2026 Lincoln Navigator

Eric Peters
Mon, 22 Dec 2025 21:00:00 -0800
Lifestyle

Lincoln no longer sells a full-size luxury sedan — the kind of car that could carry five to six people in ultra-quiet comfort. That was — for decades — the Town Car, which Lincoln stopped selling after 2011, which was also the last year the Ford it was based on (the Crown Vic) was available.

Both of these full-size sedans were replaced by full-size SUVs that seat seven to eight people. The Ford being the Expedition and the Lincoln being the Navigator, which is based on the Expedition.

Only more luxurious, offering unique features such as a massive (48-inch) LCD display that sweeps from one end of the dash to the other and a 28-speaker Revel Ultima 3D audio system, available massaging second-row seats and heated third-row seats and 24-inch wheels — that aren't available with the Expedition. Navigators also come standard with the higher-output version of the twin-turbo V6 that's optional in the Expedition.
Updated: Tue Dec 23, 2025

Lincoln no longer sells a full-size luxury sedan — the kind of car that could carry five to six people in ultra-quiet comfort. That was — for decades — the Town Car, which Lincoln stopped selling after 2011, which was also the last year the Ford it was based on (the Crown Vic) was available.

Both of these full-size sedans were replaced by full-size SUVs that seat seven to eight people. The Ford being the Expedition and the Lincoln being the Navigator, which is based on the Expedition.

Only more luxurious, offering unique features such as a massive (48-inch) LCD display that sweeps from one end of the dash to the other and a 28-speaker Revel Ultima 3D audio system, available massaging second-row seats and heated third-row seats and 24-inch wheels — that aren't available with the Expedition. Navigators also come standard with the higher-output version of the twin-turbo V6 that's optional in the Expedition.

Plus BlueCruise self-driving capability.

What It Is

The Navigator is Lincoln's full-size (and even fuller-size) luxury SUV. Like the Ford Expedition it's based on, the Navigator is available in standard-length and extra-length versions, denoted by the L after the trim designation.

Prices start at $91,995 for the standard-length Premiere trim; the same trim in longer L form lists for $94,995. A full-time four-wheel-drive system is standard.

The Reserve trim ($101,995 for the standard length; $104,995 for the extra-length) comes with power deploying running boards, 22-inch wheels, three-zone climate control, fragrance dispenser, panorama sunroof and the 28-speaker Revel Ultima audio system. You can also pipe YouTube videos through the secondary 11.1-inch LCD touch screen. A Heavy Duty Trailer-Tow package can be added ($750) that bundles trailer sway control/damping, Smart Trailer Tow remote camera view system, heavy-duty cooling, a Class IV hitch and seven-pin connector and a two-speed transfer case with Low-range gearing.

The top-of-the-line Black Label ($118,995 for the standard length; $121,995 for the extra-length) comes with everything you get with the other trims, plus the following upgrades: 30-way power front seats with massagers, a rear-seat entertainment system, seat heaters for the third row, premium leather upholstery, suede headliner and all the equipment that comes with the Heavy Duty Trailer-Tow package.

Black Label Navigators are also eligible for 24-inch wheels, available as a standalone option ($2,995).

Every Navigator comes standard with the same 3.5-liter, twin-turbo V6 (440 horsepower, 510 foot-pounds of torque) and 10-speed automatic transmission.

What's New for 2026

Lincoln has brought back the lower-entry-price-point Premiere trim — which had been dropped. This means it's possible to get a new 2026 Navigator for less than the base price of a 2025 Navigator.

What's Good

— A Town Car that can pull almost 9,000 pounds and carry seven to eight people even more comfortably.

— The power of the V6 will make you think it's a V8.

— Not as unsubtle as the Cadillac Escalade.

What's Not So Good

— Even the standard-length Navigator is a kind of streetbound ocean liner; it's wonderful once you're out on the open ocean — so to speak — but squeezing it between the lines of parking spots can be a challenge.

— Touch screen tap/swipe controls for the stereo and seat heaters aren't as easy to use — especially when the vehicle is moving — as "old-fashioned" knobs, buttons and switches.

— Though it costs less for 2026 than 2025, it still costs nearly six figures to start.

