2025 Lincoln Navigator First Drive Review: The White Lotus Rebrand

“Quiet luxury” is not a term I would associate with an 18.5-foot long, gold SUV—but Lincoln insists.

We’re on the lawn of a suitably swanky hotel in Rancho Santa Fe, surrounded by the Beautiful People—and their cars—as part of the town’s weekly cars and coffee event. The 2025 Lincoln Navigator is here because this is the crowd, or more specifically the families, it hopes to court: well-to-do folks with an affinity for self-care.

After spending a day with Lincoln’s latest flagship, it’s easy to see the brand’s spa-on-wheels messaging is more than lip service, as the Navigator interior puts a focus on luxury and comfort in a way few competitors do. There’s just an odd disconnect between the cabin and the vehicle it’s connected to.

What’s New For 2025:

The looks obviously, and we’ll get to those in a bit. There aren’t many dimensional changes: the Navigator is still right up against the limits of acceptable width (80 inches / 2,032 millimeters), while length remains 210 inches (5,334 mm) with a 122.5-inch (3,111.5-mm) wheelbase. That’s for the regular model: the extended L remains, adding just under a foot to the total length and nine inches (229 mm) to the wheelbase.

Beyond the new sheetmetal, Lincoln’s flagship sees a huge change inside, with a nearly pillar-to-pillar screen borrowed from the Nautilus sat across the dashboard. A pared-back design language puts the focus on texture and materials, with a serious upgrade to the second-row seating thanks to an available Power Tailored Seats option, which drops in heated, ventilated, and massage-capable captain’s chairs.

Under the hood, the familiar 3.5-liter twin-turbo V6 remains the sole powertrain option, putting out 440 horsepower and 510 pound-feet of torque. It shacks up to the same 10-speed automatic as before, running through the same four-wheel drive setup as before too.

The ultra-swanky Black Label trim is back and celebrating 10 years in America, and its debut for the Canadian market.

Exterior Style:

The Navigator gets a whole new look that follows in the footsteps of the Aviator and Nautilus. As enormous SUVs go, it’s almost subdued. Almost. There is more restraint here, with chrome trim kept to a minimum. Thinner, wing-shaped headlights connect with a light bar that travels across the grille, with a big light-up badge at the center. While the grille itself is larger than before, much of it is blocked off for optimized airflow.

The midsection is the clearest sign this is a heavy redesign instead of a full-scale new generation: the doors are the same as before.

Lincoln designers have finessed the rear with a more pronounced curve to the bodywork wrapping around to the liftgate. The ultra-thick light bar is the most divisive element. On darker examples it’s barely noticeable, while on the white the high-contrast nature carves some negative space out of that big back end.

Rolling stock consists of 22-inch alloys by default and, for the first time on Navigator, a smattering of enormous 24s.

Powertrain And Fuel Economy:

This boosted V6 puts out the appropriate power for the class. Ford has improved its 10-speed over the last few years, too, and that’s evident here, where the Navigator’s ‘box spends little time hunting for the correct ratio. Mash the gas, and the big beast hurls itself down the road with a muted rumble. It’s a workhorse of an engine, lacking the excitement of Cadillac’s V8 or the cultured purr of anything German.

The (welcome) trade-off is better fuel economy than any of its body-on-frame competitors. The Navigator pulls off 15 mpg in the city and 22 mpg on the highway, with a combined 17 mpg rating. According to the EPA the Navigator will also run on regular fuel, which should extend its savings over competitors.

Towing capacity caps out at 8,700 pounds with the towing package; opting for the 24-inch wheels shaves a few hundred off that.

There is no hint of electrified powertrain on the horizon, of any sort.

Handling And Drivability:

I’m not going to go into great detail on how the Navigator drives because a) it’s basically the same as before and b) it doesn’t really matter, does it? I don’t mean that in a dismissive way: the big flagship starts, steers and stops as expected without any grievous issues, and for many folks that’s all it needs to do.

The squircle steering wheel does give the impression of improved agility with its light feel and quick ratio, I’ll give Lincoln that. Same goes for the visibility: the lower dashboard suggests the view out is better, even if the hood is the same height. What these two changes do is improve driver confidence, which is important when piloting something this big through the narrower roads found on parts of the drive. The Navi never feels smaller than it is, but now there’s a clearer sense of exactly where those extremities lie. The brakes dependably haul the Lincoln’s considerable mass down without fuss.

There’s a Sport driving mode, but I struggle to think of a vehicle where that makes less sense.

Ride Quality And Comfort:

I’ll be honest, as pretty as the 24s are, I reflexively winced when I thought about what they’d do to the ride. So I have good and bad news there.

