 | 1998 Lincoln Navigator 4x4 High, wide and handsome.
By Tony Swan,
New Car Test Drive .com |
Overview
When you scan the full-size luxury section of the sport-utility landscape, you may be surprised to find that there's only one serious offering with Made In America stamped on its rocker panels. And it's even more surprising that this Yankee challenger comes from an automotive division that has never before tried its hand at trucks. Lincoln is obviously no stranger to luxury on a grand scale. The current Town Car sedan, a perennial favorite with limousine services, is the biggest passenger car sold in this country, and the magnificent Model K Lincolns of the early '30s all scaled in well north of 5000 pounds, many of them approaching the three-ton frontier. But trucks? It's not as anomalous as it may seem at a glance. As a unit of the Ford Motor Company, the Lincoln-Mercury division belongs to a company that leads the country--for that matter, the planet--in light truck expertise. The new Lincoln Navigator is yet another manifestation of that expertise--sumptuous, silent and strong. Think of it as Arnold Schwarzenegger suited up for a night at the opera, a uniquely appealing blend of brute strength and uptown sophistication.
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