Under the Hood

Like just about every other full-size SUV on the market, the Navigator no longer comes standard with a V8 engine. But its standard twin-turbo 3.5-liter V6 touts more horsepower — and torque — than any of the V8s that still come standard in competitors like the Cadillac Escalade, which comes standard with a 6.2-liter V8. It is nearly twice the size of the Lincoln's V6 but touts 420 horsepower — and 460 foot-pounds of torque — versus the Navigator's 440 horsepower and 510 foot-pounds of torque.

The Lincoln's 8,700-pound max tow rating is also higher than the Cadillac's 8,100-pound max tow rating.

The Lincoln gas mileage is 15 mpg city, 22 mpg highway — not bad given how powerful (and heavy) this full-size SUV is. It can travel about 350 miles in city driving on a full tank (24 gallons) and more than 500 miles on the highway. The electric version of the Cadillac Escalade can supposedly go as far as 460 miles on a full charge, but even if it can, it still takes at least half an hour to recover a partial charge. A full charge takes at least an hour — at a commercial fast charger.

You can fully refuel the Navigator in less than five minutes.

The electric Escalade also stickers for about $20,000 more to start than the Navigator.

On the Road

The Navigator is a liner. As in a huge, ocean-going vessel. You hardly notice the swells because the beam and displacement tame them. When the BlueCruise self-driving system activates — which it does automatically, on roads (highways) that are "mapped" for it — it's like sitting on the deck in a super-comfortable lounge chair, enjoying the view as the scenery changes. The effect is especially pleasant if your Navigator is equipped with the optional massaging seats — and not just because they massage. The massage is easy to turn on — because the "on" button is just that — a button (on the lower seat cushion, easily turned on) rather than a tap/swipe icon that you have to dig through menus to find before you can tap/swipe.

Power — limitless-feeling, almost — is not a problem. Zero to 60 mph in five seconds is astonishing performance when you reflect that this SUV weighs almost three tons and carries seven to eight people. Back in the day, there were only a few V8 muscle cars that were as quick, even though they weighed a ton less and only had room for four or five.

There are just two things that detract from the serenity of the experience. The first is the lozenge-shaped (rather than round) steering wheel, which feels weird in your hand when the road curves such that you have to turn it more than just a little to the left or the right. The design does increase your view ahead — of both the road and the huge curved glass main instrument panel — but it doesn't improve the feel when you have to steer more than just slightly to the left or the right.

The other thing is the sheer size of this liner. Like the ocean-going ones, it is completely at home away from shore, with the whole ocean to maneuver in. In port — parking lots, in this case — it isn't easy to maneuver this giant into a spot — or back out. You have to be very careful not to back into things or scrape the side of things. This is not a problem unique to the Navigator. All these liners have the same problem, which is a function of length and width — and the width of tight spaces designed to accommodate a crossover or car several feet less long and not nearly as wide.

At the Curb

The Navigator is available in standard and extra-length versions, as mentioned earlier. The standard-length version is 210 inches long; the extra-length version increases that to 221.9 inches. This is actually not all that long, by the standards established by American land yacht sedans made back in the '60s and '70s — some of which were longer than the extra-length Navigator. Perhaps the most famous example being the Buick Electra 225 — which was as long as its name. The Chrysler Imperial of the same era was even longer.

They had much longer hoods — and trunks — and that's why they only had room for six in between.

The Navigator's three rows have plenty of room for more than six. The third row isn't just for kids, either. The main difference between the standard-length Navigator and the extended-length version is room for stuff behind the third row, which increases to 37.4 cubic feet from 22.9 cubic feet. The total available space — with the third and second rows folded — is 121.6 cubic feet in the extended-length version (versus 107 cubic feet for the standard-length version).

But it's not so much the space that beckons — or even the opulence. All the SUVs in this class are opulent. There are some fine difference, here and there, as regards amenities and trim but the overall difference — in this regard — is like the difference between two five-star hotels.

The meaningful difference is the demeanor, which is to a great extent a function of the styling. The Lincoln's is quieter; the Cadillac's is louder. It is the difference between Sinatra and Elvis — for those who remember. Neither is better. But they are very different. The Navigator is, arguably, designed to not flash how much it costs.

The Escalade likes to flash it.

The Rest

It's interesting that Lincoln has lowered the Navigator's base price for 2026. Other luxury brands (such as BMW) have been doing the same. It suggests that — even in this class — it's getting necessary to charge less rather than more to close a sale.

The Bottom Line

If you are looking for big — but not necessarily brash — this latter-day Town Car might be the right liner for you!

View the Lincoln Navigator this week.