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2018 Lincoln Navigator First Drive | From black sheep to flagship

This is Lincoln's flagship. It's the most luxurious, comfortable and expensive vehicle the brand sells. It's quite obviously the biggest and heck, like every Lincoln flagship of yesteryear, it even features body-on-frame construction. Crucially, though, this all-new 2018 Lincoln Navigator is also very good. It's distinctive, capable, and competent in ways that will stand up well in the upper echelon of the SUV hierarchy. And we'll get this out of the way now: it's far superior to its primary competitor, the Cadillac Escalade. And yet, the Navigator's flagship status is a comeback story. It wasn't too long ago that it was a black sheep confined to the distant back row of Lincoln family promotional photos along with the Town Car and a fichus added for decoration. It was never given one of the new-fangled MK names, and its V8-powered, truck-based status made it a thirsty dinosaur at a time of rising gas prices and an increasing number of crossovers. Livery services bought them in black-painted droves, but it was otherwise forgotten even as a substantive refresh for 2015 arguably made it a better, more practical bet than its Caddy nemesis. Like its predecessor, and indeed every Navigator since the second generation dawned for 2007, the third-generation 2018 model features an independent rear suspension rather than the live axle in GM's SUVs. First and foremost, this reaps benefits for those sitting in the third row. Full-sized adults enjoy an abundance of room back there on par (or perhaps even better) than a minivan. There's a USB port on each side, the seatbacks power recline and its three seat belts allow for an eight-passenger max. There's even enough room behind the raised third-row for creatively stacked suitcases. Compare this to a regular-wheelbase Escalade with its third row stuck to the sky-high floor; its occupants' knees jammed against the second row and/or stuck into their own chins. It's a wasteland back there, but to be fair, not much worse than an Infiniti QX80 or Lexus LX 570. Yes, the extended-wheelbase Escalade ESV helps, but there's still less space than the standard Navigator. In fact, the Navigator L model offers the exact same third-row – only the cargo area behind it expands. That rear suspension also pays dividends in the ride and handling department.

2017 Lincoln MKZ shows the new face of progress

No one can accuse Lincoln of failing to keep to the MKZ modern after the latest, comprehensive upgrades for the refreshed 2017 model. The sedan goes on sale next spring and features significant changes to the design, powertrain, and available technology. The designers give the luxury sedan's face an aesthetic overhaul with a mesh grille that's inspired by the Continental concept, and the company also offers LED adaptive headlights as a further improvement to the front end. That said, it looks a little derivative – many staffers are comparing it to similar Jaguar and Kia designs, not that that's a bad thing. Inside, the center console moves away from capacitive controls in favor of actual knobs and buttons. Huge changes happen under the hood, too. The all-wheel-drive MKZ is available with 400 horsepower and 400 pound-feet of torque from a 3.0-liter twin-turbo V6, and the mill is exclusive to Lincoln for now. The optional Driver's Package on these models should further improve the handling thanks to a torque-vectoring rear differential derived from the Ford Focus RS. The same V6 makes 350 hp in front-wheel drive trim, and customers can also order a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder or hybrid powertrain. Lincoln has a load of safety and driver assistance tech for the MKZ, too. The adaptive cruise control system can deal with stop-and-go traffic and even hold the sedan in place without the driver using the brake pedal. Pre-Collision Assist can also help avoid accidents by automatically activating the brakes. Related Video: Quiet Luxury: Intuitive Technology, Effortless Performance and Distinctive Design Drive 2017 Lincoln MKZ Suite of cutting-edge intuitive technologies including available adaptive cruise control with stop-and-go, auto hold, Pre-Collision Assist with Pedestrian Detection and enhanced park assist help ease the new Lincoln MKZ driving experience Effortless performance enabled by available new Lincoln-exclusive 3.0-liter GTDI V6 engine, which creates a quiet, powerful ride, or popular hybrid option Distinctively redesigned from the inside out, including three new Lincoln Black Label themes available, plus two available Revel® audio systems delivering the height of Lincoln luxury LOS ANGELES, Nov. 18, 2015 – Discover your new favorite space. The new Lincoln MKZ combines intuitive technology, effortless performance and distinctive design to deliver an enhanced driving experience Lincoln calls quiet luxury.

Ford and Lincoln recall roundup: Explorer, F-350 Super Duty, Aviator

Ford and Lincoln released information on a flurry of recalls this morning. There are three in total, and they span different models and separate issues. Those models include the 2013-17 Ford Explorer, 2020-21 Lincoln Aviator and 2020-21 Ford F-350 Super Duty. We’ll organize these three in order of most cars recalled. 2013-17 Ford Explorer This recall includes a substantial 774,696 vehicles, of which 676,152 are in North America. Why? Ford says these vehicles “may experience a seized cross-axis ball joint that may cause a fractured rear suspension toe link.” The diminished steering control that would follow could increase the likelihood of a crash, Ford states. Only vehicles that spent time in high corrosion states should be affected, Ford says. That means places that lay salt down, experience cold weather and high humidity. Owners of these vehicles will need to take their car into the dealership, where it will be inspected to determine if it needs work. If so, Ford will replace the cross-axis ball joint/knuckle, then replace the toe links with a newly-designed part. Notifications to owners of these vehicles are scheduled to be sent out the week of August 23.  WeÂ’ll note that Ford is reporting six “allegations of injury” related to this issue. For those who donÂ’t live in the high-corrosion states/their car was never registered in those states, Ford is offering a customer satisfaction program in case you were interested in having the work done anyway. 2020-21 Lincoln Aviator Lincoln is pulling back 40,995 new Aviators due to an improperly secured battery cable wire harness. This recall applies to gasoline-only versions of the Aviator, so Grand Touring PHEV buyers neednÂ’t worry. The wire harness may contact the AC compressor pulley due to it being secured improperly. Ford says that over time, the pulley could rub through the wire harnessÂ’ insulation, resulting in a short circuit and ultimately a fire. However, Ford is not currently aware of any injuries or fires related to this concern as of now. When you bring your car in, the dealer will inspect all the parts to determine what needs to be done. Fixes range from a basic tie strap to keep the harness away from the pulley (if it hasnÂ’t made contact yet), to replacement of the wire harness and AC belt if the contact has caused damage. Owners should expect to be notified the week of July 30 if their Aviator is involved in the recall.