The team at Lincoln are traveling to a city near you to allow the consumer to experience “Luxury Uncovered.” We recently visited their event at Victoria Gardens and the entire lineup was on hand. The brand representative explained that many people stopping by the experience are not familiar with the new product from the Lincoln family. The event is a chance for then to drive the MKC, MKZ, and Navigator to experience the new brand direction first hand.
Having already reviewed the MKC and MKZ so we decided to give the updated Navigator a try. The 2015 Navigator is significant because it may be the last Lincoln to be a warmed-over Ford product. The company has committed to truly unique designs with their future vehicles. The current updated models – including the new MKX – are drastically different from the Ford lineup and the next Navigator should follow.
This current Navigator shares a platform (and most components) with Ford Expedition and it certainly shows. The exterior maintains the most recent Lincoln front grille and the rear bar tail light from the MKZ. The interior is comfortable with quality leather, detailed stitching on the dash, and various wood trim including optional Rare Ziricote wood inlays. The 2015 adds the updated SYNC system with MyLincoln Touch™ with the typical voice commands for vehicle system control. The 2015 Navigator drives extremely smooth and the steering is great at making you forget you are driving a luxury tank. Gone is the 5.4L V8 and in comes the 3.5L twin-turbo Ecoboost V6 to help increase highway mileage to 22 MPG. The EcoBoost engine moves the 6,000 pound truck along fine and the Lincoln can still tow nearly 9,000 pounds. Overall, the Navigator is a good SUV – but good may not cut it anymore. Most buyers will know that the team at Lincoln mailed this refresh in when the vehicles needed a complete update. The Escalade may start at $10,000 more than the Navigator but the Cadillac is that much more of a luxury SUV.
However, the Luxury Uncovered event is a great way to get the word out to consumers that Lincoln is changing its image. We overheard several drivers and most had very positive feedback regarding the way the MKZ and MKC look and how they drove. The test drives were all recorded and Lincoln provides a link to each driver to modify and share a brief clip. Below you will find my commercial-like video from my time behind the wheel. Checkout #LuxuryUncovered on twitter for more videos and watch for the Lincoln tents at popular retail areas near you this Summer.
