2026 Lincoln Navigator

Lincoln no longer sells a full-size luxury sedan – the kind of car that could carry 5-6 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 7-8. 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 4WD 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 touchscreen. 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 rearseat 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 stand alone option ($2,995).

Every Navigator comes standard with the same 3.5 liter, twin-turbo V6 (440 horsepower, 510 ft.-lbs. of torque) and ten 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 lbs. and carry 7-8 even more comfortably.

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

Not as un-subtle 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 in between the lines of parking spots can be a challenge.

Touchscreen 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 ft.-lbs. of torque – vs. the Navigator’s 440 horsepower and 510 ft.-lbs. of torque.

The Lincoln’s 8,700 lb. max tow rating is also higher than the Cadillac’s 8,100 lb. max tow rating.

Both, however, are second and third place – respectively – vs. the Infiniti QX80, which comes standard with a 3.5 liter twin turbo V6 that touts a class-best 450 horsepower and 516 ft.-lbs. of torque. The Infiniti’s 8,500 max tow rating falls in the middle. But it is also – by a wide margin – the most affordable of the three, with a much lower base price of $83,750 to start.

Another rival in the class – the Lexus LX600 – comes standard with a 3.4 liter V6 that touts 409 horsepower and 479 ft.-lbs. of torque. The Lexus – which starts at $106,00 is also the most expensive vehicle in the full-sized luxury SUV segment.

The Lincoln gas mileage – 15 city, 22 highway – is 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.

This is one of those small things that’s a big thing, in that a function you’d like to use that’s a pain to use is a pain to use. Another small big thing is that once you turn the massage function on, it stays on. It does not turn itself off just as you were getting comfortable – forcing you to dig through the menus again and tap/swipe again. The Navigator is pretty much the only big SUV with massaging seats that has a button to turn them on – and that do not turn themselves off (other than the Expedition).

Power – limitless-feeling, almost – is not a problem. Zero to 60 in 5 seconds is astonishing performance when you reflect that this SUV weighs almost three tons and carries 7-8. There were only a few V8 muscle cars, back in the day, that were as quick, even though they weighed a ton less and only had room for four or five.

The small V6 makes big power whenever you need it, because the two turbos deliver it as soon as you ask for it. The sound of the engine is muted – as it ought to be in a Lincoln – but authoritative when you need flank speed. The ten speed automatic shifts imperceptibly and accurately. You hardly notice it, which is the point when it comes to a road-going vessel such as the Navigator.

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 of 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.

This Lincoln has the tech – cameras and warning beeps to let you know before you do scrape or bump into something. But even so, it is still a challenge to line her up straight in a parking spot and then back her out again.

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 (vs. 107 cubic feet for the standard length version).

These specs are in line with those of the Cadillac Escalade – which is also available in standard and extended length (ESV) versions. Neither the Infiniti QX nor the Lexus LX 600 are available in extended length versions and both have significantly less room for cargo behind their third rows and with their second and third rows folded for that reason – vs. the extended length version of the Lincoln and the Cadillac.

But it’s not so much the space that beckons – or even the opulence. All of 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 Navigator is quieter on the inside, too. It has one of the largest – the widest – LCD main instrument panels available. But it has a more laid-back look and feel – perhaps because it’s set back from the driver and front seat passenger, toward the base of the windshield – with a long and wide dashpad in between them and the display. For this reason, it does not feel as literally in your face as some of the others’ LCD screens do.

Like the Expedition, the Navigator has a very useful split-opening rear liftgate. It can be raised all at once, or just the upper section. You can also lower the bottom section to create a shelf for sitting or to expand the cargo area’s usable floor space.

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!

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