Although outwardly similar to last year’s rig, the ’03 Navigator receives plenty of engineering and content upgrades that have transformed it into a completely different vehicle. For the interior, Lincoln’s designers replaced just about every component and added some nifty available features to entertain and delight. This luxury brute remains freight-train tough but with an elegant look that seems right at home at a fancy-dress ball.
By: Malcolm Gunn
!["image"]("/local/Z/ZWIRE1091/zwire/images/2003navigator-packet.jpg") All told, the new Navigator comes across as a jack-of-all-trades people mover that can handle most terrain in regal style. |
The original Lincoln Navigator helped to create the luxury
end of the off-road scale. Now the acknowledged leader of the pack is reaffirming
its pre-eminent position with an all-new offering.
When the first Navigator arrived in 1997, it sent shock waves
throughout the automotive establishment. Until that time, there were only a
handful of vehicles all imports that could be considered real
luxo-utes. But in a surprise attack that caught the competition napping, Lincoln
revamped the Ford Expedition platform, reworked much of the sheetmetal and loaded
it with enough leather, wood trim and noise-killing insulation to make a Town
Car green with envy.
The result was nothing short of an overnight sensation. Sales
zoomed up the charts as other automakers scrambled to devise their own upscale
rigs. A year later, General Motors jumped in with its own Navigator fighter,
the Cadillac Escalade, followed by others gunning for their share of this growing
segment.
Like a true champ, Lincoln hasn’t taken these body blows lightly.
For 2003, the division delivered a one-two punch by unveiling two new sport
utility products, a reconstituted Navigator as well as its junior-sized cousin,
the Ford Explorer-based Lincoln Aviator.
Although outwardly similar to last year’s rig, the ’03 Navigator
receives plenty of engineering and content upgrades that have transformed it
into a completely different vehicle. Beginning with a considerably stiffer and
lighter steel frame adapted from the equally new Expedition, Lincoln added that
model’s four-wheel independent rear suspension to improve the ride and handling
and increase rear passenger seating space.
Other technical highlights include air-spring suspension,
rack-and-pinion steering, larger front and rear anti-lock disc brakes, larger
18-inch wheels and tires and added sound deadening materials.
For the interior, Lincoln’s designers replaced just about
every component and added some nifty available features to entertain and delight.
Heading this list are such items as a split power-folding third-row seat that
extends the load floor at the touch of a button located in the rear. Also new
is a power rear liftgate as well as a set of clever power-operated running boards
that automatically extend from underneath the rocker panels when any of the
doors open, and retract when the doors close.
These items can be added to a lengthy list of standard Navigator
fare, such as dual-zone climate control, power front seats with memory settings,
premium audio system plus the usual assortment of power accessories and switches.
Nav customers can also select the standard second-row bench seat or a couple
of captains chairs, depending on passenger requirements.
Just about the only major piece that carries over unaltered
is the Nav’s powertrain. Last year’s 5.4-liter DOHC V8 with 300 horsepower and
355 lb.-ft. of torque returns for 2003. That’s less than the Caddy Escalade’s
6.0-liter V8, with its 345 horses and 380 lb.-ft. of torque, but it’s still
plenty to the job done.
Also returning is a four-speed automatic transmission as well
as a dual-range four-wheel-drive transfer case with four separate settings,
ranging from two-wheel drive for clean and dry highway travel, to four-wheel
‘low’ to grunt it through the worst off-road trail.
Lincoln’s engineers have placed a high priority on the Navigator’s
occupant safety abilities by including a side-curtain air bag system. In addition,
stability control and a tire-pressure monitoring system can be added for even
greater security.
All told, the new Navigator comes across as a jack-of-all-trades
people mover that can handle most terrain in regal style. Despite its many changes,
this luxury brute remains freight-train tough but with an elegant look that
seems right at home at a fancy-dress ball.
Whatever its use, you’ve just gotta know the competition is
staying up late into the wee hours trying to figure out its next move.