and thickly padded, yet they adjust to accommodate all sizes, from NBA guards to those who must sit up close to the wheel to peer over the tall dash. Power adjustable gas pedals are standard, and they can be moved forward or back with a button on the dash. These pedals have their advantages, we'd guess, but they would be more valuable if the power-adjustable steering column telescoped in addition to moving up and down (as it does in many luxury vehicles). Without a telescoping wheel, the pedals don't really add anything to the adjustment mix. If we had to choose one or the other, we'd choose the telescoping wheel.

One minor annoyance with the Navigator's driver's seat is the speed at which it automatically moves backward or forward when the key is removed or inserted. In most cases, this is a welcome feature that makes it easier to climb in and out of a tall vehicle, and the Navigator's slow-moving seat may or may not have been related to sub-zero temperatures during our test drive. Yet at times the driver's seat moved so slowly that you could literally be backed out of a parking space and going forward before it had returned to its set position.

Once the driver gets comfortable, however, it's hard to beat the commanding view ahead. A Greyhound bus or tractor-trailer rig are about the only vehicles on the road that can obstruct the driver's forward vision in a Navigator.

The gauge package is the weak link in the Navigator's interior. The dials look straight out of the 1960s, with black script on white background and white lighting. They're not as crisp as some other, more contemporary schemes. The speedometer and tachometer are fine, but the four auxiliary gauges across the top (fuel level and coolant temperature among them) aren't. They're small to begin with and essentially covered by the steering wheel rim if a driver likes to keep the wheel low in its travel range.

Switches and control buttons generally are well placed, concentrated in the center stack or on stalks on both sides of the wheel. Most are big enough to hit with gloved fingers, and they have a nice, positive operating action. The gripe here is a row of switches near the bottom of the stack controlling the fans and seat heating and cooling, among other things. The buttons are on the small side, but the illuminated pictographs on them are tiny, so they seem even smaller than they really are in the dark.

The optional navigation system works well. The video screen is smaller than many, but it's easy to figure out without studying the owner's manual. And unlike some nav systems, it had information about some obscure roads far from the beaten path. In other words, it keeps working when you're likely to need it most.

We rate storage options in the Navigator slightly better than average. The front center console is big, with more than enough room for a fairly large purse, but it's countered by a small glove box that's all but filled by the owner's manual. There are hard pockets or bins at the bottom of all doors, with enough width and depth for phones, wallets or CDs, and flexible map pockets on the front seatbacks. The cupholders are deep and fairly useful, and front passengers can share those for the second row, which are located on the back of the center console. There are three more cupholders for the third seat.

The standard second-row seating arrangement is two captain's-style bucket seats. These are the choice if comfort for second-row passengers is the primary objective. On the other hand, a three-place second-row bench is available at no charge, and it doesn't give up much (except another storage console that goes between the buckets). The bench is not brick flat, as it is in some sport-utility vehicles. It offers some contour and bolstering to improve comfort without diminishing the value of the middle space. The bench seat also is split 40/20/40, so kids can fold down the back of the center section and feel as if they have their own space.

Second-seat passengers have their own adjustment for temperature and airflow (between the floor and overhead vents), as well a power point located on the back of the front center console. The optional rear DVD entertainment system is mounted in its own overhead console, with the controls and input jacks. The eight-inch screen drops down in the center, and it includes two pair of wireless headphones.

Headrests on the second- and third-row seats can fold down when the seats are empty. Good thing, because when they are up they reduce the scope of the rearview mirror considerably. The view rearward isn't all that broad in any case. If ever a vehicle could use a rear back-up camera, it's the Navigator. Unfortunately, it doesn't offer one.

Access to the third seat is easy, with a one-hand flip lever that folds the second seat forward and clears a wide path to the rear. Passengers already in the third seat have a strap release that reverses the process. The third seat is another of the Navigator's strengths. It will actually seat adults approaching six feet in reasonable comfort, as long as they're willing to climb back. The longer Navigator L does not increase rear seat legroom, though it does add a few millimeters more hip and headroom.

Lincoln's optional power-folding rear seat is an exclusive among luxury sport-utility vehicles. It's easy to use and can be handy, but it could be even better. The seat is split, and operates with a pair of toggle switches just inside the power liftgate. Simply press one or both, and one or both seat halves fold flat to the load-floor level. We'd like it better if there were redundant switches on the dash, as there are for the rear sliding doors on a minivan, for example. And if the rear-seat headrests are up, the driver has to lean into (or climb into) the rear to manually release them before the power folding mechanism will work.

Presumably size matters when it comes to full-size sport-utility vehicles, and the Navigator's advantages in passenger accommodations also extend to cargo capacity. With the Navigator L, for example, there is 42.7 cubic feet of storage space behind the upright third seat. That's considerably more than any other luxury sport-utility, and almost as much as in the typical mid-size wagon with its rear seats folded. There's also a standard cargo divider that folds up out of the floor behind the seats. It essentially splits the load area in half, and limits the space over which packages or bags might slide back and forth.

Fold both the second- and third-row seats, and the Navigator L opens a whopping 129 cubic feet of cargo space. For perspective, that's more space than the entire interior volume of most passenger vehicles on the road. It's tops among luxury SUVs, beating Infiniti's big QX56 by three cubic feet. Moreover, the dimensions of the Navigator L's load floor are largest in the class, with enough space for four-by-eight sheets of building material.