DEARBORN, Jan. 23, 2014  – The Lincoln Motor 
Company introduces the new 2015 Navigator, offering a fresh 
interpretation of a classic vehicle that has long defined the full-size 
luxury sport utility segment.
At the Chicago Auto Show on Feb. 6, the public will 
get its first look at a new Navigator that takes on a changed presence 
for the 2015 model year. Exterior design changes are accentuated by the 
reintroduction of Lincoln’s iconic split-wing grille. Interior 
enhancements include luxurious leather and additional customer-focused 
technologies. The more refined appearance complements enhanced power and
 hauling capabilities that Navigator customers demand.
The sleeker front end includes a newly designed 
hood, and the reimagined back end features a power up/down tailgate. On 
both ends, the vehicle wears jewel-like light-emitting diode (LED) 
lights, as well as high-intensity discharge (HID) adaptive headlamps 
with LED accents.
“We knew what our customers wanted,” said Elaine 
Bannon, chief engineer of the 2015 Navigator. 
“Navigator has always had 
great features, and we were able to keep those things. I’m proud that we
 were able to give our customers so much more.”
Navigator comes standard with 20-inch, machined 
aluminum wheels, while Reserve Package vehicles are equipped with 
22-inch, polished aluminum wheels. Reserve Package Navigators also offer
 optional chrome-accented running boards.
As with current-generation models, the 2015 
Navigator will be available in standard-length (207.4 inches) and 
extended-length (222.3 inches) versions.
Luxuriously Appointed Interior
Navigator has long been synonymous with large-scale 
luxury. On the 2015 Navigator, the Reserve Package introduces a new 
level of luxury to the vehicle’s interior, providing customers with:
- 
An updated cabin that extends ultra-luxurious leather to all three rows 
of seats, as well as to the armrests, center console and transmission 
shifter
 
- A hand-wrapped, leather instrument panel with contrast stitching and leather glove box door
 
- Premium Ziricote wood trim, a luxurious natural-grain wood new to 
the automotive industry, most commonly used as an accent in yachts
 
Navigator comes standard with the new Lincoln 
steering wheel, introduced on the recently revealed MKC premium small 
utility. The Wollsdorf leather-wrapped, wood-trimmed wheel features a 
thicker grip and softer touch for a more dynamic driving experience.
Designed to seat up to eight people, Navigator 
offers buyers second-row options that include two captain’s chairs, with
 or without a center console, or a fold-flat bench. Due in part to 
Navigator’s patented independent rear suspension, which allows for true 
fold-flat, PowerFold® third-row seats, extended-length and standard 
wheelbase models are projected to deliver segment-leading cargo volume.
Extended-length models provide 128.2 cubic feet of 
cargo space behind the first row, 86.3 cubic feet of cargo space behind 
the second row, and 42.6 cubic feet of cargo space behind the third row;
 standard wheelbase models deliver 103.3 cubic feet of cargo space 
behind the first row, 54.4 cubic feet behind the second row, and 18.1 
cubic feet behind the third row.
“We have this iconic vehicle with untapped 
potential,” Bannon said. “Now it’s got more of what our customers want. 
It’s got the new Lincoln design DNA on the exterior, a redesigned 
instrument panel, a leather Reserve Package, 22-inch wheels. Once we 
were able to include all of those elements, I knew we had a winner.”
A Smoother, More Powerful Ride
Replacing the 5.4-liter V8 that has powered Navigator for years is a more powerful and fuel-efficient 3.5-liter EcoBoost engine.
The twin turbocharged, direct injection engine is 
projected to deliver at least 370 horsepower and 430 lb.-ft. of torque, 
according to preliminary test data. Final numbers will be available 
closer to production. The 3.5-liter EcoBoost is also projected to 
deliver best-in-class towing.
Navigator features a six-speed automatic 
transmission with Lincoln’s SelectShift, which allows the driver to 
manually control gears if desired. The vehicle is available in both 
four-wheel-drive and rear-wheel-drive configurations. The available 
Control Trac Four-Wheel-Drive system enhances traction on slippery 
surfaces, helps improve handling on dry roads and enables off-road 
capability.
Helping make this the best-handling Navigator ever 
is the addition of standard electric power-assisted steering. This 
allows for more consistent and precise control of the vehicle through a 
range of speeds while simultaneously making it easier to maneuver at low
 speeds, and in particular making it easier to park.
The Lincoln Drive Control option adds Lincoln’s 
Continuously Controlled Damping (CCD), a suspension system that monitors
 multiple vehicle sensors and road conditions every two milliseconds and
 adjusts the suspension needs accordingly. CCD also provides a smoother 
and improved ride – best-ever for Navigator – and allows the driver to 
customize the ride of the vehicle by selecting one of three different 
control modes: 
Normal, Sport and Comfort.
Navigator also offers driver-friendly Hill 
Start/Descent Assist. When parked on a hill with a grade of five degrees
 or more, the vehicle remains stationary for up to two seconds after the
 driver releases the brake pedal. 
Standard-equipped Navigators will continue to offer 
Nivomat®, a load-leveling system that automatically raises a loaded rear
 end to optimum ride height for improved handling. The mechanical 
leveling system helps reduce uneven wear on front and rear tires and 
helps maintain better vehicle aerodynamics.
Technology-Based Luxury
Illuminated “welcome mats” beneath both front doors greet Navigator owners when they press the “unlock” button on the key fob.
A passive entry system allows owners to enter 
without using a key. The system senses when the key fob is in range of 
the door and allows for keyless access via a door-mounted button. 
Inside, a push-button start allows for keyless engine ignition.
The latest SYNC® with MyLincoln Touch™ driver 
connectivity system is standard. The system allows drivers to use 
voice-activated or touch screen controls to make phone calls, play 
music, use the navigation system or set cabin temperature controls. The 
system includes 4.2-inch LCD displays in the instrument cluster, an 
8-inch touch screen in the center stack and traditional knob controls 
for easy operation.
The available Blind Spot Information System (BLIS®) 
signals when another vehicle is detected in an adjacent lane behind 
either rear wheel. Standard for 2015, Navigator also introduces a new 
rearview camera, which displays a color image on the 8-inch touch screen
 for help when driving in reverse.
Rebirth of an Icon
Navigator was wildly popular the moment it hit the 
streets in the late 1990's, and spent more than a decade as one of the 
top-selling vehicles in the segment. Featuring seating for up to eight 
passengers, luxury cues typically reserved for sedans and cargo space 
and towing capacity to haul virtually anything, Navigator set the 
full-size luxury SUV standard.
It was an immediate success, accounting for 41 
percent of in-segment sales by the 2000 model year. Aiming to recapture 
that glory, the 2015 Navigator offers nearly two dozen upgrades from the
 current generation.
“Navigator has retained some of the most loyal 
following in the segment for more than a decade,” said Jim Farley, 
executive vice president, Ford global marketing, sales and service and 
Lincoln. “Among Lincoln owners, more than 70 percent have been return 
customers – purchasing the vehicle for its power, for its beauty and for
 its capability, and this new Navigator gives them more on all three 
fronts.”
Production of the 2015 Navigator is scheduled to 
begin late this summer at the Kentucky Truck Plant in Louisville, Ky., 
and vehicles are due in Lincoln showrooms in early fall. 
Source: FordMotorCo