Navigator

Make
Lincoln
Segment
SUV

Cadillac set new standards for American luxury SUVs with the new 2021 Escalade, but Ford isn't going to sit back and let its chief rival steal all the spotlight. Last month, Ford was caught benchmarking the Escalade at its Dearborn Development Center, and it was clear why.

The current-generation Lincoln Navigator has been on sale since 2018, and now the luxury SUV is ready for a refresh to help it combat the Cadillac Escalade. For the first time, Lincoln is giving us a peek at the updated 2022 Navigator, previewing the refreshed styling. We were hoping it would borrow cues from the stunning Zephyr Reflection, but this was wishful thinking.

Lincoln says the 2022 Navigator will "continue to elevate first-class travel" but hasn't shared any other details about the upcoming update. This won't be a complete overhaul and is instead likely to be a relatively minor refresh to keep the luxury SUV looking fresh and the sales rolling in. As the brief video shows, the 2022 Navigator a new L-shaped LED daytime running light signature and slimmer headlights. We also see the illuminated Lincoln badge on the front grille. With the new standards set by the Escalade, exterior design likely won't be the key focus here. Instead, tech and luxury will be the major updates.

We're expecting it to the infotainment system to be updated with Ford's latest Sync 4 software. The current Navigator is equipped with a ten-inch touchscreen, and we don't expect this to change, despite the fact that the Escalade has a massive 38-diagonal curved screen design that doubles as instrumentation.

Since this is a minor mid-cycle update, we're not expecting any changes under the hood where the Navigator has some of the best powertrains around. Regardless of the trim, the Lincoln Navigator is powered by a 3.5-liter twin-turbo V6 developing 450 hp and 510 lb-ft. The next-generation model will likely have an electric powertrain and could be one of four electric models Lincoln will launch within the next few years. Lincoln says the new Navigator will debut "soon," so it could break cover in a few days.