The double- down SUV
Not even five years ago, XL- sized SUVs were utterly frowned upon. If you simply had to have a highriding vehicle, it had to be as hatchback- y as possible. Crossovers became the acceptable face of the SUV.
Lately however, things seem to have subtly shifted. Arguably Mazda’s best SUV is its biggest — the CX- 9. Holden is gleefully looking forward to the arrival of the Acadia this year; an SUV that sits above the Captiva and Trailblazer in terms of size and style.
Meanwhile, Range Rover seems to want only to extend the wheelbase of the Range Rover. And then extend it some more.
And in the US ( where crossovers remain something that happens to other markets), perhaps the biggest and boldest SUV of all has just been unveiled at the New York auto show.
If you’re going to double- down on your SUV, you could do a lot worse ( and a lot less) than the 2018 Lincoln Navigator.
It may not have the massive gullwing doors of the concept version shown off at last year’s Los Angeles auto show, nor the extending sidesteps that made climbing aboard akin to entering an old- timey southern mansion, but the productionready Navigator remains impressive.
Under the bonnet ( or hood, if you insist), is the same 335kW twinturbo V6 as found in the Ford F- 150 Raptor. Here it’s paired with a 10- speed auto transmission.
The fourth- generation Navigator also features what Lincoln refers to as Perfect Position Seats, that can automatically adjust in 30- different ways and offer heating, cooling and massaging. There are six USB ports, four 12- volt outlets and a house- style plug outlet on board, along with a 20- speaker sound system.
Weirdly however, for a vehicle of this size, 360- degree parking cameras are available only as an option, as is Adaptive Cruise Control. Still, it’s the street presence that counts here. Adaptive cruise control is when people see this thing approaching in their rear- vision mirror and get out of the way, sharpish. And if you’re finding it hard to gauge the Navigator’s size on paper, all you need to know is this: even American motoring writers refer to it as enormous. Coming from the land of the Ford F- 650, that says a lot.