Lincoln took the wraps off the 2018 Navigator on Wednesday, a behemoth three-row sport utility vehicle that is supposed to embody what the Ford-owned brand calls “quiet luxury.” The full-sized SUV was unveiled at the New York International Auto Show.
The vehicle is loaded with technology aimed the Navigator’s primary customers: well-heeled drivers and the rest of their family. The tech-meets-luxury appointments begin before entering the vehicle with the chrome Lincoln star logo on the grille, which illuminates as the driver approaches. Other LED lights in the lower front body and tail lamps are also triggered when the driver approaches the vehicle as well as a Lincoln welcome mat that appears beneath the front doors.
The new Navigator is about 200 pounds lighter than its predecessor thanks to an aluminum-alloy body and has a twin-turbo V6 engine that produces 450 horsepower.
The SUV also has a panoramic roof, wireless Internet and charging—not to mention an abundant six USB ports, four 12-volt power outlets, and one 110-volt plug—as well as intrusion sensors, which trigger an alarm if someone attempts to move or enter the vehicle.
“When designing the Navigator, we put an emphasis on ultra-luxury touch points,” says David Woodhouse, Lincoln’s design director. “We took everything the client would see and touch, and made sure it would look and feel a little more exuberant, a little more indulgent and incredibly beautiful.”
Lincoln, a Ford Motor Co. brand, also brought Apple CarPlay and Android Auto—platforms that deliver smartphone functionality to the car’s touchscreen—into the vehicle as well as a rear-seat entertainment system that allows passengers to stream content wirelessly to one of the 10-inch adjustable screens mounted on the rear of the front seats.
Content also can be accessed through more traditional devices like an SD card, an HDMI cord or a USB, as well as through SYNC AppLink, which permits the front-seat passenger to monitor and select viewing content.
Through Lincoln’s agreement with Sling Media, those who own a Slingbox can access their TV channels on the go. The standard Wi-Fi allows for up to 10 mobile devices at a time to be connected.