The good news is that after driving a standard-wheel model right after the 24s, the ride was barely different. A slightly harder edge to the rare pothole sure, but otherwise the big-wheeled model showed the same sort of ride. I still shudder to think of replacement or winter tire costs, mind you…

The bad news is that the Navigator still doesn’t have the breadth of abilities of the competition. The adaptive suspension can stiffen or soften based on drive modes, but regardless of selection, it still has a busy secondary ride over anything other than smooth surfaces. Noise from the suspension handling all the weight of the big beast frequently makes its way into the cabin too, undermining the Lincoln’s luxury angle.

The Navigator still, well, feels like a truck, which is thrown into starker contrast now that the cabin is so darned posh.

Interior Style And Quality:

The cabin upgrade goes a long way to improving first impressions of the new Navigator. The interior is pretty and inviting, with a big focus on impressive materials. It feels weird to say any space with a 48-inch screen isn’t dominated by tech, but the Navigator balances its different cabin elements with grace.

I spend most of my time with one of the three Black Label variations: Invitation, Enlighten, and Atmospheric. The former is a pretty traditional black affair, but with the addition of some tasteful Khaya wood inlays. Atmospheric is a satisfying gray-green setup, with an earthy tone and monochromatic trim pieces inspired by a cozy, rainy day indoors. I personally find the metallic splatters in the wood more like stars in the sky. Enlighten has the warm feel of a West Coast sunrise down pat, with rich browns and unique seat perforation patterns.

Lincoln’s 30-way adjustable seats are—of course—mega comfortable. Simply put, if you can’t find a way to adjust them to your liking, I have questions. Visual aids on-screen now make it easier to understand exactly what is being changed, too.

Tech And Safety:

I could write an entire, separate piece on the tech included in the Navigator. Most of it is familiar from last year’s Nautilus debut, especially that super-wide screen atop the dash, now flanked by speakers to account for the Navi’s extra width. There are upgrades too, with functionality improvements and more widgets to add to the different screen sections, providing owners with a more tailored experience.

Lincoln uses touch-sensitive buttons on the steering wheel for many functions, a move that has earned criticisms elsewhere. I understand the points against the approach, but I do find the Navigator’s implementation quite natural, because of the screen in front. Touch the pad and the contextual menu is immediately in your field of view, with minimal distraction.

The smaller central screen is overall pretty easy to use, with Google Assistant offering the big G’s sheer power for things like navigation. We couldn’t get it to turn on seat ventilation mind you, and the vent adjustments are still frustratingly on-screen. Lincoln has included presets like on- and off-body air circulation, and it says the powered vents are necessary for Lincoln Rejuvenate, but it still feels antithetical to have to look down from the road to simply adjust a vent.

Ah, Rejuvenate. This feature takes over the video, audio, seat, and climate systems for short bursts of calming-then-encouraging programs. Consider this a gimmick if you’d like—I initially did—but Ford has university-backed studies showcasing the benefits. It is nice to pull off the route for a few minutes and take it all in, though I find it incredibly ironic that this bit of self-care requires the engine stay running the whole time.

Ford’s BlueCruise is of course here and running in its latest 1.4 version. This includes automated lane changes, and they work well as the Navi gets us out of the San Diego area traffic. My one gripe with its on-highway performance is a penchant for continuing to accelerate even when the cars ahead of the car in front are braking. I get that’s a limitation of the system, but it still makes me uneasy when I know I’d already be lifting off or braking.

All that, and I didn't even talk about the excellent Revel sound system. With 28 speakers and 3D mapping, it's some of the crispest, warmest audio I've heard in a vehicle.

Value, Dollars, And Sense:

With the previous base model gone as part of the Navigator’s reaffirmation of flagship status, the cost of entry is up significantly for 2025. The entry-level Reserve is now $101,990 including destination, while the starts from $118,490. In Canada, pricing is $127,495 or $150,495 CAD for the Black Label, also including destination. Extending to a Navigator L is an upcharge of $2,990 ($4,000 CAD).

Six figures is just where the segment is these days.

Final Thoughts: 2025 Lincoln Navigator First Drive Review

I drove the Navigator almost immediately after driving the Lucid Gravity, and the two could not exist on further ends of the luxury three-row spectrum. The Lucid is the future, with the good (and bad) that implies. The Navigator is resolutely old-school, but with the values of today shaping its cabin treatment. It’s a dinosaur in designer clothes, offering a predictable platform draped in wellness clinic vibes. It re-establishes the model in its own distinct space within the class, not to mention puts distance on its proletariat Expedition sibling. It should bring a new level of success to the model that arguably kicked off the XL luxury SUV segment.

Become an AutoGuide insider. Get the latest from the automotive world first by subscribing to our newsletter here.