Let’s get the bad stuff out of the way

1 - Price

this is a really nice luxury SUV..but the as-tested price is 107,000

And that’s a LOT of money for something still riding on a truck platform

2 - The ride

The ride is actually pretty solid, but the reason I have it on the negative list is for two main reasons

Yes, the main competitors are the Wagoneer and Escalade…which just like the Navigator, ride on truck platforms

HOWEVER, now these luxury american SUVs are crossing 6 figures and while the ride is pretty good, it’s not touching the unibody composition you’ll get from overseas

And let’s not pretend you’re ACTUALLY offroading your 3 row luxury SUV
MAYBE you’re towing with it

But the second reason is that this Navigator doesn’t use air suspension like its American rivals

3 - The Key

This is a nitpick, but the key is..just a Ford key

Sure they put this leather tab on it and a decorative leather tassel on the key chain, but it’s the same key you’d get with an Escape

BUT the good news is you can use your phone as a key

4 - No rear seat entertainment

There’s a lot about the rear seating that’s on the good list, but something missing from my tester is screens for the second row

Something we had on the Escalade V and Grand Wagoneer

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But now let’s talk about the things that impressed me about the Navigator


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1 - The pretension

There’s an impressive level of snobbery with this Navigator

Example: the exterior color is called “Chrome Caviar Dark Gray”
Not dark gray - chrome caviar dark gray

Then there’s the interior - which isn’t black

That would be derivative…the interiors are organized in “themes” like

Chalet
Yacht Club
Central Park
Or the theme we have which is called “invitation”

2 - The driving experience

I know I said the lack of air suspension was on the bad list, but the ride is still pretty decent

It’s cushy and floaty like old luxury - which i like

The twin turbo V6 makes almost 450 hp and over 500 lbft
So it’s pretty quick

All black labels come with 4WD standard

So you’ve got confidence and it’s smooth and you can get massaged while you drive around

3 - the seats

Your front seats do have 30 way adjustments
They have heating
They have cooling
And they have a buncha massage functions

4 - The tech

The head unit has been updated and you have the latest SYNC system
Which means wireless ACP and AA
AND you have OTA updates

The 360 camera is decent, the graphics are pretty good, and the ActiveGlide driver assist system is…above middle of the road

5 - the details

All the interior themes get some unique details

But here in the invitation theme you have these really cool details in the wood

THIS is the stuff that makes a luxury car to me - this is the stuff that sets it apart from everything else

6 - Second Row

The 2nd row seats dont get screens BUT they get heating, cooling AND massage

7 - Third row

The third row is actually pretty good size

I can fit reasonably, and i have power recline back here
No sunroof tho

8 - trunk

The trunk has auto up/down for all the seats
It’s got extra storage under the floor
AND you can get the L which is over a foot longer
And that’s all trunk

9 - animations

It’s kinda surface level but i do really like the way the lights fade in to welcome you as you approach the car