2025 Lincoln Navigator Is Grandiose and Full of Screens, as Expected

• The newly revamped Lincoln Navigator now has a standard 48-inch dash-spanning “Horizon” display.
• The large luxury SUV also adopts a new drop-down lower tailgate and an upper liftgate with hands-free power operation.
• Pricing is expected to start “just under” $100K, with orders opening in mid-October and deliveries in spring 2025.

Lincoln’s mack-daddy SUV, the OG king of bling, is freshly turned out from its new split grille bisected by a light-up bar to the new two-piece tailgate. The Navigator has long been the brand’s style setter, but the revamped 2025 version adopts some features and design elements of the latest Nautilus, which debuted roughly a year ago. Befitting its top-dog status, however, the new Nav exhibits a commensurately higher level of grandiosity.

Much of the sheetmetal is new, including the hood, front fenders, and rear quarters, but the doors are carryover. The biggest departure is at the rear: The cargo area is now accessed via a split tailgate arrangement, à la Range Rover, with a lift-up upper section and a drop-down lower gate. The upper section or both elements can be set to automatically open upon approach. The lower section supports up to 500 pounds, and the available seatback insert is perfect for tailgating.

Lincoln drops the Navigator’s previous Premiere trim level, which was chosen by a small percentage of buyers, leaving just the Reserve and Black Label. The available Jet Appearance package (Reserve) and Black Label Special Edition package black out the wheels and much of the exterior trim. The Black Label offers three color-and-trim themes: Invitation, Enlighten, and Atmospheric. The latter includes copper exterior accents, including on the 24-inch wheels; the base wheels are 22s.

Inside, the headline item is the four-foot digital display that extends the full width of the dash—a bit of tech borrowed from the Nautilus. The setup is unusual not only for its size but for its configuration. The curved display is set into the upper dash section putting it near the base of the windshield. It’s divided into sections, including one for the front-seat passenger. When the vehicle is in park, videos or games can be shown in widescreen format (a change from the Nautilus, though that model will get the capability via an OTA update).

Below the huge curved screen, a flat-top lower dash (in a contrasting color) pushes out closer to the occupants, putting the primary touchscreen (a more conventional 11.1-inch vertical display) within reach. Much of the previous physical switchgear on the wide center console has been banished, leaving buttons for gear selection and a large crystal volume knob. Audio and climate functions are now screen-operated. Because the driver looks over the steering wheel, rather than through it, at the digital gauges, the wheel has a “squircle” shape, with a flattened top and bottom.

The brand’s Perfect Position front seats return with 22-way adjustability for the front passenger and 24-way for the driver. The Black Label ups the driver’s chair to 30-way adjustability, adding separate right and left under-thigh extensions and headrest adjustment. For the second row, buyers have a choice of a three-seat bench, captain’s chairs with a walk-through center section, or “PowerPitch and Slide” individual seats with a center console, heating, ventilation, and massage. The latter configuration is standard on the Black Label and optional on the Reserve. The standard third row hasn’t been forgotten, with the power-folding three-seat bench now split 40/20/40 and offering heated cushions. An expansive glass sunroof is standard, as is a scent diffuser and phone-as-a-key capability.

Beneath all the finery, the mechanical package is only slightly evolved. The 3.5-liter V-6 sports redesigned twin turbos, but the engine huffs out the same 440 horsepower and 510 pound-feet as before. All-wheel drive is again standard as are adaptive dampers that adjust based on information from road-scanning forward cameras. Suspension tuning has been tweaked and additional sound-deadening deployed. BlueCruise hands-free driving assist is also standard, and this latest version includes automated lane-changing (at the driver’s direction) and in-lane repositioning. Turn Signal View is a new driver-assist feature and uses a rear-facing camera to show an image of the adjacent lane onto the digital display when the turn signal is activated. Intersection Assist warns of oncoming traffic when turning left.

As before, the Navigator comes in standard and L variants, the L riding on a nine-inch longer wheelbase and stretching an additional 11.9 inches from nose to tail. Cargo volume for the standard version ranges from 23 cubic feet behind the third row (with the power-reclining seatbacks fully upright) to 107 cubic feet with all rows flattened. For the L, those figures are 37 cubic feet and 122 cubes. With the available Heavy Duty Trailer Tow package, the Navigator can tow up to 8700 pounds.

Pricing won’t be announced until this fall, as order books are expected to open in October. With the departure of the Premiere trim level, we’re told the cost of entry will rise to “just under” $100,000.

Source: Motor - aranddriver.com