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Neptune
I don’t care for the Navigator anymore (I consider it as an abomination to the Expedition) I only like the Second Generation (2003-2006) version of it. Lincoln engineers have been constantly sabotaging it’s off-road & towing/hauling abilities since its inception.
The First Generation Navigator (1998-2002) was deceivingly good at going off-road and could tow your house off it’s foundation (that’s just a figure of speech) however its looks held it back. The extra body cladding (which the Expedition did not have) was very ungainly. Lincoln had to notch the side door cladding in such a way (which doesn’t look presentable) just so the doors could open and close. Lincoln also tried to integrate the running boards so they would look as if they were a part of the trucks design – which did not work ... it only made matters worse. The rear Liftgate also turned away some buyers because of how Lincoln added the black trim that wrapped around the rear window and rear window wiper assembly. Some even noticed the tacky addition of a black plastic Lincoln window valance (which can be seen attached toward the front of the rear panel quarter windows) ...
The Second Generation Navigator (2003-2006) was a vast improvement over the first generation in terms of overall design. The Navigator was put on a weight-loss diet (literally and figuratively) The Navigator did become lighter (along with the Expedition) and was blessed with more slender body cladding and a better approach to adding the running boards. Gone was the black window trim on rear Liftgate and also gone was the rear quarter panel window valance. All of this plus a well designed front fascia without quirky upper bumper trim made for a end result worthy of praise. The Navigator now had a tidier well thought out look. However, while the Navigator’s looks improved – it lost some of its off-road abilities. Lincoln had already been tampering with the first generation model ... they tried to make the on-road ride quality more soft and pleasant. But when the Second gen. Navigator acquired the All-New IRS (Independent Rear Suspension) the Lincoln engineers really went to town – making its ride quality really soft. As a result of that and lowering it’s ride height, the Navigator not only lost some of its off-road abilities, but it also lost some of its towing abilities as well.
The Third Generation Navigator (2007-Current) is an abomination to it’s counterpart the Expedition and the two Lincoln predecessors it replaces. The First gen. could go off-road really well. The Second gen. although it lost a lot some of it’s abilities – it could still out perform the Escalade. But this new Navigator is simply astonishing (and I mean that in a bad way) Lincoln has gone back to their strange ways of overusing chrome to the point where its just distasteful. The off-road abilities of the 2007-Onward Navigator are – well it doesn’t have any ... and towing capacities are still down because Lincoln still wants the Navigator to ride like the Town Car. I wish Jeremy Clarkson of Top Gear would test the new 2007-2008 Navigator ... as he would find more sinister ways to describe it than I could.
In a way, I really feel sorry for the Navigator (all of this isn’t it’s fault, its just a vehicle) The fault lies with the Lincoln engineers and the consumers who kept complaining the Navigator’s ride quality wasn’t soft enough. There is a lot of potential in the Navigator (just look at what the Expedition has accomplished) its just that Lincoln keeps it held back. As I said earlier, the only Navigator I like is from the Second Generation as I feel like that was when the Navigator was in it’s prime. Unless Lincoln brings the old Navigator back – I see no reason to buy one.
The First Generation Navigator (1998-2002) was deceivingly good at going off-road and could tow your house off it’s foundation (that’s just a figure of speech) however its looks held it back. The extra body cladding (which the Expedition did not have) was very ungainly. Lincoln had to notch the side door cladding in such a way (which doesn’t look presentable) just so the doors could open and close. Lincoln also tried to integrate the running boards so they would look as if they were a part of the trucks design – which did not work ... it only made matters worse. The rear Liftgate also turned away some buyers because of how Lincoln added the black trim that wrapped around the rear window and rear window wiper assembly. Some even noticed the tacky addition of a black plastic Lincoln window valance (which can be seen attached toward the front of the rear panel quarter windows) ...
The Second Generation Navigator (2003-2006) was a vast improvement over the first generation in terms of overall design. The Navigator was put on a weight-loss diet (literally and figuratively) The Navigator did become lighter (along with the Expedition) and was blessed with more slender body cladding and a better approach to adding the running boards. Gone was the black window trim on rear Liftgate and also gone was the rear quarter panel window valance. All of this plus a well designed front fascia without quirky upper bumper trim made for a end result worthy of praise. The Navigator now had a tidier well thought out look. However, while the Navigator’s looks improved – it lost some of its off-road abilities. Lincoln had already been tampering with the first generation model ... they tried to make the on-road ride quality more soft and pleasant. But when the Second gen. Navigator acquired the All-New IRS (Independent Rear Suspension) the Lincoln engineers really went to town – making its ride quality really soft. As a result of that and lowering it’s ride height, the Navigator not only lost some of its off-road abilities, but it also lost some of its towing abilities as well.
The Third Generation Navigator (2007-Current) is an abomination to it’s counterpart the Expedition and the two Lincoln predecessors it replaces. The First gen. could go off-road really well. The Second gen. although it lost a lot some of it’s abilities – it could still out perform the Escalade. But this new Navigator is simply astonishing (and I mean that in a bad way) Lincoln has gone back to their strange ways of overusing chrome to the point where its just distasteful. The off-road abilities of the 2007-Onward Navigator are – well it doesn’t have any ... and towing capacities are still down because Lincoln still wants the Navigator to ride like the Town Car. I wish Jeremy Clarkson of Top Gear would test the new 2007-2008 Navigator ... as he would find more sinister ways to describe it than I could.
In a way, I really feel sorry for the Navigator (all of this isn’t it’s fault, its just a vehicle) The fault lies with the Lincoln engineers and the consumers who kept complaining the Navigator’s ride quality wasn’t soft enough. There is a lot of potential in the Navigator (just look at what the Expedition has accomplished) its just that Lincoln keeps it held back. As I said earlier, the only Navigator I like is from the Second Generation as I feel like that was when the Navigator was in it’s prime. Unless Lincoln brings the old Navigator back – I see no reason to buy one.