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
