The Cadillac Escalade dominates the full-size luxury SUV segment and routinely outsells the Lincoln Navigator by more than 2:1. While the 2025 Navigator appears to be a significant improvement, it likely won’t challenge the Escalade’s stranglehold thanks to a massive price hike. While the luxury SUV won’t arrive at dealerships until spring of 2025, Lincoln quietly revealed pricing will start at US$ 99,995 for the entry-level Navigator Reserve before a US$ 1,995 destination fee that puts it at US$ 101,990. That’s US$ 4,300 more than last year’s Reserve, but the big news is the apparent elimination of the Navigator Premiere, which began at US$ 83,265.
With that ‘affordable’ variant now
missing, the Navigator costs US$ 12,400 more than the Escalade. However, this
isn’t an apples-to-apples comparison as the Navigator comes standard with
four-wheel drive. Unfortunately for Lincoln, the picture still looks pretty bad
after adjusting for that and factoring in destination fees. The 2025 Navigator
would set you back US$ 101,990 while the four-wheel drive Escalade would be US$
92,590. That’s a difference of US$ 9,400 and it’s also impossible to ignore the
2025 Infiniti QX80. That model starts at US$ 84,445 and climbs to US$ 87,545
with four-wheel drive – both including destination. Given the premium pricing,
it’s not surprising to learn the Navigator comes well equipped. Besides the
bold new design and a questionable split gate, the model sports a panoramic
glass roof, power running boards, and 22-inch wheels.
The interior sports a 48-inch widescreen
display, an 11.1-inch infotainment system, and a 5.8-inch screen for second-row
passengers. Other highlights include heated and ventilated leather front seats,
heated second-row seats, and a power-folding third-row. That’s just the tip of
the luxury iceberg as buyers will find a 28-speaker Revel Ultima 3D audio
system, a heated leather steering wheel, and power adjustable pedals. They’re
joined by a tri-zone automatic climate control system, a wireless smartphone
charger, and LED ambient lighting. Other niceties include illuminated sill
plates, a piano key shifter, and genuine wood trim.
Standard tech includes Lincoln’s
BlueCruise semi-autonomous driving system, along with the Co-Pilot360 Drive 2.0
suite of safety and driver assistance features. The latter packs Adaptive
Cruise Control with Lane Centering, Pre-Collision Assist with Emergency
Braking, and Blind Spot Detection with Cross-Traffic Alert, among a host of
other systems designed to make your life safer behind the wheel. Powering all
of this is a twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V6 that cranks out 440 hp and 691 Nm of torque. The engine pairs with a ten-speed
automatic transmission, which sends power to all four wheels via the standard
four-wheel drive setup.
