Review: 2021 Lincoln Navigator Reserve Black Label

The Lincoln Navigator has been a Swiss Army Knife for the Lincoln Motor Company for over two decades with its versatility and readiness for whatever the buying public wants. When it was first introduced in 1998, it was Lincoln's first SUV and first four-wheel drive capable vehicle. At the time, family vehicle buyers were starting to move away from the minivan persona and utilize sport-utility vehicles not as dedicated off-road vehicles, but as family taxis and errand runners without losing the cargo space of their van. The Navigator met that need perfectly with some of the largest interior and cargo space available. Lincoln Motor Company moved 44,000 off the lots in its first year which had the other automakers following suit with their own full-size SUV.

In 2017, the successful Navigator was overhauled for the fourth time too, again meet the needs of the American vehicle buyer; but this time, they were leaving full-size luxury sedans for full-size luxury SUVs. This significant buying shift required the Navigator engineers to do a ground-up interior and exterior redesign which had the Navigator's exterior-styling features look very much like the 2017 Lincoln Continental. In one fell swoop, the new-look Navigator went from daily family grocery-getter duties to the executive level towncar replacing the discontinued Continental in the Lincoln fleet. The Navigator was also included in Lincoln's Black Label program, so with that inclusion comes an executive level pedigree and luxurious refinement found in the designer series Continentals of the 1970's and 1980 or even the Mercury's of the late 1960's and early 1970's.

Black Label

If you are someone who prefers the finer things in life like art, fine food, and culture, the Black Label program allows you to personalize your Navigator by infusing your specific style and tastes with every decision. The way it works is that you have a concierge contact that introduces you to a team of hand-selected influential designers that will guide you through the process of indentifying your personal style to determine which of the seven interior themes best represents you. They will then also help pick out the interior materials that highlight that theme best.

Other Perks

If you decide to become a member of the Lincoln Black Label program, you will quickly find the benefits start rolling in even before you buy your first Navigator.

• Single point of contact throughout your shopping experience that will introduce you to the team of designers
• Extended premium maintenance plan, which covers wear items

For Busy Executives

• Vehicle pickup and delivery for maintenance
• Annual detailing to keep your vehicle in pristine condition
• Complimentary car washes anytime

Finally, when you are traveling and need to entertain clients, you will have access to the Culinary Connection. This is a service that has a curated list of restaurants with celebrated chefs who provide an at-your-service dining experience.

Press Loan Test Vehicle

Whenever my new press loan for the week arrives, I always do a quick peek inside to see what I am getting. Kind of like a kid shaking his newest Christmas present that was put under the tree. As I did a quick scan and noticed all the high-end, high-touch features, I noticed the floorboard area and the first word that came to my mind was the old-fashioned 1970's word plush. It has been forever and a day since I heard that word used to describe the swankiness of a vehicle's interior; but for some reason, it made me think of the dark blue late 1960's or early 1970's luxury Mercurys my grandfather would drive.

Interior Comfort

Because the Navigator is a full-size SUV in the truest sense, it comes with a cavernous interior that allows seven or eight adults to fit comfortably in all three rows with storage provided in each row to keep the cabin clean and organized. So passengers are not only physically comfortable, but mentality comfortable as well.

Technology, Technology, Technology

When you are in a vehicle this large, it is important that everyone can hear the sound system with ease; so the Navigator comes with the Revel Ultimate Audio System that will reproduce a live-music experience in the comfort of the vehicle. One of the ways it accomplishes this is by intentionally place 20 speakers within the SUV by sound engineers to guarantee each vehicle has their own unique sound note. With the potential of eight adults riding in the SUV, all Navigators come standard with a 4 gig LTE Wi-Fi hotspot that will allow 10 devices at one time while watching one of the two 10" Lincoln Play Rear-Seat Entertainment systems. This system has the capability to access your personal Slingbox, so you can choose to binge watch your favorite TV while on those long family trips across the U.S.

Exterior

Earlier I mentioned the Navigator's exterior-styling features were taken from the 2017 Lincoln Continental. Some of those styling cues you will recognize will be the headlights, taillights, side vents, and the front fascia with a the stylish rectangular Lincoln grille and a centered Lincoln star emblem. This was done to give the Navigator the executive styling pedigree that today's buying public is looking for in their family SUV.

Sports Utility Vehicle First

Today's Navigator may look like a suburban lapdog that is only good for black tie executive dinners or red carpet symphony events, but don't forget this Swiss Army knife at its core, is still a 4x4 off-road sport-utility vehicle that can tow just about any fun you connect to it, but you will do it in executive Black Label style and comfort. When the Navigator was redesigned in 2017, it received the high-strength steel frame and military grade aluminum alloy body just like the Ford F-150 did in 2015. The body steel was then moved to the chassis frame rails which allows for a stronger platform that is nearly 200 pounds lighter than the previous generations. It is also physically larger than its predecessors. The extra chassis strength allows the Navigator to tow over 8,000 lbs, shedding its red carpet suburban persona. The Navigator comes with a turbocharged 3.5-liter V6 that will produce 450 horsepower and 500 lb-ft of torque which is more than enough power to carry eight adults while towing a boat or a camping trailer to the lake or off-grid camping site.

Safety | Co-Pilot360

Lincoln Co-Pilot360 Technology comes standard with every Navigator to enhance driver confidence. The suite of driver-assist features includes:

• Blind Spot Detection with Cross Traffic alert
• Pre-collision Assist with Automatic Emergency Braking
• Lane-Keeping System
• Rear View Camera
• Auto High-Beam Headlamps

For me, the most powerful safety feature the Navigator offers is the pre-collision assist with automatic emergency braking that will potentially lessen or prevent accidents. It is radar technology that scans the roadway ahead for vehicles or pedestrians and then provides a warning before automatically apply the brakes if you can't.

No matter the price point, one of the questions I always ask myself when driving a test vehicle is: Do I think the vehicle is properly priced for what I would get? Does the price tag fit this vehicle? And for this vehicle, I would say yes. You are buying a vehicle that is more versatile than many of its peers in its category. You are buying a driving experience that will make your life simpler; and for me, that is valuable. So in my opinion, if you are looking for adventure with plenty of plush creature comforts and just about every current piece of technology available, this SUV just might be your Swiss Army Knife. The starting price for the Black Label Navigator is $98,000, while the one pictured here is listed at $106,155.

So if you are looking to truly excite your senses, do yourself a favor by stopping in at one of the Lincoln Experience Centers or a Lincoln dealership or by logging on to the Lincoln web portal for a Home Experience to learn more about the Navigator.

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About Lincoln

The Lincoln Motor Company is the luxury automotive brand of Ford Motor Company, committed to creating compelling vehicles with an exceptional ownership experience to match. For more information about The Lincoln Motor Company, please visit media.lincoln.com or www.lincoln.com. Follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/lincoln.