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It always appeared Through the years that the Lincoln Navigator had no qualms about playing the role of bastard stepchild to the more hood-embraced big-boy toys like the Cadillac Escalade or the Hummer. But times are definitely changing, and Lincoln is gunning for No. 1 with its seven-seater ’07 Navi. While the exterior design is revamped—most notably tossing out the classic grille for a bolder “I’m the Juggernaut” face-piece—Lincoln continues to maintain its luxo and performance status with amenities such as comfortable heated and cooled leather seats and an antitheft feature that immobilizes the engine if broken into—all while sporting a 5.4L V8 engine, which gives this lavish apartment on wheels some serious kick. But at the same time, jump in and embrace the library-quiet interior. Lincoln’s extra sound-dampening padding and Quiet Steel technology is a good thing for driving around the Big Apple, where loud noise (blaring horns warding off dumbass cabbies) is as commonplace as rehab clinics in the City of Angels. What is heavenly is a big-body SUV that handles nasty weather conditions as smoothly as Billy Dee Williams in those Colt 45 commercials. Even on the crater-filled streets of Brooklyn, you could feel nary a bump. But what will really upgrade you are the power-deployable running boards, which automatically extend every time you open any of the Navi’s four doors. Sure, this feature is probably miniscule on a few car heads’ priority lists, but trust it adds a few notches to your pimp status when escorting 5’2”, nondescript club chicks. All in all, with the ’07 Navi, Lincoln is definitely showing signs of stepping its game up—none more evident than tabbing all-world superstar Dwayne Wade as its pitchman. Hey, it’s at least 10 times better than Caddy’s reflective commercials with all-pro wuss Tiki Barber. Sean A. Malcolm
Exterior Gargantuan proportions and near-aftermarket-looking grille (a good thing) are the new Navi’s jumpoffs. Power-folding side mirrors are programmed to memorize the exact position as set, but aside from that the Navi has all the tried-and-true features, such as power liftgate, as the rest of the pack. Floss Factor Any vehicle with an imposing presence on the road, especially when it’s sitting on 20s (which the ’07 Navi is), is sure to break necks and cause “The Man” to pull you over. Take the good with the bad! Flaw Factor You’d think Lincoln would step it up and have a standard reversing LCD camera like its competitors. The beeping parking sensor is so 2004. We’re in 2007, people! SpecsRating 4 /// Damage $58,420 Power /// 300hp, 365lb.-ft. 0-60 /// it’s 3 tons—’nuff said Top Speed /// 104 Gas Cash /// it doesn’t sip… Miles Driven /// 183
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