2025 Lincoln Navigator

When I landed at the San Diego airport, I was immediately shuffled into the back of a 2025 Lincoln Navigator for the 40-minute drive to Ranch Santa Fe. My driver, Emi, had already turned on my massaging seats and queued up some informational YouTube videos to watch on the new Navigator. 

I dutifully put on the headphones linked to the rear-seat entertainment on the Black Label model and started watching the playlist. By the time I arrived at the hotel my brain hurt. There is a lot of new tech on the 2025 Lincoln Navigator. A lot. Like a lot, a lot. 

While people looking at the new Navigator will clamor for the quiet cabin and seamless acceleration, there's going to be a bit of a learning curve for all the tech. It's worth it in the end, but I'm going to tell you outright: DO NOT leave the dealership without setting up your devices and seating position as well as getting a basic tech primer. 

WHAT'S NOT NEW ON THE 2025 LINCOLN NAVIGATOR? 

Because there's so much new stuff on the 2025 Lincoln Navigator, I figured the safe place to start is with what's not new. First up, you get a very familiar profile, with an upright stance, power running boards and "Embrace" welcome lighting. The grille gets a tweak, as does the tail end of the vehicle, but the overall shape of the exterior hasn't changed. 

The powertrain is also a carry over. It's equipped with a 3.5-liter twin-turbo V-6 engine that delivers 440 horsepower and 510 pound-feet of torque. It's smooth and seamless, and it does well for a vehicle of this size - with a caveat. I preferred the normal driving mode. When I flipped over into Excite mode, it felt a bit laggy under hard acceleration. 

COMPUTER ON WHEELS? 

When you get behind the wheel of the 2025 Lincoln Navigator, you can't help but notice the 48-inch panoramic display. We've seen it before in the Nautilus, and it's just as glorious and in-your-face here. It's well positioned, and you can configure it with your preferences or make it go dark, if it's just too much for you. It's easy to see over, and it doesn't hinder your visibility out the front at all. It's not reflective, distracting or otherwise problematic. In short, I like it. 

I also like the Google built-in operating system, which is free for four years. It includes wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, so you'll still have navigation capability if you don't want to pay the subscription fees after the free trial. 

In addition to the panoramic screen, there's a control screen on the center stack that can show your audio, map or vehicle settings. It also houses your HVAC controls. While I'm typically not a fan of this, I think it works well on the Navigator with large icons and pre-set fan settings. 

The big tech feature that has the potential to be polarizing is the fact your steering wheel, pedal and mirror settings are now controlled through a blanked-out multi-function dial on the steering wheel. There will be a learning curve here because there isn't any data on the steering wheel to tell you what you're adjusting - it's all through a pop-up screen on the panoramic display. It's fairly easy to use, and the steering wheel and pedal adjustments are intuitive. I did, however, hit the wrong button multiple times when adjusting the side mirrors. But I think (hope?) an owner would get used to this. Plus, if you're a dude with one or two pair of flat-soled shoes, you'll set the mirrors once and forget about it. 

HOW THE 2025 LINCOLN NAVIGATOR DROVE 

Per usual, Lincoln does a great job with creating smooth and seamless power. The 3.5-lier V-6 hits the right power note with seamless acceleration and quiet engine noises. I had no difficulties merging with highway traffic or passing. 

I didn't love the auto stop/start engine, and frankly, it seems silly for a vehicle that costs more than $100k to include this feature. I could be wrong, but I doubt someone buying a Navigator is concerned about fuel economy. Lincoln has other vehicles in its lineup to chalk up fuel economy credits, so this seems like an annoyance for someone who's buying a vehicle in this class. 

Outside of that, we played around with the highway-driving hands-free Blue Cruise 1.4 system, and I see the incremental improvements. But it's still not as good as General Motors' Super Cruise. It's stable between the lane lines up to about 70 MPH, but between 70 and 80 MPH, it tends to bobble a bit between lane lines. It also won't initiate automatic lane changes. It will do an assisted lane change if you tap the turn indicator, but that's also a step behind Super Cruise. And, if you're traveling at speeds of more than 80 MPH, the hands-free option deactivates, and you're left with hands-on adaptive cruise control. While this is fine for most states and speed limits, there are some areas in the U.S. that have 80 to 85 MPH speed limits. 

WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE 

This should surprise no one who follows me, but the wireless charging is on the do-not-like list. It doesn't charge your phone very well, and it seriously heats up your phone. At one point, I pulled my phone out of the charger, and it not only felt like a hot potato but also had a message stating my phone was too hot to use. In Black Label models, you have wireless charging in the rear seat, and that is just as bad in terms of charging and heating. 

The other big thing I found annoying was the driving mode button. It doesn't provide a toggle option. So, you press the button, and then you have to move to the touchscreen on the center stack to change the modes. I didn't' like this on the Nautilus, and I don't like it on the Navigator. For an automaker who touts an "eyes-up" strategy, this causes a lot of distraction as you have to look at and touch the screen to change your drive modes. 

TRIMS AND PRICING 

There are essentially two trims for the 2025 Lincoln Navigator: Reserve and Black Label. Then there are standard and long wheelbase options. The base price for the Reserve, including destination, is $102,815. Four-wheel drive is standard, and a bench seat is standard. The base price for the Black Label, which has standard captain's chairs, is $119,315. 

The long wheelbase is about a $3k add on both trims. 

THE BOTTOM LINE ON THE 2025 LINCOLN NAVIGATOR 

If you get behind the wheel and drive, this is the experience you would expect. It's smooth and powerful. But the tech on the 2025 Lincoln Navigator is a little OTT. I loved it, but I could see someone on the luddite side of the spectrum getting frustrated with this computer on wheels. It will be very important for buyers to either get a really good primer from the dealer or to GTS (Google that sh*t), so that they understand exactly what they're buying. The good news: There is a "Quick Tips" app in the control screen that will walk you through a lot of the heavy tech. 

In sum: I really like the 2025 Lincoln Navigator from tech to drivability, but it might not be right for everyone. 

Editor's note: Driving impressions in this "First Drive" review are from an invitation-only automaker launch event that allowed special access to the vehicle and executives. Lincoln covered our accommodations, meals and transportation costs.