2004 Lincoln Navigator Big luxury SUV with smooth ride and agile handling. By John Rettie, New Car Test Drive .com

The Lincoln Navigator is big, smooth and luxurious. Totally re-engineered for 2003, it boasts an independent rear suspension. That's an unusually high level of refinement for any sport-utility, much less one as large as the Navigator.

And it is large. Navigator is based on the Ford Expedition and uses body-on-frame construction, the preferred design for trucks. So the Navigator can tow up to 8600 pounds, when properly equipped. It carry up to eight passengers and it can haul a lot of gear. Yet the Navigator offers a silky ride and surprisingly nimble handling. Its ride and handling belie its size.

For 2004, the Navigator gets a tire pressure monitor as standard equipment. It also gets more stereo speakers. The optional electronic stability control system (called AdvanceTrac) gets a new feature called roll stability control, which reduces the risk of tipping over during an emergency maneuver.

The 2004 Lincoln Navigator is available with rear-wheel drive ($48,635) or all-wheel-drive ($52,185). All Navigators come with the same 300-horsepower 5.4-liter V8 engine and four-speed automatic transmission. All have three rows of seats (with leather in rows one and two), a fully independent suspension with load-leveling at all four corners, rear park assist, and nearly every luxury you would expect in a premium vehicle.

The Ultimate Preferred Equipment Package ($3,625) adds high-intensity-discharge (HID) headlamps, a power-operated rear liftgate, AdvanceTrac electronic stability control with the new Roll Stability Control, a power glass sunroof, heated and cooled driver and passenger seats, and a third row seat that folds flat under power.

Options include a voice-activated DVD navigation system ($2,495), power retractable running boards ($1,095), a 40/20/40 split bench second-row seat (replacing the standard second-row buckets), rear-seat DVD entertainment system ($1,415), Class III/IV trailer tow package ($350), chrome wheels ($695-$895), and a monochrome appearance package ($995-$1195).